The Christmas Murder Game

It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in this fun contemporary British country house mystery from Benedict (The Beauty of Murder as A.K. Benedict), and Lily Armitage, a 33-year-old costume corset maker is heading from her London home to the wilds of Yorkshire and the 17th-century manor known as Endgame House, where she lived as a child. She hasn’t set foot in the place since she left it at the age of 12 after her mother’s death. She’s only returning because her recently deceased aunt and adoptive mother, Liliana Armitage-Feathers, has left a letter for her with the family lawyer in which Liliana begs Lily, as a last request, to participate in the family’s traditional Christmas treasure hunt, in which all the Armitage cousins take part. Only this time, the winner will get Endgame House itself, while the other participants will get nothing. Greed-fueled animosity runs high, and it’s no surprise when, one by one, the cousins start turning up dead. Puzzle-loving readers will enjoy searching for anagrams of the gifts mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and for the titles of 12 of the author’s favorite country house mysteries embedded in the text. This isn’t for those looking for surprising reveals. (Oct.)