Yuletide Market Murder: A British Cozy Murder Mystery with a Female Amateur Sleuth (A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
11th in Series
Setting – Leicestershire UK
Publisher : Kanga Press (October 18, 2024)
Paperback : 222 pages
ISBN-10 : 1915413729
ISBN-13 : 978-1915413727
Kindle ASIN : B0CXNJ6X46
The winter blues hit a bustling Christmas market when a body becomes the chilling central display. Can an amateur sleuth solve the case, or will she be left out in the cold?
Newly established antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is thrilled to be refurbishing a castle in rural Leicestershire. She’s fascinated by tales of an unsolved robbery, missing antiques, and a kidnapped child. Upon discovering a valuable clock, Dotty is eager to reopen the case, but her plans are put on ice when a man collapses dead in front of her at the castle’s winter festival.
Exposing the man’s identity receives a chilly reception. As the past and present freeze together, Dotty, with the help of an amiable policewoman, a retired detective, and her ‘friend’ Zach, realises this death is only the tip of the iceberg.
Can Dotty uncover the frosty truth, or will the trail turn to snow?
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Dotty Sayers is so excited about all the purchases she made in Ireland for the castle she has been hired to refurbish to arrive. The owners of Foxley Hall, Edwin and Stevan Milner-Moore are renovating the castle in a boutique hotel and they are just as excited as Dotty. Due to some damage at another site, they have been asked to host the Yuletide Market. Dotty is on board to help them in any way that she can. It will be like a mini open house for the hotel.
On a day trip to Burghley House with her friend Zach, Dotty witnesses a strange discovery and meets a retired inspector who tells her about a cold case. Twenty years ago, several “stately homes and large country houses” in the area that had been robbed. He tells her not only were valuable antiques stolen but a child was kidnapped. He still hopes to solve the case. Dotty was captivated and wants more details.
When a man drops dead during the Yuletide Market and a valuable clock is found it seems the past and the present are colliding. Can Dotty and Zach help the local police and the retired inspector solve both cases? Or will the secrets stay frozen for another 20 years?
I am happy to catch up with Dotty and follow her anywhere she goes. Dotty has made herself and her cat Earl Grey at home at Foxley Hall for the time being. She and Zach are spending more time together while he continues his research and she works at the castle. Edwin Milner-Moore was a real treat with a passion for antiques to match Dotty’s. He has a terrier named Butter who even helps with the cold case. His partner Stevan is more business-minded. Retired inspector, Peter Havercroft is not only working on his case but he also helps Zach with his quest. While we meet new characters in each book, our favorites are never far from Dotty’s thoughts. They are mentioned and there are tie-ins to Keya’s Waterwheel Cafe Mysteries too.
Ms. Tait has written a complex mystery with clues from the past and present. From the minute the old antique clock was found Edwin was excited about the possibility of more secret places and hidden treasures. Dotty was all in too not only for the antiques but to solve the 20-year-old mystery. The author penned some precise twists and turns. Dotty’s keen sense of observation was again on full display. What could have been a tragic event ended with a remarkable discovery. Then all the clues started to fall into place and the impact of it all was stunning and heartwrenching.
I enjoy Ms. Tait’s attention to detail, she is a wonderful storyteller. No matter where Dotty travels or who she meets, the author’s words bring everything to life. It truly felt like I was right on Dotty’s shoulder from the first page to the last.
Yuletide Market Murder is another wonderful addition to this series. I have been invested in Dotty and her friends since this series started. As before, the setting drew me in, the people grabbed my attention, and the mystery took hold and held on tight. My only dilemma now is waiting for the next book. I know
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, and never expected to travel the world. She’s drawn on her life’s experiences of following her military husband, and a love of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder She Wrote, to write British-based cozy mysteries.
Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. As you’re compelled to keep turning the pages, you’ll be irresistibly drawn into a world of intrigue, surprises, and humour, as well as a delectable helping of mystery, because tea and intrigue are a perfect blend.
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Coming January 17, 2025
Also written by Victoria Tait
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Well written! Nice blog, I enjoyed reading it very much. Keep it up!
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