Stella and Lyndy’s First Christmas Together Involves Murder
I’ve fallen under the spell of the Stella and Lyndy Mysteries from Clara McKenna. When I saw the fifth book was going to be set at Christmas, I got excited and immediately put Murder on Mistletoe Lane on my December reading list.
If you haven’t found this series yet, it is set in the New Forest region of England in 1905. When we first met the characters, Stella was an American heiress arriving in England only to learn that her father had arranged her marriage to Lyndy, a viscount. Against all odds, the two have fallen in love and are settling into life as newlyweds.
With Christmas coming, Stella is excited to be celebrating it with Lyndy. She is hoping to introduce a few American customs and foods to the festivities, but that isn’t going over well. Stella is also confused by the undercurrents in the house with the house guests who have come for the holiday.
But things get complicated when a member of the staff is found dead on the side of a road on Christmas Eve morning. Can Stella and Lyndy solve the latest case?
I will admit that the previous book, which found Stella and Lyndy traveling for their honeymoon, was not quite as good as the others since I was missing the supporting characters. With them home again, everyone was back together, and I enjoyed seeing those relationships continue to grow. We’ve come a long way in five books, and I love it. With each book the characters get richer as well. The new characters were intriguing, and I hope we see more of some of them in future books.
My teaser has simplified the beginning of the book, and I stayed a little vague as well. Honestly, there is a lot going on in this book, and at first, I was a little overwhelmed with the number of storylines being introduced. However, I trusted that it would all make sense in the end, and my faith was rewarded. As the storylines intersect and diverge to intersect again, I found myself more and more drawn into the book, waiting to see how it would all come together. I had a couple of niggles with the solution, but it was logical.
One aspect I love is that Stella and Lyndy have a good relationship with the local inspector. No, they aren’t always as quick as they should be to share what they’ve learned, but he does respect them and their instincts, especially Stella.
This book is told from multiple points of view, usually Stella and Lyndy’s, but we get a few others as well. I appreciate this since it paints a more complete picture of the story and helps brings the characters to life. Don’t worry, these shifts are always easy to follow.
I will say the storyline is a little more serious, especially for a Christmas book. Then again, murder is serious, isn’t it? It is in keeping with the tones of the other books in the series.
Since the book is set in England almost 120 years ago, not all the traditions will be familiar. Enough are, however, that I was able to get into the spirit of the season as I was reading, which I enjoyed.
Overall, Murder on Mistletoe Lane is another fantastic entry in this series. Those looking for a historical series with strong characters and intriguing mysteries will be glad they started it.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Stella and Lyndy Mysteries.
This sounds great! I'll add the series to my ever-growing TBR list. :)
ReplyDeleteMurder is most definitely serious!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge!