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Written by Debbie Young

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Published by	Boldwood Books 16 Aug. 2025
Genre	Women's Humerous Fiction
Pages	235
ASIN	B0DYCP12QF
ISBN-10	1835185827
ISBN-13	978-1835185827

Last year I read and enjoyed Death at the Village Chess Club courtesy of author Debbie Young and her publisher Boldwood, so was delighted in June 2025 to receive an invitation to read and review the next book in this charming series Death at the Village Christmas Fair which I immediately took up but have not found time to read until now.

Once again I have been lucky enough to receive a free digital copy to review, so begin by thanking the author, Debbie Young, her publisher, Boldwood Books and Netgalley.

The blurb:

Death at the Village Christmas Fair

It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her quaint Cotswold village. She’s looking forward to her first countryside Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run.

But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum's knitting stall. His festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he's found fatally injured outside the village hall with the stolen item.

Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there's more to his murder than meets the eye. She's determined to solve the mystery - including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop was worth killing for.

With the help of her charming neighbour Robert Praed, can Alice find the killer before the bells ring out this Christmas?

Women's humerous fiction Mysteries Fiction

My thoughts:

I will begin by saying that I didn't enjoy this one as much as Death at the Village Chess Club.

Although I liked the setting of the cosy village with characters I'd met before, the plotline just didn't feel plausible to me and some aspects of the story were highly questionable.

Alice's amateur investigation, however, proved a nice opprtunity to meet the 'button ladies' and I did enjoy that and the parts of the story which revolved around Alice rekindling her relationship with her mother.

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Author Bio – Author
Although I now live in a beautiful village in the Cotswolds, England, I was born and raised in Sidcup, Kent. I loved school, being lucky enough to go to a wonderful state primary, Days Lane, and, in the days before the 11+ was abolished, one of the last local grammar schools, Beaverwood School for Girls (now a comprehensive). I enjoyed this quiet suburban childhood till the age of 14, when my family relocated to Germany with my father’s job. I spent four years at Frankfurt International School, broadening my outlook as well as gaining the then brand new IB (International Baccalaureate). The author graduating from her American-style high school in 1978 “And in 30 years time, I’ll come back and tell you how I became a writer” I came back to the UK to earn my BA (Hons) in English and Related Literature at the University of York, then lived and worked for a while in London and the West of England as a journalist and PR consultant. You can find more details of what I did there at My Career). In 1991, when I was 30, I moved to the Cotswolds, where I’d decided to live at the age of 3, on a farm holiday near Bourton-on-the-Water. I always knew I’d end up here eventually, but I still love to travel, usually in our family camper van. Every trip leads to a flurry of travelogues on my YoungByName blog. The author Debbie Young with her daughter Travelling through Wales with my daughter In 2002, I married a Scot named Gordon whom I met in Swindon – and not, as village rumour once had it, a Swede named Scottie. In 2003, our daughter Laura was born. She knows how lucky she was to grow up in such a wonderful rural community. Enid Blyton and the Famous Five would feel quite at home here. I have no intention of ever moving house again. Unless to one with more bookshelves.

Author Bio – Author

Although I now live in a beautiful village in the Cotswolds, England, I was born and raised in Sidcup, Kent.

I loved school, being lucky enough to go to a wonderful state primary, Days Lane, and, in the days before the 11+ was abolished, one of the last local grammar schools, Beaverwood School for Girls (now a comprehensive).

I enjoyed this quiet suburban childhood till the age of 14, when my family relocated to Germany with my father’s job. I spent four years at Frankfurt International School, broadening my outlook as well as gaining the then brand new IB (International Baccalaureate).

The author graduating from her American-style high school in 1978 “And in 30 years time, I’ll come back and tell you how I became a writer” I came back to the UK to earn my BA (Hons) in English and Related Literature at the University of York, then lived and worked for a while in London and the West of England as a journalist and PR consultant. You can find more details of what I did there at My Career).

In 1991, when I was 30, I moved to the Cotswolds, where I’d decided to live at the age of 3, on a farm holiday near Bourton-on-the-Water. I always knew I’d end up here eventually, but I still love to travel, usually in our family camper van. Every trip leads to a flurry of travelogues on my YoungByName blog.

The author Debbie Young with her daughter Travelling through Wales with my daughter In 2002, I married a Scot named Gordon whom I met in Swindon – and not, as village rumour once had it, a Swede named Scottie.

In 2003, our daughter Laura was born. She knows how lucky she was to grow up in such a wonderful rural community. Enid Blyton and the Famous Five would feel quite at home here.

I have no intention of ever moving house again. Unless to one with more bookshelves.