100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

Auckland Bookstore open Sunday 8:30am-5:00pm ๐Ÿ“š

Murder by Christmas

25 Puzzles to Solve the Crime
Brief Description
Mr Holly is dead, and everyone in the village could be a suspect. Can you solve the advent calendar of puzzles to figure out whodunnit before Christmas Day? Welcome to the quiet English village of Candlestow, where the festive season is in full swing. The residents... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2599
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

A cosy crime with a dark, puzzling twist. One story, 25 clues to solve the crime. A festive mystery that's as captivating as it is challenging.

A cosy crime tale with a dark, puzzling twist. One story, 25 puzzles to solve the crime. A festive mystery thatโ€™s as captivating as it is challenging.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Mr Holly is dead, and everyone in the village could be a suspect. Can you solve the advent calendar of puzzles to figure out whodunnit before Christmas Day?

Welcome to the quiet English village of Candlestow, where the festive season is in full swing. The residents are busy preparing for Christmas when local resident Mr Holly is found dead at a rehearsal for the annual Christmas play. Team up with the local detective, DCI Twelvetrees, as you try to crack the curious case.

The plot twist? On 1 December, a clue arrives at the police station and reveals a dark secret from one of the villageโ€™s inhabitants. Someone is taking revenge on the village, and everyone is a potential target. And so it goes: every day a new clue arrives, and a new dark secret is revealed.

Can you solve the case of the mysterious advent-calendar conundrums by cracking 25 puzzles? And can you uncover the biggest puzzle of all: who killed Mr Holly?

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781789297621

Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 October 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd

Illustration: B/w puzzles

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 290g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Joel Jessup is an author and screenwriter and has written many popular puzzle and mystery books including The Sherlock Holmes Case Files, Whodunit Mysteries and Escape the Titanic. During his twenty-year screenwriting career, he worked with Disney, ITV and the BBC. He has written an award-winning short horror film and hosts an obscure podcast where he puts the alien monster from The Thing into other movies.

More from Humour

View all
  • Me vs Brain
    The hilarious book from TikTok and Insta sensation, Hayley Morris Brain - No one's going to buy your book Me - But it's good! My editor says so! Brain - Well she would, wouldn't she... Btw, didn't you leave your hair straighteners on? Me - I can't get into this now, I've got a book description to write Hello! Hayley...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • What A Way To Go
    The Million Copy #1 Bestselling Author of How to Kill Your Family is back with the new book of the moment. Featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Times Style, You Magazineโ€ฆ 'Super-sharp, lethally witty' - NIGELLA LAWSON 'Delicious' - JOJO MOYES 'Very funnyโ€ฆ I inhaled it' - JOE LYCETT โ€˜Taut, pacy, seamlessโ€ฆ a huge pleasure to readโ€™ - MARIAN KEYES โ€˜I...
    Paperback
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Murdoku
    Place the suspects, reveal the killer! An innovative puzzle book that incorporates murder mysteries with sudoku-like logic. An addictive mix of cosy crime and colourful grid logic puzzles. These visually appealing, addictive puzzles drop solvers into immersive mini murder mysteries, combining the elegant simplicity of games like sudoku with the storytelling of classic logic problems. But Murdoku introduces its own...
    Paperback
    $3899
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Minute Cryptic
    Welcome to your brand-new wordplay obsession. From the creators of the hugely popular online puzzle platform, Minute Cryptic, comes this step-by-step guide to solving cryptic crosswords. With over 160 different clues for you to solve, each chapter takes you through a different wordplay concept essential for unlocking cryptic crossword clues. As you complete the book, you'll build your skills and...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery
    Enjoy this new DETECTIVE BEANS adventure in the bestselling and award-winning graphic novel series by Li Chen! Your favourite kitten detective is back with a new mystery to solve . . . and treasure to find! When Captain Scuttlebeard gives Beans a treasure map, Beans is determined to find the prize at the end. The clues take him all over...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2200
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Gate of the Feral Gods
    The fourth book in the explosive LitRPG Dungeon Crawler Carl series New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that's talent. Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy's most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess...
    Hardback
    $6000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people โ€” but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. โ€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantinoโ€™ โ€” A.A. Gill โ€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioliโ€™ โ€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Game On
    Book three in the No.1 New York Times bestselling Into Darkness series,following the dark rom-com sensations Lights Out and Caught Up. The game ison for these enemies-to-lovers with laugh-out-loud banter and scorching-hotbrat play. I hate that woman. Tyler Neumann has spent years looking for his father, and not because he wants to meetthe man. No, he wants to destroy him....
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Women's Prize Winner
    The Correspondent
    84 Charing Cross Road meets A Man Called Ove in this heartwarming, witty story about the life of an extraordinary woman, told through her letters. In her letters to family and friends, we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerpโ€”stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word. But as the clock...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Pumpkin Spice Cafรฉ (Deluxe Edition)
    The first book of the viral Dream Harbor series by #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Laurie Gilmore! ๐Ÿ TikTok Made Me Buy It โ€“ Winner of the TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024, Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller. As seen on Good Morning America! ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ When Jeanieโ€™s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice...
    Hardback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
    The sixth book in the explosive LitRPG Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Chaos reigns on the eighth floor. Coast Guard vet Carl and Princess Donut have survived longerโ€”and climbed higherโ€”than anyone expected in the galaxy's favourite reality show, but now the game is wide open. The task: capture six monsters and turn them into battle cards. The stronger the creature, the...
    Hardback
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.