Agatha Christie meets The House of UsherWhen code-breaker Madison Rathborne gets an all-expense paid trip to a remote island in the Pacific Northwest the week before Christmas, she expects a peaceful getaway from the fake Santas in the city and the drama of her family’s turkey feast, but Deadman’s Island offers no such sanctuary. Trapped in a maze of secrets, scandals and murder, with a side of … of ghost, Maddy struggles to make sense of it all. Macabre stories of gruesome deaths on the estate go back centuries. Her logical mind refuses to believe in legends, but there’s no reasonable explanation for what’s going on around her.Twelve strangers invited to the gathering, discover turkey is not the only thing on the menu, as one by one they meet their maker. Will Mad Rath’s superior logician skills crack the mystery before the killer gets her? Or is there a supernatural force at work that cannot be conquered?
more
Gripping page turner from start to finish!
If you like Gothic suspense, then Jo-Ann Carson’s story ‘Murder for Christmas’ will be perfect for you. I really enjoyed it! It’s a suspenseful page-turner, it’s starts on a fast pace and grabs you until you find the murderer. You might even seat at the edge of your seat and decide to get a big mug of coffee to read it in one shot! Ms. Carson didn’t disappoint me.
MURDER FOR CHRISTMAS tells the story of Maddy who wants to get away from her family for Christmas and ends up exchanging place with her sister for an all-expense paid trip to a remote island. Omg, the Gothic estate is awful and looks scary! There she meets very strange guests. She feels that anything can happen on Deadman’s Island. Murders do happen! Her strong and smart heroine Maddy is caught into a blend of secrets, lies and mystery! Her mission is simple discover the murderer! Let the adventure of ‘Whodunnit’ begin!
4 stars
“It was a dark and stormy night…”
Madison “Maddy” Rathborne travels to an old growth forest in the Pacific Northwest. On it is a decrepit old mansion. She is standing in for her friend who received an invitation, but was unable to attend due to illness. Ten strangers gather in the old house. They are not sure why. They all received an invitation. The come from what at first seems like unrelated fields of study and employment.
Before long people start dying. It I clear that the deaths are not accidental. What in the world is going on? One of the group must be the murderer! Maddie and some of the others try to fiigure out what they all have in common and hope to discover the murderer’s identity through the process of elimination.
Enter the paranormal. Or is it?
This is a very short novel that is a page-turning treat. The reader must find out what happens to Maddie – and who will die next. The book is very well written and plotted and very reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. Ms. Carson ratchets up the tension in this mini-mystery. I liked the smart Maddie, and the other characters were both interesting and somewhat mysterious. They all had secrets to tell. I will definitely read more of Ms. Carson’s books.
I want to thank NetGalley and JRT Publications for forwarding to me a copy of this delicious mystery for me to read, enjoy and review.
Mystery and murder on a stormy island make for a spooky Christmas page-turner! I loved the idea of a group of strangers (who want to get away from the usual Christmas) assembling on an island for what they’ve been told will be an all-expenses-paid getaway. Then they soon discover their adventure might be the last trip they ever take. All of the strangers, including the host, the butler, and his wife are suspects. But that’s not all! There’s a ghost. And the island itself (it’s rumored to be haunted). And a heroine named Madison Rathborne (awesomely nicknamed Mad Rath) who has the intellect to figure out the mystery. But intellect isn’t enough to keep you alive when you’re the last victim trapped on a small, secluded island. My favorite line was one that described the strangers realizing their getaway would not be enjoyable: “The party was not in the mood to party.”