Having thoroughly enjoyed Jo Middleton’s Happy BLOODY Christmas (reviewed here), I was delighted when a copy of her latest book Not Another BLOODY Christmas arrived in surprise book mail. My huge thanks to Laura Sherlock for sending it to me. It’s my pleasure to share my review today.
Not Another BLOODY Christmas was published by Harper Collins imprint Avon on 23rd October 2025 and is available for purchase through the links here.
Not Another BLOODY Christmas
Anna’s taking the family away for a quiet Christmas in this hilarious, standalone murder mystery…
Unlike last year, there will be no risk of her burning the turkey, far less nagging from her mother-in-law and – crucially – a zero per cent chance of finding a dead body in her larder.
All she wants is to relax with a glass of wine in front of the fire. But when another group of guests show up just before a snowstorm, her plans begin to go awry. And the appearance of a dead body threatens to bugger up Christmas once again…
Can Anna get merry and root out the murderer? Or will this be another bloody Christmas nightmare?
My Review of Not Another BLOODY Christmas
Anna is in search of the perfect family Christmas away.
Not Another BLOODY Christmas is enormous fun and I really enjoyed it. It was thoroughly entertaining to be back in the company of Anna, whose desperate attempts to have an Instagram worthy Christmas in a wonderful country house, backfire spectacularly.
I think Anna is hugely relatable. The contrast between the perfection of ourselves on social media as presented by one of the characters, Everlie, and the reality of dealing with true family life feels so realistic. Anna has a disapproving mother-in-law, an endearing (occasionally slightly dim) and always supportive husband, and two children who represent youngsters any one of us might know. Indeed, I’m not a great fan of children in books (or in real life come to that), but both Ben and Lily feel authentic and add to the humour of the book.
And Not Another Bloody Christmas is funny. Anna’s thoughts resonate brilliantly and I laughed aloud. This, along with her first person narrative voice, ensures that the reader feels included in the plot because it is as if Anna is speaking directly to them. The inclusion of Jennie on the end of the phone is such a clever device. It adds detail to the humour and the plot and provides another perspective.
It seems somehow wrong to say that a book about a murder is the perfect escapist Christmas read, but this story is exactly that. It’s fast paced, and any one of the characters could have committed the crime so that the reader is kept guessing throughout. All the familiar features of the genre create a brilliant blend of tradition and freshness. There’s a confused double booking, there’s a large country house with suits of armour, creepy portraits and there are secrets that only gradually reveal themselves. Add in a dour housekeeper who seems able to appear and disappear at will, and Jo Middleton provides an action packed, witty and engaging read.
But there’s additional depth for consideration too. In amongst the humour and mad-cap action, Jo MIddleton drops weightier aspects for consideration, such as nature and nurture for children, family and business rivalries, marriage and relationships and so on, making the story surprisingly thought-provoking as well as diverting.
I have struggled to settle to reading recently and I picked up Not Another BLOODY Christmas thinking I might as well give it a go. How wonderful to find a story that allowed me to escape the cares of the world, that made me laugh and brought joy into my life. I thoroughly recommend it.
About Jo Middleton
Jo Middleton is a writer, mum of two grown up children and slave to a golden retriever and three cats, named after fictional detectives. Jo published her first novel, Playgroups and Prosecco, in 2019 and has since gone on to work with her good friend Gill Sims, hosting her 2022 theatre tour and co-hosting a podcast, It’s Five O’clock Somewhere. Happy Bloody Christmas was her first crime novel.
Jo lives in Somerset and when she’s not working or tending to a pet she loves reading murder mysteries, binge-watching dating reality TV shows and being dragged around the countryside by her disrespectful dog Mako.
For further information, follow Jo on X @mummyblogger and Instagram.
English (US) · 