King Eric is dead. And when the motive is succession, murder is a family affair…
The perfect book for fans of THE WINDSOR KNOT, KNIVES OUT and THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB.
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During a violent snowstorm, the Royal Family gather at the Castle for a traditional Christmas together. Amid rumours that he plans to name a new successor, King Eric stands to make his traditional after-dinner speech. He sips from a glass of his favourite whisky- and drops dead.
The king has been poisoned, and only one of the royals could have done the deed. Trapped by the raging blizzard, it is up to Eric’s beloved head chef, Jonathan Alleyne, to play detective and get to the bottom of this heinous crime.
Jon is determined to expose the truth, even if it puts him in grave danger, and threatens to shake the entire monarchy to its core…
It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for A Murder at the Castle today. Many thanks to Chris McGeorge, Orion Books and Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
Imagine a world in which Edward VIII had never abdicated and instead allowed the establishment to find him a suitable wife. It's this divergent timeline which gives us the Royal Family in A Murder at the Castle, and as the title suggests, their troubles are even worse than any our own Royals have had. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of Chris McGeorge's previous novels and knew to expect a clever puzzle but I must admit to being very pleasantly surprised by his latest book. I tend to be drawn to darker crime fiction and thought this might be a light-hearted cosy crime story which was an agreeable enough way to spend a few hours but not necessarily something I'd love. How wrong I was! Not only was I captivated by the search for the killer, I also became completely invested in the characters themselves and developed very strong feelings about some of them.
The book opens on Christmas morning but for the Royal Family, this most traditional of days is going to be rather different. They are gathered at Balmoral but King Eric has ordered most of the staff to leave, insisting he wants a true family Christmas. Only their long-serving loyal chef, Jonathan Alleyne and Tony Speck, the head of security remain with them. It quickly becomes apparent that these Royals have their fair share of secrets and scandals. They are not mirror images of their real-life counterparts and while this is definitely an exploration of what being part of the monarchy might do to a person, it's not a direct criticism of anybody. Nevertheless, I have a feeling Chris McGeorge had tremendous fun creating these characters. I particularly loved to hate the king's reprobate brother, David. The rumours about his sordid past have heaped shame and embarrassment on the Royals and although actions have been taken to keep things out of the public eye, relations are strained within the family...
Their lives are constantly under the spotlight, of course and there is also a popular television series, The Monarch, a dramatisation of the reign of King Eric which is drawing ever closer to the present day and is uncannily accurate at times. It's all a recipe for a highly fraught family Christmas but while many households might argue over Monopoly or the last roast potato, their day takes a far more sinister turn when Eric collapses and dies during his annual after-dinner speech. The main protagonist is actually Jonathan and while I don't know whether the insights we are given into what it's like having such a significant job are accurate, it certainly feels believable. Jon's concern about dinner timings will be sympathised with by anybody who has ever cooked for an important gathering but his role becomes even more pivotal when the blizzard conditions outside the 'Moral means nobody can be called on to help investigate what must surely be murder. He reluctantly agrees to take on the mantle of detective but doesn't have an easy time of it. It's widely believed that Eric had planned to abdicate and name a new successor and although he never had the chance to make his wishes known, he did hold separate meetings with his nearest and dearest on Christmas morning. Jon soon realises that each of the Royals present had the means to poison the king and most, if not all, seem to have had a motive.
As secrets are divulged, alcohol is imbibed and tempers become inevitably frayed, his quest to discover who murdered the man he considered a friend is challenging and emotional. A murder mystery in a privileged household with a limited number of suspects is bound to be compared to the Golden Age and Chris McGeorge strikes the balance between paying homage while not being derivative superbly here. It's genuinely suspenseful and although the characters are necessarily opaque, they are all distinct from one another. There are red herrings, of course, plus plenty of surprises and a few scenes which saw me raging, before a wonderfully inventive conclusion which wasn't what I expected at all.
A Murder at the Castle is a fabulous read. I loved it and was engrossed by this cleverly plotted, compelling, rather poignant mystery from start to finish. It's perfect seasonal entertainment and I highly recommend it.
A Murder at the Castle is published by Orion Books, purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
Chris McGeorge studied MA Creative Writing (Crime/Thriller) at City University London where he wrote his first novel as his thesis. His interests are broad – spanning film, books, theatre and video games. He is a member of the Northern Crime Syndicate, a supergroup of writers from Northern England. He lives in County Durham with his partner and many, many animals.
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