Determined to make up for the disastrous Christmas Eve the year before, Anna and her family head off to spend Christmas at a luxury retreat. Unfortunately, catastrophe seems to be following them, and they end up embroiled in another murder.
After reading Happy Bloody Christmas by Jo Middleton earlier this month, I decided that the sequel, Not Another Bloody Christmas, should make its way to the top of the TBR pile. Both these books are perfect for the festive season.
It's a year on from Anna discovering a dead body in her larder on Christmas Eve. This time around, the family has decided to get away from it all and booked a few days away at Whispering Pines, a luxury retreat in an old manor house. Despite some renovation taking place, the family is happy as they have the whole place to themselves, alongside Mrs Haddock, the housekeeper.
Things begin to go lopsided when, late in the day, another party turns up. Six adults and two children, who all know each other through family and/or work connections, put a dampener on the magical and relaxed Christmas Anna was hoping for.
Matters take a serious turn when one of the group is discovered dead the following morning. Initially, everyone believes the victim has had a heart attack, but Anna is not so sure and begins to investigate. The situation becomes even more complicated when they discover that they are snowed in.
As with the first book, the author delights in poking fun at middle-class, middle-aged, middle-England, alongside the detecting efforts frequently seen in TV dramas. The setting of an old manor house, with open fireplaces and lots of reception rooms, makes you think of Scooby-Doo or Cluedo. It is the many cultural references, alongside the irreverence, that make this such a fun read.
Everyone is a suspect; they have the means, motive or opportunity. By the conclusion, Anna's scatter gun approach of accusing everyone is put to full effect and is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie story. I just wonder where Anna will end up next year.
Author Details
Jo Middleton is a writer, mum of two grown up children and slave to a golden retriever and three cats, named after fictional detectives. Jo published her first novel, Playgroups and Prosecco, in 2019 and has since gone on to work with her good friend Gill Sims, hosting her 2022 theatre tour and co-hosting a podcast, It’s Five O’clock Somewhere.
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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