{"id":27999,"date":"2026-11-08T21:17:50","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T02:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=27999"},"modified":"2026-11-08T21:17:50","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T02:17:50","slug":"a-christmas-guide-to-family-and-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27999","title":{"rendered":"A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder<\/em><\/a> (2026) Dianne Freeman<\/a> (Countess of Harleigh Mystery #9)<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Set in England in 1900<\/p>\n

Frances is getting ready to spend Christmas in London when George and the girls suggest they spend the holiday in Hadley Grange with George’s sister and her family, as there were suggestions there might be snow!<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the weather after they arrive is not snow but instead a terrible storm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gasworks must be damaged,\u201d he said, placing the lantern on the floor and lighting the paraffin lamp on the bedside table. \u201cNone of the lights downstairs are working, <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The damage to local roads and houses, sends George and Robert and most of the able men of the town head to help–with hopes to return before Christmas.<\/p>\n

Of course, the men have barely left when Frances and Fiona stumble upon a body.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you think of someone who might want to harm him?\u201d<\/p>\n

She seemed to reel back. \u201cI doubt you\u2019ll find any shortage of likely suspects,\u201d she said with a heavy dose of irony. \u201cIncluding myself.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And there do seem to be many in the village who disliked Dr. Joshua Penhollow, for reasons from his rude and overbearing manner to the belief his treatments killed a local woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe I heard that Dr. Penhollow was granted the office of coroner over you because of his medical background.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took another drink, then spent more time than I would think necessary dabbing the napkin at his lips. \u201cMedical knowledge is not a requirement for the office. A legal background and an understanding of criminal behavior, which I have, often makes more sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, coroners are almost never medical people,\u201d I added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So it falls to Frances to investigate until the local law returns.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t used to people relying on my expertise in investigating murder. An expertise, by the way, I was beginning to see was sadly lacking. Though I might have a good eye for a clue, I\u2019d always relied on George or the police to confirm my suspicions and keep me within the law.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, Rose and Grace have taken their holiday assignment to write their own version of A Christmas Carol<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe murder happens before Christmas,\u201d Grace said, as if I hadn\u2019t been paying attention. \u201cOur detectives will solve the crime, and everyone will be quite jolly once Christmas arrives.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Honestly, one of the best parts of the story was the kids fascination with the murder as they attempted to write their own murder mystery.<\/p>\n

Robert cleared his throat. \u201cI don\u2019t think a murder investigation is an appropriate topic for dinner table conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome now, dear,\u201d Fiona protested, surprising all of us. \u201cIt\u2019s Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert gazed at her in bewilderment. \u201cFine. Then I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a topic for Christmas dinner conversation.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was a fine story, though I’m glad I waited until the price had dropped a bit before purchasing.<\/p>\n

Characters<\/strong>: Frances Hazelton, George Hazelton, Rose, Christine Granger, Lissette Hazelton, Robert and Fiona Nash, Grace Nash, Gregory Nash, Jarvis, Mr. Herbert Gilliam, Joshua Penhollow, Ada Penhollow, Hugh, Mr. Bayless, Mrs. Bayless, Mr. Spencer, Sergeant Hewitt, James, Police Constable Ellis, Mr. Smith, our master carpenter and undertaker, Beatrice Appleton, Owen Timms, Carter, Dr. Bertram, Mr. Isaac Penhollow, Dotty Digby, Matilda Digby, Martha Rallison, Mr. Digby, Agnes Worth, Henry Appleton, Maggie Rallison, Ralph Rallison, Mrs. Otting, Nancy Rallison, Maude, Mrs. Hetty Chesney, Daniel Gilliam<\/p>\n

Cover art by Sarah Gibb<\/p>\n

Publisher: Kensington Books<\/p>\n

Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder (2026) Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery #9) Set in England in 1900 Frances is getting ready to spend Christmas in London when George and the girls suggest they spend the holiday in Hadley Grange with George’s sister and her family, as there were suggestions there might be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[194,30,190,292,204,33,8,936],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-7-5-10","category-british","category-cozy","category-ebook","category-good","category-historical","category-mystery","category-single-point-of-view"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-7hB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":27362,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/27362","url_meta":{"origin":27999,"position":0},"title":"A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Solving a Murder","author":"Michelle","date":"August 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Solving a Murder (2024) F. H. Petford Set in Cornwall, England in 1915 First, this is not a cozy supernatural mystery. Despite the title and despite the cover. Which is why I started this book and then dropped it for several months, since it wasn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"7.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/7-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Solving a Murder ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/A-Ghost-Hunters-Guide-to-Solving-a-Murder-196x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20075,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/20075","url_meta":{"origin":27999,"position":1},"title":"A Bride\u2019s Guide to Marriage and Murder","author":"Michelle","date":"July 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A Bride\u2019s Guide to Marriage and Murder (2022) Dianne Freeman (Countess of Harleigh Mystery) Set in London in 1900. 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