The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

By Ally Carter

Book Overview

USA Today Bestseller "Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, excellent dialogue, and fantastic characters, this expertly crafted story from Carter (The Blonde Identity) is a heart-melting rivals-to-lovers romance combined with a delightful locked-room mystery." -- Library Journal (starred review)

Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She's the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He's Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she's told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at a snowbound English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished in a classic locked-room mystery, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue in this cozy holiday mystery will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth--and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don't kill each other first.

The laugh out loud holiday "romystery"--filled with witty banter--that you've been waiting for

A touching holiday readPerfect for fans of uplifting winter romancesA delightful Christmas gift

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0063276682
• ISBN13: 9780063276680
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: Avon Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Fun Christmas mystery rom-com

Ally Carter, you've done it again. Please keep writing books--I will keep reading them. I had so much fun reading this book and could have easily finished it within a few days of starting. Two things prevented me, and neither of them had anything to do with the book itself. First, the two weeks I read this book were ridiculously busy, leaving me little time to just sit and indulge in it. Second, this was a buddy read with my husband, so we'd read to a certain chapter and then wait for the other person to catch up before continuing. We both loved the book and enjoyed talking to each other about it. This book is a cozy Christmas mystery rom-com, which isn't something I've read before. And what a way to pull me into a new group of books! Can't go wrong with this one (or Ally Carter). I loved Maggie and Ethan, individually and together. Their wit and their banter throughout the book were entertaining but not unrealistic. They each had enough backstory for the reader to understand them but not necessarily predict them. I love the way Ethan supported Maggie and helped her build her confidence in herself. (Btw, my husband commented on this over and over, too.) They were both brilliant. There are only two things I wanted to have explained but weren't: 1) The escape from the locked room. 2) All the texts Ethen got during their flight. I’m fairly certain I know the answer, but the problem is that the number of people doesn’t add up. Note: A little bit of swearing.