December 2024's Reading Summary

 It's that time of the ... year.  Time for one last reading summary before we say goodbye to 2024.  So time to look at what I read and reviewed in December.

Thanks to having a great time with family for Christmas, I didn't get the index updated yet again.  I'll be sure to do that in January.  

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

 

Flower Power Trip by James J. Cudney (Braxton Campus Mysteries #3) – 4

It’s the start of summer at Braxton, but Kellan Ayrwick is finding the campus is anything but calm.  Not only is he personally teaching a course over the summer, but the Mendel Flower Show has decided to use the campus for their presentation this year.  The season is kicking off with a masquerade ball to raise money for a needed library renovation.  However, the night ends in tragedy when Kellan finds a dead body in a staff only section of the library.  With a friend’s sister the prime suspect, can Kellan figure out what is going on?

Those who are familiar with the series will know that there is a lot going on in these books, and this one is no exception.  Yes, we do get some updates to the ongoing soap operaish storylines, including another cliffhanger.  The focus is on the new mystery here, however, and it does a good job of keeping us guessing with plenty of twists and red herrings.  The ultimate solution was satisfying.  My biggest gripe is that Kellan seems to have some contentious relationships with the other series regulars.  I hope we are growing beyond some of those issues soon because I read cozies for the groups of characters I want to revisit.  Still, I enjoyed this book overall.  I definitely recommend you read these books in order because of the ongoing saga.  I’m hoping I can make it to the next one soon.

 

A Summit in Shadow by Sarah E. Burr (Court of Mystery #4) – 4

Duchess Jacqueline and her closest friends and advisors are traveling to the kingdom of Lysandeir.  A summit of other rulers is meeting to decide the fate of a region that has been lawless for as long as anyone can remember.  Jacqueline is hoping to lead the others to reach a decision that will most benefit her kingdom.  But when a young woman dies before the talks even get started, everything is thrown into chaos.  Are the rest of the attendees in danger?  Can Jacqueline figure out what is going on?

This book marks the transition in the series from novella to novel length story.  Unfortunately, there are some pacing issues in the book near the beginning.  Yes, it is setting up some things, but I do wish we had gotten to the mystery faster.  It’s hard to complain, however, since I love spending time with these characters, and I enjoyed meeting the new ones.  We also got some nice growth in several of the characters.  Once the mystery began in earnest, it was strong with some nice twists and red herrings on the way to the logical solution.  A word of warning: there are major spoilers (by necessity) in this book if you haven’t read the earlier books in the series.  Fans of the series will enjoy this entry overall.  If that isn’t you, yet, fix that today.

 

Fondue or Die by Korina Moss (Cheese Shop Mysteries #5) – 5

This Labor Day, Willa Bauer is participating in the Dairy Days festival held in the next town over.  Her employee and friend, Mrs. Schultz, is once again helping out with the Miss Dairy pageant that closes out the festival.  But when Willa finds the pageant director dead, plans turn chaotic.  The police don’t seem that certain that it was murder, but Willa is concerned about the safety of her friend, so she starts investigating.  Can she figure things out?

I’d forgotten just how much I love this series until I picked up this book, but I was soon under the spell of the characters again.  We aren’t in the usual locations as much, but that’s a minor complaint.  The characters’ relationships continue to draw me in, and I liked the new characters we met as well.  At least the ones who weren’t acting suspicious.  One relationship gets some wonderful development.  The mystery is fantastic.  I kept second guessing myself until we reached the climax.  I did have a niggle with the ending, but it was minor overall.  As usual, these books will make you crave cheese, so you’ll be happy with the three recipes at the end.  Fans new and old will find themselves savoring this entry.

 

Shock and Paw by Cate Conte (Cat Café Mysteries #8) – 4

This December, the Daybreak Island Chamber of Commerce is planning several events, hoping to draw visitors during the off season.  Maddie James is trying to focus on running her cat café for a change, but she finds herself drawn into the drama surrounding the events, especially the decorating contest.  But when a murder happens, Maddie really jumps into things, especially with her best friend one of the suspects.  Can she figure out what is going on?

I’m glad we got a second Christmas entry in this series.  As always, it was fun to visit the characters again, although I do feel like some of the minor characters are hard to keep track of.  The pacing in this book was off.  Yes, everything came into play once the murdered happened, as I figured it would, but it wandered around quite a bit on its way there.  Still, I was really caught up in the second half, and the suspects kept me guessing on the way to the logical climax.  I also enjoyed the Christmas spirit we got in addition to the murder and mayhem.  Fans of the series will find this puts them in the holiday mood.

 

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley (Deep Dish Mysteries #4) – 5

When Delilah and the staff at her restaurant cater a combined Hanukkah and Christmas dinner, Delilah is surprised to run into some family she didn’t know were in town. But the bigger surprise comes the next day when the body of one of the guests is found in a snow pile created for the snow sculpting contest. With her family and friends as the prime suspects, Delilah jumps in to clear them. But what are they hiding?

I always enjoy reading holiday books during December, and this one gave me plenty of Christmas vibes while also including Hanukkah, which was a great touch. The mystery unfolded a little differently, but still pulled me in and kept me turning the pages until I reached the logical climax. Meanwhile, the characters shine, with some nice growth for them and their relationships. There’s plenty of talk about food, and the four recipes at the end sound good. No matter when you pick up this book, you’ll find it delicious. 

 

Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #36) – 5

It’s the weekend before Christmas, but Meg isn’t basking in the season.  Instead, she’s helping her grandmother, who is putting on a conference in town.  The theme is about helping the wrongfully convicted, and many of Meg’s friends and family are presenting.  Not everyone is on board with the topic, however.  In fact, one of the attendees is known to be extremely vocal that all those convicted are guilty.  So it’s not too surprising when he turns up dead.  Can Meg help figure out what happened?

Yes, this is a Christmas entry in the series.  And we get plenty of Christmas spirit as we read the book, even if the plot doesn’t tie into the season.  But, at this point, I’m not sure what else the author could do with the season plot wise.  I do wish the choir had sung some religious carols in one of the scenes, but that’s a minor complaint.  The plot itself was well done with plenty of suspects to keep us guessing.  And Meg and the rest were great to be around as always.  In fact, I was impressed by just how many of the regulars got to play a part in what was happening.  We also got some laughs along the way.  Meg’s many fans will be happy to sit down with this book.

 

Unraveled by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5) – 4

This book picks up where book 8.5 ended. In order to protect his friends from his new abilities, Keefe leaves the Elfin world behind to hide out among the humans. While his first attempts are rocky, he soon finds a way to survive. And then he hits on an idea to not only figure out how to control his new abilities but also to figure out some things from his past. Will he succeed at either?

Yet another half book for fans of the series, and it does contain some information I’m sure will be critical going forward. However, we got a lot of fluff as well as Keefe tries to adjust to our world. Some of it was funny, but still, it threw off the pacing. We also meet a couple of very minor gay and lesbian characters (so minor they are unnamed). I did like the development we got for Keefe and the chapters at the end that show some scenes from Stellalune from his point of view. Speaking of which, yes, there are spoilers here for the earlier books of the series. At only 400 pages, this is a fast read compared to the more recent books. But fans will be glad they have this information going forward. 

 

I’ll Bee Home for Christmas by Cathy Wiley (Fatal Food Festival Mysteries #4) – 4

It’s the second week of December, and former celebrity chef Jackie Norwood is heading to Oklahoma to be a judge at a honey festival. Her camera man’s sister, Emily, is organizing it. Jackie arrives a little early and is helping Emily tend to her bee hives when they stumble on the body of Emily’s ex-husband. While the police are quick to look at Emily as their prime suspect, Jackie uncovers plenty of others with motive. Can she figure out what really happened?

It was fun to get a Christmas themed entry in this series, and the nods to the season were fun. I did feel like the food themed got in the way of the mystery a bit, leading to some rushed elements in the book. However, there are still some interesting twists and a logical climax. We also get some great development for the characters and the arcs that we’ve been following. The fun and laughs from the earlier books are present again here. And we have lots of honey themed recipes at the end to make your moth water. Fans will enjoy this sweet entry in the series. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

 

Irish Soda Bread Murder by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart, and Liz Ireland – 4

Three cozy mystery authors reunite to again present St. Patrick themed novellas with their characters.  Up first, Carlene O’Connor revisits her Home to Ireland characters as Tara gets involved when her aunt’s rival dies from Irish soda bread.  Next, Peggy Ehrhart presents a story with her Knits and Nibbles characters when a judge in a contest baking dies after sampling the first loaf of bread.  Finally, Liz Ireland takes Mrs. Claus and three of the elves from Santaland to Oregon when April goes to investigate a leak in her inn only to get involved in some shady things going on with her caretaker.

All three stories are entertaining.  I read this anthology for the Mrs. Claus story, but I felt right at home with the characters from the first two as well, so if you haven’t met any of them yet, you can easily use this to sample the authors.  Given that these are novellas, I felt the authors all did a good job of bringing the characters to life, although I did feel the pacing could have been stronger.  Still, I enjoyed all the stories and the twists we did get.  I even laughed at that final story multiple times.  If you pick up this book now or wait until March to read it, you’ll find yourself enjoying it.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.