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A review by okiecozyreader
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Such a fun read!
Maggie Chase is a romance writer who adores English writer Eleanor Ashley (who has written about a hundred books). She also detests fellow writer Ethan Wyatt, with his black leather jacket and huge success, and how he always calls her Marcie. She gets a letter inviting her to a mysterious house for Christmas and guess who is also on the plane, which ends up at her idol Eleanor’s estate. When Eleanor goes missing, they find they can only trust each other as they try to solve the most wonderful case of the year.
Maggie and Ethan both have interesting back stories that are woven along with their investigation. Maggie is divorced from a man who constantly gaslighted her and made her feel responsible for everything bad that happened.
My favorite thing about Ethan was that he constantly encouraged her to trust herself, which is what Ally Carter wrote in my book, when she signed it.
“Like she'd been told black was white and up was down so many rimes that she couldn't trust her own eyes, much less her memory. Like she'd been taught to live by two simple rules: (1) When in doubt, assume you're the problem. And (2) Always be in doubt.” P193
As much as she is solving the case, she is also solving herself, as she begins to understand that she isn’t always wrong. Ethan also has a cute sense of humor (not a fan of all the sweethearts), but I loved his continual question, “do you want to make out?” This book made me laugh so many times.
“Sometimes I lie in bed at night, thinking of ways to kill you and make it look like an accident.”
… “So what you’re saying is, you think about me in bed.”
P99
Maggie Chase is a romance writer who adores English writer Eleanor Ashley (who has written about a hundred books). She also detests fellow writer Ethan Wyatt, with his black leather jacket and huge success, and how he always calls her Marcie. She gets a letter inviting her to a mysterious house for Christmas and guess who is also on the plane, which ends up at her idol Eleanor’s estate. When Eleanor goes missing, they find they can only trust each other as they try to solve the most wonderful case of the year.
Maggie and Ethan both have interesting back stories that are woven along with their investigation. Maggie is divorced from a man who constantly gaslighted her and made her feel responsible for everything bad that happened.
My favorite thing about Ethan was that he constantly encouraged her to trust herself, which is what Ally Carter wrote in my book, when she signed it.
“Like she'd been told black was white and up was down so many rimes that she couldn't trust her own eyes, much less her memory. Like she'd been taught to live by two simple rules: (1) When in doubt, assume you're the problem. And (2) Always be in doubt.” P193
As much as she is solving the case, she is also solving herself, as she begins to understand that she isn’t always wrong. Ethan also has a cute sense of humor (not a fan of all the sweethearts), but I loved his continual question, “do you want to make out?” This book made me laugh so many times.
“Sometimes I lie in bed at night, thinking of ways to kill you and make it look like an accident.”
… “So what you’re saying is, you think about me in bed.”
P99
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting