It's Christmas Eve, and Anna stumbles downstairs with the hangover from hell. She has a long list of tasks to sort out as she's hosting her in-laws on Christmas Day. Her plans grind to a halt when she discovers Santa Claus dead in her larder.
I was determined to fit in one festive read during December, and heard so much praise for Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton that it immediately made its way to the top of the TBR pile.
This is a very irreverent festive murder mystery. Anna's situation the morning after hosting a party is probably familiar to many readers. I would assume the author is speaking from experience as she describes Anna's delicate condition the morning after. Humour saturates the narrative as Anna discovers a dead body in her walk-in larder, the pièce de résistance of her kitchen. An unexpected dead body is bad enough, but to make matters worse, it's her creepy boss wearing a Father Christmas outfit. She's immediately concerned that her seven-year-old daughter will be traumatised if she sees a dead Santa.
Anna's concern for her daughter is a typical reaction; she's one of those people who catastrophise everything. I loved the insight we had into her thought processes. The best way of describing them is to imagine a steel ball ricocheting around a pinball machine. It was hilarious that, upon finding a crime had been committed in her home, she immediately thought about TV crime shows such as Death In Paradise as a point of reference.
With police officers more interested in the buffet back at the police station, Anna decides to investigate the murder herself. As she interrogates the evidence and individuals, the author pokes fun at how technologically illiterate the middle-aged are, the obsession the middle-class have with brand names, and the idea that anyone you know would be capable of committing any type of crime. The investigation process is chaotic and frequently hilarious.
There are some important messages embedded within the story, tolerance and loneliness being two of them. However, for me, the main message that came across was that Christmas is about being present, rather than being perfect. It's the quality time spent with family and friends and not the Instagram-worthy tablescape that will be remembered.
After such a fun read, I'm hoping I can squeeze the sequel, Not Another Bloody Christmas, in this festive season.
Jo lives in Somerset and when she’s not working or tending to a pet she loves reading murder mysteries, binge-watching dating reality TV shows and being dragged around the countryside by her disrespectful dog Mako.
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