Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars**
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is a Mystery novel written with the idea that you, the Reader, will be an active participant in the solving of said Mystery.
They’ve even included a Clue Index, where you can double check the clues included to see which ones you may have missed, or which ones you got right.
And dang it, I wish I had read a hard copy in the way the author intended. I think it would have made it more fun if I could’ve actually played along. I have an e-ARC, and the mixed media elements didn’t quite work out in my ARC copy, so I ended up listening to the audiobook.
Let’s be clear, I listen to a ton of audiobooks, and have solved a lot of mysteries via audio, but for this one, IDK, I just really wish I had the hard copy in my hands, because I have a feeling there are a lot of visual elements in here that were lost to me because of the format I chose.
This is a bit of a closed-circle mystery that follows 6 individuals involved in the world of Crime Fiction, who get invited to play a murder mystery game over the Christmas holiday by an entity know as the Midwinter Trust.
They travel to this vast property owned by the Trust, where they’ll all be lodging for the duration of the game. We also meet 6 members of the Trust, who are involved in the execution of the game. They’re there to make sure the game goes off without a hitch.
As generally happens, and to my absolute delight, inclement weather ensues cutting those staying at the Trust property off from the adjacent north Yorkshire village.
When someone actually ends up dead, all bets are off. The cast of suspects is small, limited to those on the property, but will someone will be able to solve the whodunit before anyone else loses their life?
Even though I griped earlier about wanting a hard copy, the story itself was still engaging. The audiobook narration was great for my tastes and I thought the overall set-up and premise were fun.
I enjoyed how Edwards incorporated classic Mystery tropes, but the story did go in a direction I wasn’t crazy about. Nevertheless, I would recommend it to Mystery Readers who like to suss out the truth behind the murder.
Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Edwards is a prolific author and I would love to try out more novels from him. I’m not sure where to start, so if you have any thoughts, leave them below!