About the Book
This book is a fantastic festive collection of murder mysteries brings together thirteen of the bestselling, award-winning and exciting debut authors: Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, E.L. Norry, Elle McNicoll, Dominique Valente, Joanna Williams, Maisie Chan, Nizrana Farook, Patrice Lawrence, Roopa Farooki, Serena Patel and Sharna Jackson.
As you can see from the photos we have included below the stories are laid out in folders like a detective’s cases. Each story also includes some black and white illustrations by Harry Woodgate.
The whole book is such a lovely gift for readers who enjoy reading page-turners that keep them guessing. The collection is co-edited by Serena Patel and by Robin Stevens who are also contributing authors. It is published by Farshore whom we thank for our review copy.
Young sleuths should join the Very Merry Murder Club and embark on a snow-covered wintery journey of Christmassy crimes, festive foul play and murderously magnificent mysteries! Perfect for curling up with during the rest of the school holidays!
SERENA PATEL was shortlisted for the Asian Writer Short Story Prize and was a finalist in the Undiscovered Voices Anthology 2018. Her debut children’s series Anisha Accidental Detective won the fiction category of the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards, being shortlisted for a British Book Award and the Blue Peter Prize 2021 and selected for The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge.
ROBIN STEVENS is the award winning and bestselling author of the Murder Most Unladylike mystery series. She was born in California and has been making up stories all her life. When she was twelve, her father handed her a copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and she realised that she wanted to be either Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie when she grew up. She spent her teenage years reading a lot of murder mysteries and hoping that she’d get the chance to do some detecting herself (she didn’t).
Book Review
The Very Merry Murder Club is a brilliant read and I recommend it to anyone feeling festive and ready for a mystery!
I really liked this book, one of the reasons being the wide range of stories. Each story was so different and unique and each one made me want to read another. They were full of suspense and mystery as well as amazing description.
One of my favourite stories was one by Sharna Jackson (she also wrote High Rise Mystery and Mic Drop which are both really good!). Her story was about a house on top of a cliff, surrounded by murderers. The description was so good; I could vividly see the sea spray and the bolts of lightning. I could feel the main character’s tension and nervousness. I could smell the food that they prepared.
Each tale drew me in and I found it hard to draw myself out once I had finished. All the characters were different and completely awesome. They had amazing unique personalities which gave a special spark to each story.
The Very Merry Murder Club is a brilliant read and I recommend it to anyone feeling festive and ready for a mystery!
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Whichever you choose we hope you enjoy being part of your unique reading community – happy reading everyone!
Reviewer Profile
- Name: Kirsten
- Age: 11 years
- Likes: swimming , netball and writing stories
- Dislikes: cream (on its own) and unkindness
- Favourite Book: currently reading Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens
- Favourite Song: Get Down from Six (the musical)
- Favourite Film: The Hobbit
