The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year | Ally Carter
"you know, if mankind has one universal superpower, it’s gaslighting women into thinking they’re the problem. you were never supposed to do more than he did. you weren’t supposed to be more. you sure as hell weren’t supposed to earn more."
This is a locked-room mystery about an eighty-one-year-old
crime queen’s mysterious disappearance in the middle of a blizzard from her own
study without leaving a trace, all signs pointing to a perpetrator who has been
threatening her life for a long time.
So, what happens when hot hunk Ethan and recently divorced Maggie,
both writers at the same publishing house, get invited to spend Christmas with
a fan who turns out to be Maggie’s favorite author, Eleanor? And, why did
Eleanor choose to invite Ethan and Maggie particularly to what has been an
annual traditional holiday family gathering only? And, while readers are taking
in the ambiance of Eleanor’s castle, and all her quirky relatives and other
guests, why and how did Eleanor suddenly disappear in the midst of a blizzard? Was
she murdered? Is there something sinister going on? If so, why? And, who is
behind it? Or, is this a contest for the mystery authors to solve for some
unknown purpose?
Maggie Chase, a successful cozy mystery writer, has had some
rough times around Christmas. She endured the loss of both her parents and her
husband leaving her for her best friend. Yes, she did catch them in flagrante
delicto. And yes, they were assholes. As Christmas approached, her publisher
advised that her presence was required at a party in England, hosted by a fan. Though
very reluctant, Maggie decided to go. When she arrived, she discovered that the
host was none other than Eleanor Ashley, the renowned mystery author, and her
idol.
The guest list included rival writer Ethan Wyatt, which she
found out aboard the plane. The two do not see eye-to-eye, and as we are watching
the story unfold through Maggie’s eyes – it seems Eathan hates her and feels himself
superior. But he doesn't seem to understand what he has done to make Maggie
hate him as much as she does. He has been running with this joke that he thinks
she remembers (calling her Marcie) but clearly she doesn't. He will, however,
never forget because it originated on the first day he met her. When she
changed his life. But then, just after the elevator, he found out she was
married. And now she is divorced and a shell of herself. Now, stuck with her in
this mansion, he is determined to get to the bottom of this misunderstanding
between them.
The two find themselves with some of Eleanor’s relatives
gathered for the holidays at her grand mansion. As the group is stranded by a
snowstorm, eighty-one-year-old Eleanor mysteriously disappears. Maggie assumes
this is all a clever game. Being an Eleanor Ashley superfan and fellow mystery
writer, she follows a breadcrumb trail of clues, while using passages from
Eleanor's novels in conjunction with her current work in progress to unravel
the mystery, only to discover that someone has been trying to kill Eleanor for
weeks. But when a guest is poisoned, things get serious. With Ethan, whom she
detests but needs to trust, Maggie tries to figure out what happened to Eleanor
and to uncover the villain in a household of likely suspects, most of whom have
a motive. And could Ethan's charms also be softening Maggie's heart?
As they sort through the clues, explore the mansion and
encounter various dangers, Eathan slowly starts to peel away his past for Maggie.
He lets her in unlike anyone else has been let in in a long time. All while
trying to keep her safe as she is prancing around this mansion acting like a
detective in one of her books. But she is smiling and laughing, looking
invigorated by revealing the clues of this puzzle, and he finds himself falling
even more. Things come to a head when Maggie is taken and they still don't know
who is behind all of the mayhem. One thing he does know is that Maggie is not
going to get hurt. He will die making sure she stays safe and maybe there’s a
chance that not only will they walk away but they will walk away together.
The story is a sort of inside a mystery as Maggie and Ethan are
summoned to solve Eleanor’s murder, but also what it is that’s gone so wrong
between them. The locked door mystery was very intriguing and involved more
twists than I expected and I loved the setting and the circumstances that
brought them to the remote English estate. It was cozy and still with this
element of tension that pierced through the holiday calm. Absolutely loved this
and would read more Christmas novels of this ilk.
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