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A review by joyceheinen
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A Christmas mystery, it’s the perfect time to read that. It was compared to “Knives Out” which is one of my all-time favorite movies, so I was excited.
We meet Maggie, who is the author of cozy mystery novels. She is a huge fan of Eleanor Ashley, a mystery writer who inspired Maggie to become an author herself. She is invited to a Christmas gathering in a huge estate, together with Ethan Wyatt, a thriller author who she absolutely despises. When they arrive, they find out it was actually Eleanor Ashley who invited them, but they have no idea why. The next morning, three days before Christmas, Eleanor goes missing and Maggie and Ethan have to work together to solve the mystery.
The book started off so strong, I was eating it up and couldn’t put it down. I loved the banter between Maggie and Ethan. And I love stories about authors. I found the mystery itself interesting at first, but they seemed to deviate from this more and more. Focusing more on the tension and romance between Maggie and Ethan. Which is okay, I guess, but I wanted more mystery and the romance element to be present just a little less. And it got way too sugar sweet and cheesy for me. I do feel that this is a perfect Christmas read, with all the festive vibes and winter atmosphere. And I do see the “Knives Out” comparison, but the mystery in “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” is not even close to being as interesting as “Knives Out” is.
In the end, it was a fun read, but I wished it had more mystery and less romance.
We meet Maggie, who is the author of cozy mystery novels. She is a huge fan of Eleanor Ashley, a mystery writer who inspired Maggie to become an author herself. She is invited to a Christmas gathering in a huge estate, together with Ethan Wyatt, a thriller author who she absolutely despises. When they arrive, they find out it was actually Eleanor Ashley who invited them, but they have no idea why. The next morning, three days before Christmas, Eleanor goes missing and Maggie and Ethan have to work together to solve the mystery.
The book started off so strong, I was eating it up and couldn’t put it down. I loved the banter between Maggie and Ethan. And I love stories about authors. I found the mystery itself interesting at first, but they seemed to deviate from this more and more. Focusing more on the tension and romance between Maggie and Ethan. Which is okay, I guess, but I wanted more mystery and the romance element to be present just a little less. And it got way too sugar sweet and cheesy for me. I do feel that this is a perfect Christmas read, with all the festive vibes and winter atmosphere. And I do see the “Knives Out” comparison, but the mystery in “The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” is not even close to being as interesting as “Knives Out” is.
In the end, it was a fun read, but I wished it had more mystery and less romance.