Meeting the Father Turns Deadly
When I learned that Erica Ruth Neubauer had written a Christmas ebook only novella for her Jane Wunderly series, I immediately pre-ordered a copy. I’ve enjoyed these historical mysteries, and I looked forward to seeing what Jane would get up to at Christmas. I did decide to wait to read it until December, and I found that Murder Under the Mistletoe helped put me in the Christmas spirit.
It’s December of 1926, and Jane is accompanying her fiancé, Redvers, to his home in a small English village to meet his father. The two men have grown apart, so it is news to Redvers that his father is also engaged and planning to wed on Christmas morning. However, this bride-to-be is twice widowed and rumor has it that her previous husbands didn’t die of natural causes. Then an attack is followed up by a suspicious death at a Christmas party. Can Jane and Redvers figure out what is happening?
As I said earlier, this is a novella, so if you are looking for a short read to squeeze in this month, this one will fit the bill. But you won’t be short changed. I found the mystery as engaging as a full-length novel would be. I also thought I had things figured out a couple of times only to become confused at what happened next. Of course, things were wrapped up satisfactorily by the end.
The book works in a couple of supporting characters from the series in addition to Jane and Redvers. I enjoyed seeing them when they popped up, and I continue to enjoy watching Jane and Redvers’ relationship grow. I had to laugh at some of their interactions as well. There are some great new characters I hope show up in a future novel.
We get all this plus plenty of Christmas cheer. The customs are different in detail, but still felt familiar to me today, and I found that added touch lots of fun. It was great getting to read this in December.
Whether new to the series or looking for a quick fix before the next novel comes out, you’ll be glad you added Murder Under the Mistletoe to your December reading list.
Enjoy the rest of the Jane Wunderly Mysteries.
Thank you for your review, it looks a nice Christmas read. Added it to my WTR shelf ! :-)
ReplyDeleteHistorical mystery and Christmas! Sounds like fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge!