The Case of the Christmas Corpse
(2025)(The fifth book in the Lady Theodora Ashcombe Mysteries series)
A novel by Daisy Landish
A festive house party. A shocking murder. And secrets that could destroy everything Lady Theodora holds dear.
When Lady Theodora Ashcombe returns to her family's estate for Christmas, she expects nothing more taxing than navigating her aunt's matchmaking schemes and enduring awkward encounters with two very different men who both seem determined to complicate her life.
But when a body is discovered beneath the Christmas tree on the first night of the house party, the festivities turn deadly.
The victim is a man no one admits to knowing—yet someone at Ashcombe Park wanted him dead badly enough to kill him in front of a houseful of witnesses. With a forged invitation in his pocket and a locket containing a photograph of Theodora's late mother, the mystery becomes devastatingly personal.
Trapped by a snowstorm with a killer among the guests, Theodora must unravel:
When Lady Theodora Ashcombe returns to her family's estate for Christmas, she expects nothing more taxing than navigating her aunt's matchmaking schemes and enduring awkward encounters with two very different men who both seem determined to complicate her life.
But when a body is discovered beneath the Christmas tree on the first night of the house party, the festivities turn deadly.
The victim is a man no one admits to knowing—yet someone at Ashcombe Park wanted him dead badly enough to kill him in front of a houseful of witnesses. With a forged invitation in his pocket and a locket containing a photograph of Theodora's late mother, the mystery becomes devastatingly personal.
Trapped by a snowstorm with a killer among the guests, Theodora must unravel:
- Why a man supposedly dead for fifteen years appeared at her family's Christmas celebration
What scandalous secrets from her mother's past someone would kill to protect
Which of the elegant guests hiding in plain sight is a murderer
With her loyal maid Bea and her clever spaniel Pip at her side, Theodora races to expose the truth. But when she's attacked in the dead of night, she realizes this investigation is more dangerous than any she's faced before.
Inspector Hargrave wants to protect her. Her rakish ex-fiancé Jasper wants to help her. And the vicar's earnest son wants to marry her. But what Theodora wants is justice—even if pursuing it means confronting painful truths about her own family.
Because some secrets are worth killing for. And some mysteries hit far too close to home.
Perfect for fans of Tasha Alexander, Deanna Raybourn, and classic Agatha Christie, THE CASE OF THE CHRISTMAS CORPSE is a delightful Victorian cozy mystery with a sharp-witted sleuth, a loyal spaniel, and enough romantic tension to warm even the coldest winter night.
Genre: Mystery