Christmas Wedding Faces Criminal Complications
I’ve fallen in love with Connie Berry’s Kate Hamilton Mysteries, so I wasn’t about to miss the ebook only Christmas novella released this year. Mistletoe and Murder might be shorter than a full-length novel, but it is a fantastic visit fans will love.
It’s five days before Kate Hamilton and her fiancé, Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, are getting married on Christmas Eve in the small English village that Kate has started to consider home. She is feeling that everything is in hand until family and friends coming from the states start experiencing travel delays and a case Tom is working on starts to heat up.
Then there’s Sheila Parker. Kate and Tom had met her months before when she was peripherally involved in a case that Kate had gotten involved in. Now, Sheila is coming to see Kate to get an appraisal on some coins she is looking to sell. While these coins don’t look to be that valuable, she spins a tale of a coin handed down in the family that might be extremely valuable.
That night, Sheila’s house is searched by someone unknown. Then, the next day, she disappears. Kate can’t help but worry that someone was after the coins thinking they might be valuable. Or maybe they were after the heirloom. Either way, can Kate and Tom find her in time to walk down the aisle?
Yes, I am wondering exactly why something we’ve been waiting for, Kate and Tom’s wedding, is featured in a between the novels novella. However, that is a small issue for me.
As you can see, there is lots going on here. And, yes, it does feel natural that Kate keeps digging into what happened to Sheila instead of focusing on her wedding. Part of that is because Kate cares about others, something I admire. I find that missing person stories pull me in more than a typical murder mystery, so I was very glad this wasn’t a full-length novel. The suspense was killing me as it was. I did figure a twist or two out before Kate and Tom did, but there was plenty I didn’t see coming before the suspenseful climax.
This book features quite a few characters we’ve met before over the course of the series, and I was thrilled to see them again. We also get to meet some new ones, and I like them as well. There are some references and developments in on going storylines as well, so series fans will be happy with these updates.
Plus the ending sets up the next book, coming in 2024. I already can’t wait to see what happens there.
While the book is set in the week before Christmas, this isn’t a Christmas heavy book. There is so much else going on, we don’t have time for that. Then again, we have already had a book set at Christmas in the area, so that’s not a huge loss. And it’s a very minor complaint.
Fans will be delighted with the story we get in Mistletoe and Murder. I know I was. If you haven’t started the series yet, I don’t know that I’d recommend you jump in here just because there is so much that won’t mean as much to you. But I definitely recommend you start this series soon.
Enjoy the rest of the Kate Hamilton Mysteries.
NOTE: I received an ARC of the book.
Sounds like a great read. I think I might have a copy of it on my Kindle. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful review, Mark. I'm so glad you liked it. My first novella, and it was great fun to write.
ReplyDeleteI'm almost done with this one and really enjoying it. I've really loved this series!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this eries. Haven’t read this one yet. I’m looking forward to it.
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