Review: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

Author: Ally Carter

Book: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

This was my December book of the month, written by Ally Carter, the same author of The Blonde Identity which I talked about here. Her books have this delightfully silly and funny tone, even while serious events unfold within them and I like it.

The most wonderful crime of the year is a rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery that follows two writers, signed to the same publisher, and do not get along. It’s mostly a one-sided beef. Very quickly, we’re introduced to the main characters: Maggie Chase, who is killing it in cozy mysteries (like, she's the queen of the genre). Then there's Ethan Wyatt, the hotshot thriller author who can't even remember her name (keeps calling her Marcie, ugh).

Things get interesting when they both get mysterious invites to a Christmas party at this fancy English estate. Plot twist: their host is Eleanor Ashley, basically the most legendary mystery writer ever. Then it gets even wilder when the next morning, Eleanor is gone! Just... poof! Vanished from a locked room.

Now Maggie and Ethan have to work together to figure out what is going on. Is Eleanor actually in danger? Are they jus pawns in an elaborate game? Maggie has to work out her issues with Ethan seeing as he is either her competition in this game or her only trustworthy ally.

Despite being a fun read, the stakes were genuinely high—there were moments when I felt truly worried for our two leads. As the plot thickens, people actually die, yet Carter masterfully balances the murder mystery elements with the Christmas atmosphere.

While somewhat predictable, the story remains thoroughly enjoyable. I particularly love when authors create main characters who are writers themselves—it's delightfully meta and works wonderfully here. This was such a breezy read that I devoured it in one day, spending my entire day off curled up in bed until I reached the end.

So, merry Christmas!

Hope you're having a great holiday!