King Eric is dead. And when the motive is succession, murder is a family affair…
During a violent snowstorm, the Royal Family gather at the Castle for a traditional Christmas together. Amid rumours that he plans to name a new successor, King Eric stands to make his traditional after-dinner speech. He sips from a glass of his favourite whisky- and drops dead.
The king has been poisoned, and only one of the royals could have done the deed. Trapped by the raging blizzard, it is up to Eric’s beloved head chef, Jonathan Alleyne, to play detective and get to the bottom of this heinous crime.
Jon is determined to expose the truth, even if it puts him in grave danger, and threatens to shake the entire monarchy to its core…
My thoughts: this was a really interesting and fun read. Set in an alternate world where Edward VIII didn’t abdicate (and married someone else), his son (?) Eric is king. The Royals are gathered for Christmas at Balmoral. Until after a huge lunch, the king dies.
The only staff on site are a security guard, who’s a bit too full of himself, and chef Jon. He’s tasked by the family to solve the crime. But can he? And will they tell him the truth?
I liked Jon, he seemed like a nice guy stuck in a horrible situation – he had a good relationship with the king, his boss, but the rest of the family are fairly grim. Over entitled and pretty toxic when together.
This was an enjoyable, country house style mystery, with the castle snowed in and the suspects all in one place, Jon’s not quite Poirot but he does a good job with the information at hand.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 