Fleur Hitchcock's Murder Mysteries

About Author

Fleur Hitchcock's latest murder mystery novel, Murder at Christmas, joins a seasonal treasure trove of gripping murder mystery books....

Fleur began life as an author after graduating with a distinction from the Writing for Young People MA at Bath Spa. She now lives outside Bath and works with her husband, a toymaker, looks after other people's gardens and tries to grow vegetables. In her spare time, she is a bookseller at Waterstones Bath.

You can find out more on her website and on X @FleurHitchcock

Interview

October 2025

A new murder mystery to delve into this Christmas!

Murder at Christmas joins a medley of popular murder mysteries by Fleur Hitchcock. ReadingZone spoke with the author about the latest addition to her series, what draws her to writing mysteries with a murder at their heart, and her top writing tips for creating a convincing seasonal setting.

In Murder at Christmas, siblings Grace and Billy are looking forward to a luxurious family Christmas at a family hotel - until their mother goes out but never returns, and there's a murder at the hotel. Has their mother been kidnapped, and is her disappearance somehow linked to the murder?

Read a Chapter from Murder at Christmas

Review: "A well-written, compelling adventure. Perfectly pitched for young readers and offering plenty of twists and turns!"

Q&A with Fleur Hitchcock, introducing murder, and mystery, in Murder at Christmas

1. Thank you for joining us on ReadingZone, to talk about Murder at Christmas! Can you start by telling us a little about yourself? Loves, loathings and any hidden talents?

Me? Well - I live in the middle of nowhere very much, not far from Bath, and from my office window I look out on fields. I am easily bored, so to keep myself stimulated, I work as a bookseller (children's books). If anyone is going anywhere or doing anything new, I'm there! I wish I had hidden talents - I make good pastry and still sing a lot!

2. You've written a number of murder mystery novels. What draws you to this genre, and do you write other kinds of books, too?

I read Murder mysteries. I think that's why I write them. And, I think they're comforting. I know that sounds odd, but because things are always wound up at the end, and good always (nearly always) triumphs over evil, the world in a murder mystery makes sense and is orderly. Unlike the real world.

As well as murder mysteries, I write adventures. There's always a mystery though. Without a mystery, even a family one, or someone behaving oddly, I'm not sure I engage with a story.

3. What can you tell us about your new murder mystery, Murder at Christmas?

It's the story of Grace and her younger brother, Billy. They're supposed to be spending Christmas with their family in a hotel, but at the very beginning there is a murder in the hotel, and immediately afterwards, their mother goes missing. In the course of solving the murder and finding their missing mother, Grace and Billy learn a lot about life, like, how to order room service, and how to make new friends.

4. Quite a few of your murder mystery novels are set during the winter. What do you enjoy about creating wintery stories, and why did you choose Christmas time for this one?

Honestly, Christmas seems to be a very murder mystery-ey time of year and setting things in snow has certain advantages, like, the world stops. Roads close. Tracks appear. People close their doors and snuggle down so they don't notice what's going on outside. Hot summers are less fun!

Creative Challenge: Fleur Hitchcock shares her top tips for seasonal settings - and a writing challenge!

5. Where is Murder at Christmas set? Do you prefer to know the places you write about? How does knowing a place help you when you write?

Murder at Christmas is set in Bath. Recently, I've used real places, but moved the geography very slightly, so that people can't quite identify the street or the particular hotel. I think it's fun to use real settings, sometimes working round the challenge of making it fit. Especially for readers who know the area.

6. There are a lot of chase scenes in the story - do you map these out or time them to make sure it would work in real life? What makes for a great chase scene?

When I write, it's like playing a movie in my head, but I try to get the words down as it plays. So a chase scene is literally the word equivalent of the chase, moment by moment. I don't actually go to the places, although I have been, but I do use Google maps to walk through them.

7. You have four young detectives at the heart of this story - can you tell us about them, and your focus on two very different family backgrounds?

Grace is at a private boarding school in England, which she hates, while Billy is in Australia with their parents who are diplomats. Because they are diplomats, they move countries all the time, so schooling and friendships are tricky. Their new friends are local children who have local knowledge and go to regular school.

I went to a boarding school at secondary level, with diplomatic children who were curiously rootless, whereas I came from just along the road and had friends who lived all around me at home. I used both of these to make up my cast of four. The rootless children, with the homey children.

8. How do you plan and place the clues and red herrings through your stories?

I wish I could say it was all minutely planned. It isn't - I do it very much by feel. Where feels right? Where are things beginning to flag? I think I write instinctively which isn't ideal for mysteries. Most people plan them very carefully, for good reason. There's a lot of revision with mine!

9 For readers who enjoy Murder at Christmas, which of your other novels might they also like? Are you planning another murder mystery novel?

I think if you enjoy Murder at Christmas, you would enjoy Murder at Snowfall, or Murder at Wintertide. Or perhaps something completely different - Waiting for Murder! At the moment I am writing adventures without murder, but you never know . . .

10. What do you look forward to most in the winter months?

I love snow, and ice, and autumn leaves. I dread grey skies without rain. I really don't mind rain. Anything happening at all is exciting. Waking up with frost on the grass is the absolute best!

School Events:

I do offer school visits, mostly presentations. And the best way to contact me is through Authors Aloud who can help in every way.

To find me on social media: Threads @Fleur Hitchcock Insta @fleur.hitchcock Bluesky @fleurhitchcock.bsky.social

Fleur Hitchcock introduces Murder at Wintertide (Nosy Crow)

With Christmas lights twinkling and last-minute shopping for gifts, no-one expects a body to be washed up along the shoreline... Is this a murder? And how is it connected to the story of ancient treasure in the neighbourhood? We asked master of murder-mystery writing Fleur Hitchcock to tell us more about her new book, Murder at Wintertide.

Read a Chapter from Murder at Wintertide

Fleur Hitchcock introduces Murder at Snowfall (Nosy Crow)

With the backdrop of a small town in the run-up to Christmas, Fleur Hitchcock's Murder at Snowfall is a perfect winter read. Here's the author to tell us more! Read a chapter from Murder at Snowfall

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