Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards Published by Poisoned Pen Press on October 7, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 475
Format: eARC
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Six contestants. One chance at a new life. Who wouldn’t be tempted to cheat?
Six down-on-their-luck people with links to the world of crime writing have been invited to play a game this Christmas by the mysterious Midwinter Trust. The challenge seems simple but exciting: Solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote but wonderfully atmospheric village in north Yorkshire to win a prize that will change your fortunes for good.
Six members of staff from the shadowy Trust are there to make sure everyone plays fair. The contestants have been meticulously vetted but you can never be too careful. And with the village about to be cut off by a snow storm, everyone needs to be extra vigilant. Midwinter can play tricks on people's minds.
The game is set - but playing fair isn't on everyone's Christmas list.
Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is a clever mystery that I enjoyed but probably won’t work for everyone. Six not-quite stranger, all down on their luck, are invited to play a murder mystery game at the remote Midwinter retreat over Christmas. The rules are semi-clear and the prize is “life-changing.”
The book invites the reader to attempt to solve the murder puzzle, but whether you sit down with pencil and paper while reading or not, the story is enjoyable. We end up with two mysteries, the one in the puzzle and, as is to be expected, one of the guests is killed. Of course, a snowstorm has left the retreat cut off. The Midwinter Trust employees seem to have their own agenda, too.
The is a book that’s definitely heavier on plot than characters. While all the characters are interesting and have a bit of personality, i never actually cared about them. Yes, I wondered who would get killed and who would solve the mystery, but I didn’t really care, even after reading some of their journals. That’s not a complaint exactly, but I do think it takes away some of the urgency in discovering the whodunnit.
I didn’t put all the clues together, for either mystery, mostly because I didn’t try. The solution made sense and I liked how things were wrapped up. I did appreciate the clue finder at the end of the book. It’s a fun read, with a few Christmas touches.
About Martin Edwards
Martin Edwards was born at Knutsford, Cheshire and educated in Northwich and at Balliol College, Oxford University, taking a first class honours degree in law before qualifying as a solicitor. He published his first legal article at the age of 25 and his first book, about legal aspects of buying a business computer at 27; after thirty years as as an equity partner of his firm, he is now a consultant. He is married to Helena with two children (Jonathan and Catherine) and lives in Lymm. A member of the Murder Squad collective of crime writers, Martin was the longest-serving Chair of the Crime Writers’ Association since its founder John Creasey. In 2015 he was elected eighth President of the Detection Club; his predecessors include G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha Christie. He is Archivist of the CWA and of the Detection Club and consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics.
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