Murder at the Christmas Emporium

Merry, Fran, and a few other patrons walk into the Christmas Emporium… You might think that is a start to a joke but not for them. It is a night filled with mystery, intrigue and death. They’ve been chosen as guests to be given special access to the Christmas Emporium after it has been refurbished and brought back to life after many years left to wither. But when they try to leave, they find themselves locked in with no way out and, somehow, no one has a phone. They soon find out they have one common factor but who is it and why are they doing this to them?This took a little while for me to get into. But, once it really got to the core of the subject, it got more interesting and palatable. This book gives me an Agatha Christie vibe. Each character has a dark secret and each person has a tie to someone that may or may not be committing the crimes. If you’re a fan of the Agatha Christie vibe, then definitely pick up this book.🎅 Mystery / Thriller🎅 Alcoholism🎅 Death🎅 Christmas Setting🎅 Dark Secrets🎅 Twist Villain

3.5 starsThis was an entertaining mystery that definitely got me in the Christmas spirit, though it was darker than I expected. The story unfolds through multiple POVs, with each character connected to the same mysterious figure. I was most intrigued by this person, as they play a major role in the central mystery. The Emporium itself has secrets of its own and a haunting past that added to the intrigue. I also loved the vivid descriptions of the Emporium; it truly felt like a magical place, a Christmas wonderland with an unsettling edge.I enjoyed piecing together the mystery and following the threads that tied everyone together, though I did think it dragged in parts. The pacing is quite slow and once it became clear who was behind the murders, the tension waned a bit. There were still a few surprises near the end though. Overall, this was an engaging Christmas mystery even if most of the characters were unlikable and the story moved a little too slowly at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for the opportunity to listen to this title in advance of its release.If Willy Wonka and Agatha Christie had a child and raised it as best friends with the creator of Saw, this would be the product. Murder at the Christmas Emporium is a wild and twisty thriller with an incredible story line.If you enjoy a locked in a location group thriller, you are going to devour this story. This is my first introduction to Andreina Cordani and I am hooked!With so many twists and turns, it’s almost impossible to predict what will come next-making it the perfect murder mystery.Loved this odd and twisty story!

Look, if you’ve ever wandered through an overpriced boutique thinking, “What if this gift shop was a trap and someone in here is going to murder me for stealing a Christmas pudding in 1997?” Well, congratulations, your oddly specific nightmare is exactly what "Murder at the Christmas Emporium" delivers, with a candy cane twist of vengeance.We start with Merry Clarke, whose name screams “Hallmark protagonist” but whose choices scream “girl, therapy.” She is a walking red flag in tinsel, who steals her boss’s exclusive gold ticket to the reopening of the infamous Verity’s Emporium, all so she can buy a Very Special Gift™ for a man who has zero interest in her but all the emotional availability of a houseplant. Merry is the kind of character you side-eye for two-thirds of the book, but can’t stop rooting for, mostly because every other character is somehow worse. And I mean that in the juiciest, “I’ll drink to that” way.This is not a cozy mystery. This is a locked-room whodunnit that eats cozy mysteries for breakfast and washes them down with spiked eggnog. The Emporium itself? Oh, it’s a fever dream of whimsy and psychological warfare. Think "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" got refurbished by the ghosts of Christmas past and everyone’s got a secret taped to their back. It’s all handcrafted toys, hidden trapdoors, and the lingering sense that Santa might straight-up stab you.The supporting cast is a mix of has-beens, influencers, and fragile egos wrapped in expensive coats. There's Fran, a national treasure with secrets baked in like raisins in a fruitcake. There’s Ross, Merry’s object of desperate affection, who honestly should be drop-kicked into the Thames. Every single guest was handpicked by Monty Verity, the unsettling, twinkly-eyed, Phantom-of-the-Harrods shop owner, because of the skeletons clanking around in their festive closets.And just when you think it’s all going to be seasonal snark and subtle threats, bam, someone ends up dead in Santa’s Grotto. Merry goes from “romantic stalker with poor taste” to amateur sleuth real fast, and you realize this Emporium is less "Miracle on 34th Street" and more "Agatha Christie by way of a Victorian fever dream."The reveals are layered and twisted. I mean, we’ve got dual timelines, childhood trauma flashbacks, revenge arcs, and a literal creepy puppet or two. Honestly, by the time one of the characters pulled a full-on identity switcheroo, I yelled “WHAT” so loud I startled my cat. The story builds its tension beautifully. First it's quirky, then it’s weird, then it’s oh no oh no get OUT OF THE TOY STORE.But let’s talk pacing. There is a brief, awkward lull at the beginning when you’re introduced to six million POVs and you can’t tell your TikTok influencer from your antiques dealer. But once the murders start, it’s off to the races. The Emporium shrinks down from magical to menacing, the secrets start to pile up like unwanted Yankee candles, and the whole thing becomes a festive murder playground of moral ambiguity. Glorious.I docked a star only because Merry’s motivations occasionally felt like they’d been gift-wrapped in delusion. I spent a good chunk of the book whispering “girl, HE IS NOT WORTH DYING FOR,” but honestly? That’s part of the messy charm. No one in this story is squeaky clean. They’re all a little broken, a little desperate, and a lot overdue for a come-to-Jesus moment with their inner Grinch.Bottom line: if you like your Christmas dark, your mysteries tight, and your gift shops haunted by guilt and glitter, this is your jam. Just maybe don’t accept random VIP invites from mysterious men in velvet coats. 3.5 stars. And a bloody candy cane.Merry Mayhem Prize: For Most Likely to Make You Fear Boutique Gift Shops Forever

With this audiobook, I did something I have never done before in all my time reviewing books. I paused the audiobook and went and looked at reviews on Goodreads. I did this because I was willing to go back to the beginning and try again another day. But when I read the 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star reviews, I saw I wasn’t the only one feeling the way I did.This novel starts sooooooo slow. And then, to me, it doesn’t really get much better when it gets going. It was just blah. I couldn't stay focused on the story. I tried taking breaks. I tried speeding it up. It was just there, taking up space.I gave it another star because the premise was good. It just doesn’t play out.I have listened to audiobooks narrated by Katherine Press in the past and loved them. But with this material and her soothing voice, even when she sounded hurried, it was just blah. Knowing that isn’t how I felt in the past hearing her, it had to be the material.Enough piling on. Maybe this book is for you. If you like the author, go ahead and give it a shot. For everyone else, I wish you a Merry Christmas. Enjoy the time you saved by not reading/listening to this book.