As we inch closer to Christmas, today’s trio is full of festive delights; Ada Moncrieff’s Murder at Theatre Royale, Alexandra Benedict’s The Christmas Murder Game and a dash of romance with Melissa Pimentel’s The One that Got Away.
MURDER AT THE THEATRE ROYALE – ★★★
It’s Christmas at London’s Theatre Royale and journalist Daphne King is determined to solve an extraordinary mystery…
December 1935. Director Chester Harrison’s production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop – London’s Theatre Royale – a few days before Christmas.
Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: ‘Scrooge’ dies on stage, seemingly due to a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, an old rival of Chester’s is murdered in a dressing room. Are those associated with the production being picked off one by one? Journalist Daphne King is determined to reveal the truth…
Me and cosy Christmas-centric books have historically had a bad run. I’m no Scrooge and the idea of a nice Christmas read seems great in principle. However, I always find the execution to be lacking.
While Murder at the Theatre Royal didn’t blow me away, I at least managed to finish it and stayed somewhat engaged in the plot. It’s very much a murder mystery by numbers and has all ingredients you want from the ‘cosy’ genre. Yet, it feels like author hasn’t cooked it enough.
I really liked Daphne as a character, but Moncrieff’s purple prose does her a huge disservice. There was a lot of floral, overly descriptive language and attempts to shoehorn in old slang to reflect the 1930s setting. While I understand wanting to add a sense of the period, the way it was done felt really hammy.
Additionally, despite the theatre lending itself easily to a cast of colourful characters and hidden secrets, a lot of the characters in the novel felt really cardboard cutout, which is a shame as there are a few interesting players! I would’ve loved a bit more exploration when it comes to each of the suspects as a lot of them were lacking in distinct personality and depth, which didn’t help when it came to revealing whodunnit.
The side character of Marklow is also really weird because it’s established in the novel that Daphne knows him really well and they have an understanding due to previous cases. This led me to believe this was a Christmas spin-off and part of wider series that I need to dive into. However, it’s not… so anyone looking to learn more about the backstory of Marklow and Daphne will be severely disappointed.
Overall, despite its faults, it is a fun read for the festive season. If you like cosy mysteries then you could do a lot worse than Murder at the Theatre Royale.
THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME – ★★★
Twelve clues. Twelve keys. Twelve days of Christmas. But how many will die before Twelfth Night?
The annual Christmas Game is afoot at Endgame House, the Armitages’ grand family home. This year’s prize is to die for–deeds to the house itself–but Lily Armitage has no intention of returning. She hasn’t been back to Endgame since her mother died, twenty-one years ago, and she has no intention of claiming the house that haunts her dreams.
Until, that is, she receives a letter from her aunt promising that the game’s riddles will give her the keys not only to Endgame, but to its darkest secrets, including the identity of her mother’s murderer.
Now, Lily must compete with her estranged cousins for the twelve days of Christmas. The snow is thick, the phone lines are down, and no one is getting in or out. Lily will have to keep her wits about her, because not everyone is playing fair, and there’s no telling how many will die before the winner is declared.
The setting of The Christmas Murder Game is by far the best bit about it. Who doesn’t love an isolated house in the English countryside? Add in a dash of murder and all should be tickety-boo for this murder mystery fan!
Yet, the biggest issue with The Christmas Murder Game is that it drags on for far too long and doesn’t have nearly enough interesting characters to sustain it. The premise is certainly intriguing and the setting adds to the atmosphere but none of the characters are particularly captivating. Not only are they loathsome as people, but they are so one-dimensional. They’re meant to be villains, which means being evil is the one and only trait most of them have.
While I didn’t bother with any of the decoding myself, some of the hunts were fun. It’s perfectly serviceable as a murder mystery but just lacks that festive thrill. Sadly, I did see the killer coming a mile off but I didn’t mind that too much. It’s a real shame that Lily was a spineless leading character as if The Christmas Murder Game had someone more like Murder at the Theatre Royale’s Daphne at the helm and less pages, it may have worked better.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY – ★★★★
Ruby and Ethan were perfect for each other. Until the day they suddenly weren’t.
Now, ten years later, Ruby is single, having spent the last decade focusing on her demanding career and hectic life in Manhattan. There’s barely time for a trip to England for her little sister’s wedding. And there’s certainly not time to think about what it will be like to see Ethan again, who just so happens to be the best man.
But as the family frantically prepare for the big day, Ruby can’t help but wonder if she made the right choice all those years ago. Because there is nothing like a wedding for stirring up the past…
Apparently this a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Truthfully, I didn’t see much of the retelling in there myself but I did love The One That Got Away. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I’ve been listening to Is It Over Now? by Taylor Swift on repeat since 1989 (Taylor’s Version) dropped in October and found it highly relatable to the plot at hand, but I found myself completely utterly charmed by this novel.
Told through alternating time perspectives of ‘Then’ and ‘Now’, the novel charts Ruby and Ethan’s relationship from their initial courtship, breakup and where they are ten years on, with Ruby as a workaholic in New York and Ethan now a millionaire entrepreneuer.
The One That Got Away is set against the backdrop of Ruby’s sister’s wedding at a remote English castle, adding to the novel’s extreme charm and classic romcom vibes. Alongside the intense will-they-won’t-they tension, there are tricky family dynamics and wedding obstacles aplenty. Ruby and Ethan are obviously the standout characters and I really believed and rooted for their romance. The rest of the wedding party are also believable enough, with their own quirks and side plots.
While it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, Pimentel’s adorable characters and noughties references made for a compelling, sweet and fun romance that is reminiscent of the magic of the golden era of romcoms like Bridget Jones‘ Diary. I would 100% read more from Melissa Pimentel!
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