The Christmas Market Murder (Peter Boland)

The publishers presentation

’Tis the season for mince pies, mulled wine . . . and murder!

A dead body. A locked Christmas stall with no way in or out.
A cunning killer who’s gone before the tea’s gone cold.

Christmas in Southbourne should be all twinkly lights and festive cheer, but Fiona, Daisy, and Partial Sue — the retired trio who run Dogs Need Nice Homes charity shop — have little to celebrate. What with the elusive ‘Southbourne Stalker’ prowling the streets of their sleepy seaside town, they’re in need of a little seasonal magic.

The new Christmas market seems the perfect tonic: fairy lights in the pines, the scent of cinnamon on the air, and mugs of steaming mulled wine. Until . . .

A desperate scream shatters the calm.

Postmaster Scott Preston is trying to break into a locked market stall. His father’s inside — and in terrible trouble. By the time the door is forced, it’s too late. His father is dead.

The police say he took his own life. But Scott can’t believe that’s true. His dad was many things, but tidy wasn’t one of them — and the stall is suspiciously spotless. Someone had a good clear-up before making their getaway.

Now the ladies must unwrap a mystery knottier than a string of Christmas lights, before someone else ends up six feet under the mistletoe.

My reading experience

This is my first Peter Boland book and I did not realise the book was part of a series. Browsing through the series, I think I would have gained from reading the previous ones, although reading this one standalone was very enjoyable.

The story takes place at a Christmas market, where a little town turns into chaos when one of theirs is discovered dead in one of the stalls. Fiona, Daisy, and Partial Sue investigate the death, which turns out to be a murder, in their own original way. Their friendship gives warmth to the novel, in the middle of this murder chaos. I liked the writing, which brings this small town to life with all its different characters, its gossip and the Christmas atmosphere with lots of tea and cake.

I thought it was a good cosy locked room mystery and it kept me guessing all the way along, with a good final twist. So, I would not want to spoil it for others by saying anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffee Books for giving me a copy of this book.