The days after Christmas are always a blur, and my reading schedule definitely took a hit this week. I’m still in the middle of this book, but since I’m a day late uploading, I figured I’d share a review of how it’s going so far – especially because I’m enjoying it far too much to rush the ending.

This week’s special Christmas pick is Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick, a holiday murder mystery set in 1950s England. It’s clever, funny, cozy, and captivating, and I’m dying to see what happens next. Between reading this and bingeing my way through the new episodes of Stranger Things, I’ve had so much great content to take in this week that it feels impossible to fit it all into such a short amount of time.

The narrator is Frank Grasby, an inspector who’s hilariously relatable and genuinely fun to read. After a mishap in his usual city, he’s sent to the village of Elderby, where a dead stranger is discovered in the chimney of Lord Damnish’s home. Was he simply a thief who perished accidentally on his way down the chimney (perhaps mimicking another Christmas intruder) or is the cause of his death something far more sinister?

This story feels far more authentic than many other murder mysteries I’ve read that follow a detective protagonist, and for good reason: the author himself was a cop. I ended up googling him to learn a bit more and was sad to see that he passed earlier this year. I would love to read more of his work, because this one is already shaping up to be a new favorite. I actually came across it purely by chance – it was the Barnes & Noble café pick for the month, and my mom always buys me the café books whenever we’re there.

I’ll definitely have more thoughts to share once I finish, but for now, go ahead and grab a copy. This is one I can confidently recommend to my fellow mystery lovers – which seems to be most of you. Merry Christmas, and enjoy the rest of your holidays!