Harry Crystal is a fairly unknown crime writer with a failed marriage and an estranged adult daughter. When he is invited to an all-expenses-paid Christmas stay in the remote village of Midwinter, he is more than happy to sign up as one of six guests invited to play a fun murder mystery game arranged by the mysterious Midwinter Trust led by the charismatic Jeremy Vandervell.
The game is simple: The Midwinter Trust has written a mystery complete with a victim and a list of suspects. Each day of their stay, the guests are provided with clues and puzzles to the mystery, and at the end of their stay, they will have to guess who the murderer is, and how the murder was done. But as a winter snowstorm rolls in and the temperatures begin to drop, so do the bodies. Someone is playing their own game with the guests and employees of the Midwinter Trust, and before long Harry realises that he has to solve a very real murder mystery or risk being put on ice for good.
A fun, unconventional mystery with a story in a story, offering the reader two mysteries in one book. The clues and puzzles the guests receive are made available to the reader at the same time, allowing them the chance to try to solve Midwinter Trust’s fictional murder as well as the “real” murders plaguing the group. Perfect for readers who love puzzles and armchair sleuthing, this book encourages you to dig out pen and paper and join the six guests solving ciphers, unscrambling anagrams and uncovering hints and clues to the identity of a killer.
If you want a traditional murder mystery you simply sit back and read this may not be for you, but if you are up for a challenge of some word-based puzzles and like the idea of making your reading sessions more interactive, this one has you covered. I loved the way I actually felt involved in the story, actively solving puzzles instead of “just” reading about other people doing so.
Murder mystery – Cozy mystery – Contemporary
Mostly Murders 
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