Today on the blog I am wishing a very happy publication day to Sarah Dunnakey as The Christmas Dinner Murder hits the shelves. My thanks to publisher Avon for the early copy via Netgalley. Here’s what the book is all about:
Release Date: 05 November 2026
Publisher: Avon
About the Book
Renowned puzzler Audrey Peppertree is hosting a luxurious Christmas party in her famous manor. Her invitation was a playful riddle, but one RSVP was returned anonymously, with an ominous threat.
Fearing for her life, Audrey asks her old friend Eloise Dodd – a retired bodyguard – to join the dinner and work out which of her guests could be hungry for revenge. But by the end of the evening, will Audrey’s goose be cooked?
Trapped by storms and scared for their lives, the diners find themselves taunted with more cryptic games. It seems the arrogant killer likes to play with their food.
But if you put all of the puzzle answers together, they will lead to the solution of the crime… Can you beat the detectives to work out Whodunnit?
Including 25+ original puzzles devised by Mastermind- and University Challenge- quiz creator Sarah Dunnakey, this is the perfect gift for fans of Murdle, Ludwig, and Agatha Christie.
My Thoughts
I do love a good puzzle, and it should go without saying that I do love a good mystery too. The absolute joy of Sarah Dunnakey’s books is that I get a lovely combination of the two. In this case we are served up a perplexing murder mystery that is laced with clues that go far beyond your normal momentary observations of something a little hinky in the narrative. You get actual clues. Or rather, you get a series of festive and mystery led puzzles puzzles which, when solved, provide a very clear signpost to the identity of whodunnit, moments before the big in story reveal. It really is a case of testing your little grey cells to unveil a bad un. It’s a format I enjoyed before in The Twelve Murders of Christmas, and one I enjoyed once again this time.
In this latest book we meet Audrey Peppertree as she is set to host a big family and friends Christmas party. So far, so festive. BUt there is one small twist. Audrey has received what is almost certainly meant to be a threatening letter, and engages the help of her friend, and professional close protection officer, Eloise, to solve the mystery before the threat becomes all too real. As you can probably guess from the title of the book, things don’t exactly go to plan, and it’s not too long before the pair are trying to solve a real life murder. Audrey is heir to the Peppertree fortunes, including a vasy library of puzzles, and it is in amongst all this misdirection that they friends, and us, must uncover the truth before it is too late for any more of the gathered party goers.
I really enjoyed this mystery. Most of the perspective is actually that of Eloise who is trying hard to ensure that her friends comes to no harm and, as characters go, I found myself quite drawn to her from very early on. She’s not perfect – things from her own past that do occasionally haunt her and cause her to doubt what she is doing – but she has a good mind and everything about her investigations and assertions felt authentic and in keeping with the role she played in what happens. The remainder of the ‘guests’ are a mixed bunch, often hard to like, and I’d include Audrey in that mix too on occasion, but they added life to the story, and a whole variety of suspects to point the finger of suspicion at in turn across the course of the action.
The mini puzzles between chapters make for a good interlude, some easier to solve than others, but all making sure that you never rest on your laurels. You might be able to guess the culprit from just following the story, but half the fun of this book is in tackling the little ‘goose egg’ clues throughout, and collating them to point you towards the all important guilty party. Each one comes with clear instruction of what information you need to take you through the final reveal, and there is opportunity at the end to make your final deductions before the story is completed and the guilty party takes centre stage.
It’s a fine mystery, with plenty of surprises along the way, more than the odd red herring, and a really feeling of satisfaction to be derived from getting the final answer correct. There are a lot of characters involved so it did mean I had to pay attention, at times, but they are easy to tell apart, well imagined by the author and with very distinct personalities, each with their own clues to bring to the mystery. A good fun read that will make the perfect christmas gift for the mystery loving puzzle solver in your life.
About the Author
When she’s not writing fiction, Sarah writes and verifies questions and answers for a variety of TV quiz shows including Mastermind, University Challenge and Pointless. She has an honours degree in History and has previously worked as a librarian, an education officer in a Victorian cemetery and an oral history interviewer. Sarah has won or been shortlisted in several short story competitions and her work has been published in anthologies and broadcast on Radio 4. She won a Northern Writer’s Award, from New Writing North for her debut novel The Companion, and the NWA Arvon Award in 2019. She lives in West Yorkshire on the edge of the Pennine Moors.
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