Hello! Welcome to JuliaPalooza for my stop on the Blog Tour for A Corpse in Christmas Close by Michelle Salter, which was published by Boldwood Books on 24 August 2024.
About the book
When a pantomime turns deadly, Iris investigates a cast of killers…
Christmas, 1923. When reporter Iris Woodmore is sent to cover the Prince of Wales’ visit to historic Winchester, she discovers more than just royal gossip.
The leading lady in Winchester Cathedral’s charity pantomime is found dead in mysterious circumstances. And the chief suspect is Cinderella’s handsome prince, played by Percy Baverstock’s younger brother, Freddie.
For the sake of the Baverstocks, Iris must investigate the murder, even though it means confronting an old enemy. And as the line between friend and foe blurs dangerously, she’s ensnared by someone she hoped she’d never see again…
Everyone’s favourite amateur sleuth returns for a Christmas mystery, perfect for fans of Verity Bright, Claire Gradidge and Emily Organ
Shelve on Goodreads | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Waterstones
A Corpse in Christmas Close is a joy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Iris in Walden and Winchester. Michelle Salter has a very chatty welcoming style, like Iris is a friend you know addressing you directly. She is very much a young lady about town in 1923 Winchester and this instalment starts with her touring the city, reporting on the Prince of Wales’s visit. After a surprisingly close royal encounter, Iris becomes aware of a suspicious death in the titular Christmas Close and is drawn to start investigating the local amateur Pantomime troupe.
Iris is the daughter of a suffragette and therefore unsurprisingly is very modern in her thoughts and actions, although the book very much uses the language and terms of the time. There is reference in A Corpse in Christmas Close to events in a previous book, with what might be a spoiler for an earlier tale, so you may prefer to start this series at the beginning.
Iris’s investigations take her back and forth from Walden to Winchester and up to London and back again, her role as reporter for the Walden Herald enabling her to snoop on her cast of suspects far and wide, with the occasional help of tame policeman, Ben. Unfortunately, during Iris’s sleuthing an unwanted face from the past reappears, threatening to destabilise her current carefree existence in Walden.
In the end, there is a very clever twist in the tale and I did not at all guess whodunit or why. The solution was ingenious and the icing on the cake of a very enjoyable cozy murder mystery. I will definitely be reading more from Iris and Michelle Salter. With huge thanks to the publisher for my copy of A Corpse in Christmas Close and to Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the blog tour.
If you enjoyed my review, please consider liking and/or sharing and, of course, buying the book:
Shelve on Goodreads | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Waterstones
About the author
Michelle Salter writes historical cosy crime set in Hampshire, where she lives, and inspired by real-life events in 1920s Britain.
Her Iris Woodmore series draws on an interest in the aftermath of the Great War and the suffragette movement.
About the Blog Tour
Please check out the rest of the great posts on the tour for A Corpse in Christmas Close:
juliapalooza.com 