Review: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

About the Book

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 the 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 from a locked room, 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 snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue 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.

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MY THOUGHTS

I loved this book so much! If I could give it more than five stars, I would. It has everything I love but didn’t know I needed jam-packed into one delightfully fun story. There's a locked room mystery set in an English manor that's full of intriguing characters, hilarious situations that had me literally laughing out loud, and a swoony rivals-to-lovers romance. Yep, I was sold. What's not to love? I’ve been a big fan of Ally Carter since her Gallagher Girl books, and, I’ve gotta say, this is my new favorite.

Maggie and Ethan were so fun together. Their banter was hilarious. There was a definite spark between them, which had me rooting so hard for them. Maggie had a bit of a hard edge about her, but the more I learned about her and the more I discovered about her past, I understood her and was cheering her on. Ethan was a bit of a mystery himself. Very little was known about him, but I loved the slow reveal of getting to know him. I don't want to say too much, but, wow, what a swoony guy!

This story wasn't all laughs, though. I appreciated the fact that important and sometimes heavy topics were addressed.

I thought the mystery was excellent. I never knew who or what to trust. The ending was such a brilliant twist!

I need more books like this. I need more funny, mysterious, and suspenseful rom-coms. This was absolutely delightful, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

NOTE: There was a little bit of language, and while there was heavily implied intimacy, it remained behind a closed door.

I received a copy of this book and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS