Frank Grasby’s inner monologue and opinions are often amusing. And he’s certainly quite honest about how he feels and who he is, though the honesty may be middling otherwise. But at the core of it he’s a good guy, and that’s what raises the stakes. Intrigued? Then you’ll like Murder at Holly House!
Title: Murder At Holly House
Author: Denzil Meyrick
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Publication Date: November 9, 2023
Review Date: December 22, 2025
Number of Pages: 410 (Kindle)
My Rating: 4.0/5
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Book Blurb of Murder At Holly House:
A village of secrets
It’s December 1952, and a dead stranger has been found lodged up the chimney of Holly House in the remote town of Elderby. Is he a simple thief, or a would-be killer? Either way, he wasn’t on anyone’s Christmas wish list.
A mystery that can’t be solved
Inspector Frank Grasby is ordered to investigate. The victim of some unfortunate misunderstandings, he hopes this case will help clear his name. But as is often the way for Grasby, things most certainly don’t go according to plan.
A Christmas to remember
Soon blizzards hit the North York Moors, cutting off the village from help, and the local doctor’s husband is found murdered. Grasby begins to realise that everyone in Elderby is hiding something – and if he can’t uncover the truth soon, the whole country will pay a dreadful price…
Book Review of Murder At Holly House:
From the name and cover, you go in imagining a Christmassy story, but it’s not really anything to do with Christmas at all. It happens around Christmastime, that’s about it. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this quite a bit. Inspector Frank Grasby is a great narrator, it’s a big part of why this story stays engaging throughout. I did read it very slowly though, I renewed my library loan twice before I finished it!
His inner monologue and opinions are often amusing. And he’s certainly quite honest about how he feels and who he is, though the honesty may be middling otherwise. But at the core of it he’s a good guy, and that’s what raises the stakes. Intrigued? You’ll like this book!
This story is set in the 1950s, and the author does a great job of transporting us back to that time. The book has a real old school vibe, adds to the charm for sure! I liked that everything was analog, low tech – it was nice to read.
So now we have a well meaning inspector, trying to do his best to solve his case and mostly stay out of trouble. He gets caught up in a conspiracy, and quickly realizes he’s out of his depth. There’s twists and turns and discoveries and Frank has quite a lot to deal with. The story does have dark elements, but the tone remains humorous and light for the most part, even if somewhat chaotic. Okay, very chaotic. In a fun way! It got quite intense at a point, but no spoilers, so I’ll just say it’s not a typical cop story.
It seems like this is the first book in a series, so we’ll probably see Frank Grasby again. Will I pick the next one up? Yes, but in audiobook format! I’ve been exploring audiobooks lately, and this seems like a good contender.
Recommended for fans of: mysteries, murder mysteries, stories set in the 1950s, stories set in England, cop stories, whodunits, chaotic stories.
