The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

• Written by: Ally Carter

• Published by: Avon

• Release date: September 24, 2024

• Mystery type: Holiday rom-com mystery

Cozy mystery writer Maggie Chase and thriller writer Ethan Wyatt write books for the same publisher. She can't stand his perfectly chiseled face, and he can't seem to remember her name.

They accept an invitation to spend Christmas at a famous mystery author’s estate. But then their mysterious host disappears from a locked room and a body turns up, leaving Maggie and Wyatt with two mysteries to solve. There’s a good chance they’ll kill each other. Or kiss each other. Or both.

The publisher describes The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year as "Knives Out with a holiday rom-com twist." That's an apt description.

The story is downright fun. Every chapter is a pure delight, and I found myself gleefully turning the pages to see what happens next.

The sleuth, Maggie, is fantastic. I loved her backstory, vulnerability, and sass. She is easy to empathize with and root for.

The romance element is good—really good. There is a lot of will they/won't they.

This mystery has more romance than most cozies. It is just the right amount to please romance fans without turning off cozy fans or closed-door romance fans.

The mystery is entertaining. There is a disappearance and a murder that needs solving. The setting lends itself well to the mystery and the atmosphere.

The humor in The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is outstanding. Get ready to laugh out loud, because this book is a riot.

Is this the start of a series or a stand-alone novel? I'm not sure, but I would definitely read more books like this from author Ally Carter. She hit every mark.

The mystery, romance, and comedy are just right in the Most Wonderful Crime of the Year. I gasped. I swooned. I laughed. I even cried once. The perfect gamut of emotions. 

Disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year from Net Galley and Avon. As an affiliate of Amazon, Bookshop.org, and Books-A-Million, the website may earn a commission (at no cost to you) on some purchases.