The last book I picked up in this cozy mystery/historical fiction series was book #20: A Midwinter Murder. I noted in that review that the series didn’t feel as accessible as others I’ve read of this type. With Murder on a Frosty Night, I ran into the same problems, and a few more. In the end, I wasn’t sure who had actually committed the murder, but I did enjoy getting there.

Lady Eleanor Swift and her husband, Hugh, are about to celebrate the holidays at their home, Henley Hall, when a telegram arrives. A man by the name of Inigio Osmund Unwin wants to employ their detective skills, but they must meet him by midnight tonight to take the case. It’s Christmas Eve. Unwin has already deposited funds in their account. The holidays have plenty to keep Eleanor busy at home, but their fledgling detective agency, The Byron Agency, could use the money. They leave the household staff to tend to the revelry at Henley Hall while they travel seven hours to a remote village to meet with Mr. Unwin. When they arrive, they are greeted by the butler and handed a recording allegedly made by Mr. Unwin to detail what he wants them to do. There’s not really any information on the recording, though, and along with their own butler, Clifford, who is part of the detective agency, they wonder if they made a mistake. As they walk in the snow through the churchyard, they discover the body of Mr. Unwin lying across his late uncle’s headstone. From there, they feel an obligation to solve the murder. Perhaps he even knew he was going to be killed, and that’s why he asked them to come!

The town of Yorelow is so small, it only boasts one police officer. Constable Quilter is used to dealing with the occasional drunk and disorderly, not murder. He eagerly accepts the proffered help from the three detectives. Once she knows she is going to be stuck in Yorelow over Christmas, Eleanor calls home and has her servants pack up everything and come to Yorelow to celebrate.

There’s a lot in Murder on a Frosty Night that is just fun and light. Clifford has always tried to pull Eleanor in the direction of being more of a lady, but she has resisted at every turn. They now have a relationship that is more like compatriots than servant and master. This follows through with the rest of her staff, whom she treats as well as she would a member of her family. It makes for a cozy scene in a village that is cut off from the rest of the world by snow as a murderer is on the loose.

It’s probably due to the fact that I’ve only read two books in this series, so I can’t keep the characters straight. That was my biggest problem while reading. I had problems not only with the ongoing characters who I didn’t really know, but also with the number of characters only in this story. I could not keep track of the villagers of Yorelow who were suspects in the murder. In the end, I thought I knew who the character was who was revealed as the killer, only to find out that I was wrong and it was a different character I didn’t recognize. They were in the story the entire time, but the characters seemed to blend together a bit.

I do like the rapport between Eleanor, Hugh, and Clifford. Hugh is a former detective with Scotland Yard who is now helping his wife and Clifford with their detective agency. I imagine they had crossed paths with him quite a bit in earlier novels, and it was just easier to fall in love and work with Eleanor than to keep her away from solving mysteries. Hugh supports her quite a bit, and there’s none of that “Darling, you stay behind, and I’ll do the rough stuff” in their marriage. It’s very refreshing. Eleanor and Clifford exchange enough barbs that you know they really care for each other under the surface.

I did enjoy the story, but I thought it was rather hard to follow. Maybe it has to do with all of the strange names the characters have as well. The townspeople just seemed to blend together a lot, which left me a bit confused. Still, it seems like Yorelow will never be the same after the occupants of Henley Hall descended on it one holiday.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Verity Bright for the advance reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.