Book Review: Birth of the Black Orchids by M. R. Dimond (Black Orchid Enterprises #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters I already love

Cons: The mysteries are after thoughts

The Bottom Line:

Meet trio of friends

Enjoyable to visit

But plots are not strong

Two Cozy Stories Introduce Us to a Fun New Trio

Every so often, it’s fun to dig around and see just what you might uncover from your to be read pile. That’s how I picked Birth of the Black Orchids. While this wasn’t what I was hoping for, I can see how others would enjoy it. 

This book is really two separate longish short stories that introduce us to JD Thomas and his friends Dianne Cortez and Johnny Ly. They have moved into a mansion in the town of Beauchamp, Texas. They have separate rooms upstairs and are opening businesses downstairs, lawyer, accountant, and vet. Days before Christmas, they hold an open house to show off the renovations and promote their businesses. Might something go wrong? Then, a couple of weeks later, a neighbor they are supposed to be helping vanishes. Where might she have gone?

Let me be perfectly clear. I really like this trio. They are fun, and their dynamic is great. While we don’t get the full background on them, you can feel the bonds between them. I enjoyed spending time with them. 

However, neither story had much going on in it. This is especially true of the first story, but even the second was uneven. Yes, there is a crime that the trio is able to solve both times, but it felt more like an after through than a main focus. 

But again, if you are looking for cozy vibes, you’ll find this book perfectly draws you in. And the Christmas setting of the first story helps add to the charm. 

So, if you are looking for a book light on the mystery but strong on the cozy, you’ll be glad you picked up Birth of the Black Orchids. 

Book Review: Five Golden Wings by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #38)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great characters, laughs, and Christmas spirit

Cons: Mystery could have been a little stronger, but it’s a minor issue

The Bottom Line:

Two Christmas weddings

Bring chaos before murder

Laughs, holiday cheer

Dueling Weddings and Murder at Christmas

At this point, it’s a tradition for me to read Donna Andrews’s latest Meg Langslow Christmas Mystery in the middle of December. While the mysteries don’t always revolve around the holiday these days, the Christmas spirit is still strong. The latest, Five Golden Wings, is a perfect example of that. 

If you have missed this long running series, it follows Meg and her extended circle of family and friends. They are mostly set is a small college town in Virginia. While this is book 38 in the series, you can mostly pick these up in random order and enjoy time with these characters. 

This book finds Meg and her mother helping to organize two weddings for two of Meg’s younger cousins set to take place the Saturday before Christmas. Unfortunately, these young women are constantly feuding, so the weddings are taking place back-to-back, even though they are sharing the venues. The two brides bring nothing but drama in the days leading up to their events, and that’s before Meg finds the wedding photographer dead. Unfortunately, the suspect list is long, including members of the bridal party. Can Meg figure out what happened?

As you can see, the plot doesn’t really revolve around Christmas. Having said that, I have had friends who got married this time of year, so Christmas weddings are a thing. And the book still infuses Christmas into the story with some subplots and talk about Christmas traditions. At this point, mentioning some of these things are enough to make me smile since they’ve played larger parts in previous books. They feel like my traditions, too.

The mystery itself got over shadowed a bit by the wedding drama. The resolution, while logical was a bit abrupt. 

But I didn’t mind because I was having fun. Any fan of the series will tell you these books will make you smile and laugh, and this one is no exception. Some of the wedding stuff was pure gold. 

And there are the characters. At this point, Meg’s family, at least the ones we see regularly, feels like my family, and it’s so wonderful to spend time around them. The new characters are just as entertaining. There may not be too much growth from one book to the next, but I don’t mind. They work for this series, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Visiting these characters, especially this time of year, is like wrapping up in a warm blanket. If you are looking for a great cozy mystery to enjoy this time of year, you won’t go wrong with Five Golden Wings. 

Here are the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries. 

Book Review: Home for the Homicides by Rosalie Spielman (Hometown Mysteries #4)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Good Christmas set mystery

Cons: Some of the characters’ ages didn’t work for me

The Bottom Line:

Mayhem at Christmas

Who is behind the attacks?

Great seasonal read

Who is the Christmas Grinch?

At the beginning of the year, I hadn’t read any of Rosalie Spielman’s Hometown Mysteries.  And here I am finishing up book four, Home for the Homicides.  Obviously, I’m enjoying the series, and this book was no exception.

The first book introduced us to Tessa Treslow, who has just retired from a career in the United States Army.  In that first book, she just intended to return to her hometown of New Oslo, Idaho, for a short visit until she decided where to move permanently, but she wound up deciding to stay.

This book opens in the middle of December.  New Oslo has been subjected to some pranks in the last few days, but things are about to escalate.  First, Tessa and her aunt Edna find a man who was car jacked and left on the side of the road.  Then, various businesses in town are being vandalized.  But when a murder victim is found at the sight of a fire, Tessa really steps up her sleuthing.  Can she figure out who is responsible before things take a second deadly turn?

Because of the seemingly random nature of the attacks, it’s hard to zero in on a suspect or motive.  That frustrates the police and Tessa, who isn’t exactly working with them but isn’t exactly discouraged from doing a little sleuthing on her own.  Quite often, I would find a story like this frustrating since I don’t feel like the story is really moving forward.  That wasn’t the case here.  Yes, I did think about it, but the way the story was evolving did make it feel like we were moving forward even if it was slowly.  While we do reach a logical conclusion, a couple of things are still a little ambiguous at the end.  In this case, it does work, but it’s not quite the tight solution I’m used to and prefer.

My bigger issue with the book was the ages of the characters we met along the way.  I feel like we were missing a generation in the family tree, which kept bugging me.

On the other hand, it was great to spend more time with Tessa, Edna, and the rest of the regulars.  I love Tessa’s family, and we got to meet more of them in this book, which was great.  The relationships feel real, and this is a family I would love to spend more time with.  We’ve gotten to know others in the community, and while we didn’t see quite as much of some of them as in books past, I did enjoy their page time as well.

And this book has a nice Christmas vibe going for it.  It adds to the story in some creative ways and is definitely a story we could only get at this time of the year.

If you haven’t started this series yet, you are in for a treat.  Home for the Homicides gives us a nice holiday visit that fans will enjoy.

Plan for return visits to the Hometown Mysteries.

Book Review: Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron (Vintage Cookbook Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great mystery, fun characters, seasonal fun

Cons: A couple of minor things that hopefully got caught in a final edit

The Bottom Line:

Delving into past

Lead to a Christmas murder

Filled with season’s charm

Ricki’s Past, Family, and a Christmas Murder

It’s no secret I love Christmas, so I’m always happy when I see a series I enjoy has a Christmas offering.  One of this year’s new Christmas cozy mysteries is Ellen Byron’s Crescent City Christmas Chaos, the fourth entry in her Vintage Cookbook Mysteries.  As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This series features Ricki James-Diaz who owns a vintage cookbook and cooking utensil gift shop in one of the historic mansions in New Orleans.  The mansion is opened for tours, and so Ricki has a steady stream of customers.  She’s moved back to the city in order to find out more about her birth family since she was adopted as a baby.  She’s hoping to make some headway this year since her parents have come to town as a surprise for the holidays.

But her mom seems reluctant to talk about that part of their past.  Ricki does find one of her mom’s old co-workers, but the day after meeting her, the woman turns up dead.  Unfortunately, Ricki’s mom soon finds herself a suspect in the case, and the longer the case drags on, the more of Ricki’s friends and family find themselves suspects.  With the police trying to juggle too many cases, Ricki jumps in to try to solve this one.  Can she do it?

There is a lot going on here between the main mystery and several subplots.  In lesser hands, it might have led to chaos, but Ellen Byron does a great job of balancing everything.  This also means that the story is always moving forward and I was never bored.  The mystery itself moved forward at a steady pace, and I enjoyed following Ricki as she figured things out.  The ending made sense when we got there.

I will say there were a couple of things in the first third that made me scratch my head and should have been caught in a good edit.  I was reading an ARC, so hopefully they were tweaked.  Either way, they are minor and don’t really impact the story in any way.

Ellen’s series tend to attract characters.  That’s not a complaint, just a statement of fact.  I enjoyed getting to spend time with them again and making some new friends.  After all, this is the most time that Ricki’s parents have had in a book, for example.  All the characters get a moment to shine, which is another testament to Ellen’s ability to juggle it all.  There is a cast of characters at the beginning, although you’ll enjoy getting to know the characters best from reading the series in order.  There are some minor spoilers for ongoing storylines here, too, if you don’t go back to the beginning.

And yes, the Christmas setting was tons of fun, as I knew it would be.  Some elements were pretty funny, and others were charming and cozy.  If you save this one for December, you’ll be glad, but it can give you the Christmas feeling no matter when you read it.

Speaking of Christmas, the recipes at the back of the book focus on a New Orleans Christmas tradition I hadn’t heard of before.  A Réveillon Dinner is a special dinner served after the midnight mass.  And yes, Ellen adapted the recipes from vintage cookbooks in her collection as always.

With Christmas just a few weeks away, now is the time to start planning your holiday cozies.  Whether you read Crescent City Christmas Chaos now or wait to savor it during December, you’ll be glad you picked it up.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: O, Deadly Night by Vicki Delany (Year-Round Christmas Mysteries #8)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Characters and setting charm as always

Cons: Pacing of mystery and repetition

The Bottom Line:

Mystery neighbors

Merry must find her landlord

Some charm, some issues

Suspicious New Neighbors

Being the Christmas lover that I am, I’ve read Vicki Delany’s Year-Round Christmas series since it started. While I still enjoyed popping in on the characters, I did find the most recent, O, Deadly Night, a bit disappointing. 

The series is set in the fictional town of Rudolph, New York. When the city’s economy was dying years ago, they took advantage of their name and rebranded themself the Christmas capitol of the country. The tourists loved it. Our main character is Merry Wilkinson, who runs an upscale gift shop, called Mrs. Claus’s Treasures. 

It may be busy season, aka December, but Merry’s landlord at home is distracted by the new neighbors who have moved in. Mrs. D’Angelo hasn’t been able to meet them, and as the center of the town’s gossip mill, that doesn’t sit right. And, she keeps noticing weird things going on at the house. Merry’s too busy to give it too much attention. That is, until Mrs. D’Angelo disappears. Was she right about something strange going on across the street?

As always, I love the setting for this series. The town names are so charming, and I can easily get caught up in the magic of a town that celebrates Christmas all the time, especially when we are visiting in December. That holiday spirit infuses the pages and draws me in. 

Sadly, the book suffered from repetition. It was worse with a subplot involving a cookbook that Merry’s friend is putting together. But there is an entire scene near the beginning that could have been removed without confusing the reader at all. In fact, I made sure that I hadn’t wound up going back a chapter. 

Once the mystery really does get going, it was interesting, but I didn’t feel Merry was active in the investigation. She kept getting updates from others. She does figure things out at the end, but she was also pretty stupid at the end. Overall, the pacing could have been better. 

The characters are their normal charming selves. I do love the cast of characters, so seeing them again was fun. Yes, a couple annoy, but I find I even enjoy seeing them. 

While this isn’t a culinary cozy as such, we do get lots of discussion of delicious food, so I was happy to see the two recipes at the end. 

While there were things I enjoyed about O, Deadly Night, there were things that needed to be smoothed out. The result, for me at least, was a mixed bag. 

Here are the rest of the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this mystery. 

Book Review: Mrs. Claus and the Very Vicious Valentine by Liz Ireland (Mrs. Claus Mysteries #6)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Fun mystery, great characters, charming and delightful

Cons: I’m not vicious enough to list cons

The Bottom Line:

Valentine wedding

Murder rears its vicious head

Book is pure delight

Who Penned a Real Poisonous Valentine?

It’s no secret how much I love the Mrs. Claus Mysteries from Liz Ireland.  I’ve raved about them since book one came out.  So, naturally, I was looking forward to reading Mrs. Claus and the Very Vicious Valentine, the latest in the series.  As always, it was a delight.

If you haven’t yet found this series, yes, it does feature the real Mrs. Claus as the main character.  April Claus met Nick when he visited her bed and breakfast in Oregon, and the two fell in love.  Even now, several years later, April is trying to get used to her new life at the North Pole with elves and snowmen and talking reindeer.

This book opens a few days before Valentine’s Day, and April is getting ready for her best friend’s wedding.  Claire, a friend from Oregon, is marrying Jake Frost.  But as the bridal party is at a dress fitting, someone leaves them a note with a threatening Valentine in it.  April isn’t quite sure how seriously to take it.  That is, until someone dies the next day at the next dress fitting.  Can April figure out who the killer is?  Or will the mayhem destroy Claire and Jake’s special day?

That’s just one of many storylines that are juggled in this book, as always.  And, as always, the book does it expertly.  I never felt like the pace lagged at all, and I was hooked from start to finish.  I did key in on things a little early, but I didn’t mind since I was having such a fun time.  And yes, that means when we reach the climax, everything does make sense.

Over the course of the series, we’ve gotten to know quite a large group of characters, and we get updates on many of them here.  The suspects blend into the cast of characters well, and I found them entertaining.

I always love it when an author is able to take a storyline that’s been a subplot and bring it to the forefront of the series.  We’ve been following Claire and Jake’s romance for multiple books and novellas at this point.  I was so pleased that this book was leading up to their wedding.  So yes, I will recommend that you read the earlier books in the series.  But we get enough background that you could jump in here.

But why would you want to when this series is so much fun.  Obviously, there is a fantasy element to it, although it doesn’t overwhelm the mystery.  And the author has done such a great job of world building.  The elf’s names are perfect.  Then there are the businesses.  And the reindeer.  I even love the fact that snowmen don’t move quickly.  It’s just all these little details that make me smile and feel right as I’m reading.  I can’t imagine the North Pole being any other way.

And yes, there’s the humor as well.  April is still new enough that her observations can be funny.  Other times, the elves react is a way that makes me laugh.  Truly, this series is a delight.

If you like to read around a holiday if possible, the question would become, do you read this book at Christmas or Valentine’s.  Honestly, either would be just fine.  It gives off enough vibes for either holiday.  Personally, I couldn’t wait that long for either.  It’s hard to wait when I know I’ve got a new book in the series ready for me.

So yes, give Mrs. Claus a try.  If you are already a fan, you know what fun is waiting for you in Mrs. Claus and the Very Vicious Valentine.  And you won’t be disappointed.

Get more merry vibes from the rest of the Mrs. Claus series.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

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

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Character growth and a good mystery

Cons: Food talk slows down the mystery of the middle

The Bottom Line:

Honey at Christmas

Trying to clear friend’s sister

Another fun book

Murder is Never Sweet, Especially at Christmas

I am completely enjoying Cathy Wiley’s Fatal Food Festival Mysteries. So I was thrilled when I saw that she was slipping in a Christmas mystery this year. Naturally, I made time to read I’ll Bee Home for Christmas before the holiday. 

The series features Jackie Norwood, a former celebrity chef who lost her TV show when her drinking got out of control. Now, she’s trying to mount a comeback by being a guest judge at food festivals across the country. Sadly, she seems to find herself involved in murders at each festival she visits. 

It’s the second week of December, and Jackie and her friends are descending on Oklahoma for a honey festival. Jackie’s cameraman, Greg, connected her to the judging gig since his sister, Emily, is putting everything together. Jackie arrives a couple of days early to get acclimated and help set things up. Part of that is going with Emily while she visits her beehives. 

However, at one of their stops, they discover the dead body of Emily’s ex-husband. He was obviously in the process of stealing her hives, which gives her a motive. As Jackie jumps in, she finds plenty of others who hated the man. But can she find the killer?

As I said earlier, I’m really loving the characters and their growing relationships. There are some continuations of these arcs from the earlier books, especially the previous one. As a result, I recommend you read these books in order. 

And if you have been, you’ll be happy with what happens here. I’m already looking forward to seeing how these events impact the characters going forward. And the new characters we met along the way were also great. 

Authors who write cozies have a balancing act trying to bring in the theme while also keeping the mystery moving forward. I felt like this book missed the mark in the middle, looking at bit more at the festival and the contests that Jackie is judging. As a result, I felt like a couple things were rushed story wise. That’s not to say that the climax didn’t make sense. It logically followed the clues that Jackie and the rest had uncovered. 

Part of the reason I love this series is the humor. Yes, there is one character who loves his puns, which I appreciate. But there are some other great laughs from the characters and their relationships. 

The book does have lots of food talk with some very delicious sounding recipes featuring honey. We get a lot of recipes at the end, and all the best sounding dishes in the story are included. By my count, we have a total of seven recipes at the end. 

And yes, there are also some fun nods to Christmas over the course of the book, as well.

All told, I’ll Bee Home for Christmas is a sweet addition to the series. Fans will be thankful for it. If you haven’t started it yet, I definitely recommend you do so today.

Travel to the rest of the Fatal Food Festival Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Book Review: Rockin’ Around the Chickadee by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #36)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Meg and the characters, good plot, Christmas spirit, fun

Cons: Why aren’t we singing religious Christmas carols?

The Bottom Line:

Conference troll killed

Which attendee is guilty?

Christmas spirit, too

Who Should Be Presumed Guilty?

I’ve come to really look forward to the Christmas entry in the Meg Langslow series. Reading it in December has become something of a Christmas tradition for me. Rockin’ Around the Chickadee, this year’s Christmas entry and the thirty-sixth in the series, was another fun entry. 

This December, Meg’s grandmother is putting on the Presumed Innocence conference at the inn in town the weekend before the holiday. Since it is local, many of Meg’s friends and family are giving presentations, and Meg is doing her best to help out. 

However, one of the attendees is well known for his stance that the justice system never makes any mistakes. He’s made his position on some of the newly exonerated attending clear, and he goes out of his way to disrupt things on the first day. The next morning, his dead body is found behind Meg’s barn. Who killed him? And why was he located there?

 Obviously, the plot of this book has little to do with Christmas and really could have been set at any time of the year. That’s become the case with other recent Christmas books. Yes, there is so discussion of the timing of the conference in this book, which I appreciated. And let’s be honest, with the number of books set during Christmas we’ve already gotten, I’m not sure what else we could get that was holiday dependent. 

Now, don’t take that to mean that there isn’t plenty of Christmas in these pages. No one does a Christmas set story better than Donna Andrews, and that holds true again here. The talk of decorations and carols alone are enough to make it feel like the holiday is right around the corner. Okay, so the fact that the holiday was right around the corner as I was reading the book helped, too. 

Having said that, I do have a bone to pick with the Christmas in the book. At one point, the choir from the Baptist church puts on a concert. Among the songs they sing at many of the secular songs of the season and even a couple of Hanukkah songs. Not one religious Christmas carol is mentioned by name. There is a reference to them doing some the next morning, but again, none mentioned by name. Now, hear me out. I have no issue with them singing any of the songs that are listed in that scene. But why couldn’t some of the religious carols be listed as well. A true mix. Especially if this is a Baptist church choir. 

Okay, deep breath. Because, honestly, this was a minor annoyance in an otherwise enjoyable book. 

The plot was great. It does a good job of setting up suspects before the murder happens, and we are pulled along for the ride as Meg attempts to figure out what is really going on. The climax wrapped things up well. 

And it’s always a joy to visit with Meg and the large cast of characters. I appreciated how many of the regulars were involved in one way or another. The suspects were interesting and fit perfectly into Meg’s world. I’m wondering if a couple of them might pop up again in later books. 

In addition to the Christmas cheer, we also get some laughs. One scene in particular had me grinning as I read it. It played out perfectly. 

Those who are looking for a light Christmas cozy mystery will enjoy Rockin’ Around the Chickadee. Meg’s many fans will not be disappointed in the least. 

And do check out the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries. 

Book Review: Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley (Deep Dish Mysteries #4)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and mystery; holiday setting

Cons: None for me

The Bottom Line:

Holiday murder

With very personal stakes

A page turning read

Delilah’s Friends and Family Find Themselves in Deep Dish for the Holidays

I always enjoy reading Christmas cozies during December, so I was happy to see that the fourth Deep Dish Mystery was set during the month. I picked up Sleep in Heavenly Pizza expecting another tasty mystery, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

As the book opens, it’s the first night of Hanukkah and Delilah and the crew from her restaurant are catering a combined Hanukkah and Christmas party. Delilah’s evening takes a surprising turn when she runs into her brother-in-law and college aged niece among the guests. She didn’t even know they were in town. 

However, the next day is when things really take a turn. Delilah is nearby when a dead body is found in a snow pile for the town’s snow sculpting contest. The victim was one of the guests at the party, and Delilah finds that the best suspects are her employees and her visiting family. Can she figure out what really happened? Or is one of them guilty?

Earlier, I referred to this as a Christmas cozy. And that’s certainly part of the book since that is the holiday that Delilah celebrates. However, I wasn’t surprised to see that Hanukkah gets its due here as well since Delilah’s best friend/sou chef is Jewish. I enjoyed seeing both holidays involved in the background of the story. As a Christian, I celebrate Christmas this time of year, and I got the Christmas cozy vibes while reading.

I was also really drawn into the story. This book doesn’t unfold like many of the mysteries I read since Delilah is so focused on her own friends and trying to learn the truth from them. Yet when everything came together at the end, it made perfect sense. In fact, I couldn’t help myself from saying “Of course,” a couple of times as I read this section. 

The characters obviously helped draw me into the story. If I didn’t like them, I wouldn’t been as captivated as I read. We also got some great growth in several relationships and in Delilah herself. All this without slowing things down at all. And yes, the new characters feel real as well. 

There is plenty of talk about food, so don’t read this book hungry. We don’t get quite as much pizza as normal, and the recipes at the end reflect that. They definitely sound delicious. 

Whether you read this book during the holidays or some other time during the year, you’ll be glad you picked up Sleep in Heavenly Pizza. This is the culinary cozy you’ve been hungry for. 

Do check out the rest of the Deep Dish Mysteries. 

Book Review: Shock and Paw by Cate Conte (Cat Café Mysteries #8)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in a good mystery

Cons: Mystery takes a while to truly focus

The Bottom Line:

Murder at Christmas

Pacing on this one is off

Still good overall

Murder During an Electric Christmas Season

A few years ago, we got to visit the fictional Daybreak Island during the Christmas season. Since I love a Christmas cozy, I was happy to see we got a repeat visit for the eighth entry in the series, Shock and Paw. 

If you haven’t yet started the Cat Cafe Mysteries, they feature Maddie James, who has returned to her home off the coast of Massachusetts. She has transformed part of her grandparent’s house into a cat cafe, and she lives there with her grandfather and assorted other relatives in the rest of the house. Her return to the island coincided with a murder, and she seems to have the bad luck of getting involved in more over the last year and a half. 

This year, the island’s chamber of commerce is really trying to draw visitors to the island for the holiday with extra events. They’re also upping the stakes on the holiday decorating contest. Maddie is trying to avoid getting pulled in to helping plan things, focusing on the cafe instead. 

However, she still finds herself getting pulled into the drama surrounding a subpar electrician the city hired to help people prepare for the contest. Other pockets of drama pop up over town as well. But Maddie isn’t expecting for someone to be murdered. Since someone she cares about is the prime suspect, Maddie starts trying to find the killer. Can she cut through the noise to figure out what is going on?

Yes, I’m trying to be a bit vague here.  The book takes a while to truly come into focus.  We have a bit of this and a bit of that going on, and it seems chaotic.  It doesn’t help that the murder happens a little later than is typical in the books I read, and it wasn’t easy to get a read on who the victim would be.

But I had faith that all of this was leading somewhere, and I was right.  Once the murder happens, the book really focuses, and everything became part of the investigation.  I was quite caught up in the action at this point and had a really hard time putting the book down.  And the climax, while a little weaker than I like, did answer all my questions.  Still, I feel like there was a better way to pace things that would have fully engrossed me in the story sooner.

I did enjoy getting to spend time with Maddie and the rest of her family and friends again.  We have quite a large cast of characters, and some of the more minor ones do tend to fade into the background, at least for me, but the core cast are strong and help pull me in.  The suspects are a varied bunch, and I felt they were strong as well.  And there are several cute cats, which is always fun.

Plus, we had the Christmas spirit.  With one of the storylines involving a Christmas decorating contest, there is plenty of time spent with holiday traditions.  We even get some snow on the island to help put us in the festive mood.

While I did have my issues with the pacing, overall, I did enjoy Shock and Paw.  Fans of the series will find this one puts them in the Christmas mood.

Book time for the rest of the Cat Café Mysteries.

Book Review: You Feta Watch Out by Linda Reilly (Grilled Cheese Mysteries #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love; Good mystery; Christmas spirit

Cons: I’m not Scrooge

The Bottom Line:

When actor is killed

Carly steps in to clear friend

Strong Christmas spirit

Who Made Sure Marley Really Was Dead as a Doornail?

I hadn’t expected to get a Christmas entry in Linda Reilly’s Grilled Cheese Mysteries this year until You Feta Watch Out crossed my radar. I’m so glad it did since this was a fun entry in the series. 

This Christmas, a theater company has come to town to put on a production of A Christmas Carol. While Carly Hale is focusing on her grilled cheese diner, her friend Gina has joined the cast as a background extra, singing in some of the caroling scenes. Gina’s been excited, so when Carly gets a chance to attend the dress rehearsal, she jumps at it. 

It’s at the dress rehearsal that Carly discovers the flaw in the cast, Preston Lennon, who is playing Jacob Marley. Preston is so disruptive that the production must take an early intermission. But things get worse when Gina finds Preston’s dead body in his dressing room. The evidence seems to point to Gina as the suspect. Can Carly prove her friend’s innocence?

This isn’t the first time I’ve read about a production of A Christmas Carol in a Christmas cozy mystery. I appreciated that it was the actor playing Jacob Marley who was the victim this time. It was a fun little tweak. 

The plot itself is good. We have more than enough reasons to dislike Preston, which means there are enough suspects to keep us guessing. I didn’t figure out what was going on until the end. But the killer and motive made sense when Carly figured it out. 

And the characters are fantastic. I like how author Linda Reilly is progressing their lives in logical ways. The series regulars are fun to be around, and the suspects were believable as well. I also appreciate that, while Carly does get a few warnings to be careful, people don’t pile on her like they did in the previous book in the series. 

I was reading this book at the beginning of November so I’d have enough time to review it around release date. Even so, it put me in the Christmas spirit. I was wishing I had my trees up already so I could be reading it while enjoying them. I’m not sure I’d want to try the new grilled cheese sandwich featured here, but I appreciate the theming there as well. 

Speaking of which, the recipe for that and an appetizer is at the end of the book. 

If you are looking for a Christmas cozy, you’ll be glad you picked up You Feta Watch Out. Grill up a sandwich and enjoy. 

Be sure to savor the rest of the Grilled Cheese Mysteries. 

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book. 

Book Review: A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay (Library Lover’s Mysteries #15)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great mystery, fun characters, Christmas cheer

Cons: The book banning subplot annoyed me

The Bottom Line:

Visiting author

Combined with Christmas murder

Another fun book

A Shocking Christmas Murder

While we’ve had a book set in December in the Library Lover’s Series, it wasn’t a full-on Christmas book. As a result, I was looking forward to spending the holidays in Briar Creek with A Merry Little Murder Plot. 

It’s hard to believe it, but this is the fifteenth Library Lover’s Mystery from Jenn McKinlay. In that time we’ve really gotten to know Lindsey Norris, the director of the public library, and many other residents. As a fan, it’s always fun to jump in and see what everyone is up to. There are some references to past books, it nothing super spoilery, so if you wanted to jump in here you could. You’ll miss some of the fun character development, however, and you’ll want to go back to the earlier books when you see how much fun you have here. 

The library is hosting their first writer in residence this winter, and they are thrilled to have bestselling author Helen Monroe kicking the program off. She’s just killed off her popular FBI agent character, and she’s promised to reveal what she’s working on next at the end of her residency. 

However, Lindsey’s radar goes off when a stranger comes into the library very interested in meeting Helen. Since Lindsey has had a past experience with a stalker, she’s immediately on guard. But when the two of them meet, sparks fly in a completely unexpected way. Then Lindsey finds a dead body electrocuted by the town’s light display, Lindsey can’t help but ask questions. Will she find the truth?

Let’s get my issue out of the way up front.  There’s a character in this book who wants to ban books, including Helen’s.  Honestly, I’m a little surprised it’s taken this long for the topic to come up in the series.  This becomes a subplot in the book, and every time it was on the page, it annoyed me because it fell into the typical stereotypes.  This character is evil, and the librarians are wonderful.  One of them even fell into the logical fallacy of appealing to authority at one point, talking about how she took classes to curate the collection for the community.  Now, hear me carefully.  I am against banning books.  And I completely disagree with the character in this book.  But if you can buy a book, it isn’t banned.  And, we need to be able to have a conversation about age appropriateness of books.  And yes, there are some books that don’t belong in a library.  It certainly didn’t help that I was reading this right before Banned Books Week started, which always gets on my nerves.  Yes, there is nuance that should be had in this conversation, and this book didn’t even try to offer it.

Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let’s move on.  Because that really is a small part of the book.

The plot took me by surprise several times, including how it was set up.  I hadn’t read any description of the book before I started reading, so I didn’t know who the victim was going to be or anything.  I honestly could have seen a few different people being the victim, which is always fun.  There were several more good twists before we reached the climax, when things made perfect sense.

I’ve already talked about how much I like the characters in this series, and that holds true again here.  It was a blast to spend time with them again.  They are their usual charming selves, too.  There’s a large cast, and some stayed more in the background, but that’s how things usually are.  We still at least got to see everyone.  The new characters were good and we got to know them as the book progressed.

And there’s the humor.  I laughed multiple times over the course of the story, usually at the dialogue.  That’s always fun.

I also enjoyed the Christmas setting.  We get plenty of holiday events to enjoy as the book goes along, and it was a fun added touch for this entry in the series.

As usual, the book includes some extras, this time with a Christmas theme.  We get a discussion guide for a Christmas book, a fun ornament craft project, and two recipes.

Overall, I enjoyed my time in Briar Creek for A Merry Little Murder Plot.  Fans of Jenn McKinlay will be glad they picked this up, and if you want a fun Christmas mystery, this is a book you’ll enjoy.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Library Lover’s Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s by Liz Ireland (Mrs. Claus Mysteries #5)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Mystery, mayhem, and fun with characters we love

Cons: I don’t want to show up on the naughty list

The Bottom Line:

Santaland strangers

Complicate Christmas murder

Series always fun

Interlopers at Christmas

It’s been no secret how much I love the Mrs. Claus mysteries from Liz Ireland.  When I get the ARC of the new book each year, it’s hard not to sit down and devour it right then.  But I waited until closer to release for Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s, and once again, I loved it.

If you haven’t found this series yet, you are in for a treat.  You see, this series takes place in Santaland and features April Claus.  Yes, she is married to the current Santa, Nick.  She just learned about Santaland a few years ago after meeting Nick when he appeared at her bed and breakfast in Oregon for vacation.  She’s still getting used to her new life, but she’s navigating it better with each passing year.

As the book opens, April is about to lose her husband…for a couple of days.  Yep, it’s time for Santa to take off on his around the world trip to leave presents for the good children of the world.  It also signals a week of game and rest for all of Santaland as the hard work for the year is over.

This year, however, things are going to be different.  An elf that lives on the outskirts of Santaland has found three humans out in the cold.  They aren’t dead, although one has been stabbed in the back by reindeer antlers.  While everyone’s first instincts are to send these strangers somewhere else immediately, they need immediate medical attention.  Then one of them dies.  Is April looking for another killer?  Can Santaland keep their secret from the strangers?

If you are expecting something super cozy when you pick up this series, you won’t be disappointed.  Author Liz Ireland has done a fantastic job of creating this fantasy world in which to set her mysteries.  I got a bit cold reading about all the snow even though we were having a heat wave here while I read it.  You’ll want to have some coco nearby to drink.  And you’ll get Christmas music stuck in your head.  It’s charming.  It’s fun.  And it really adds to the uniqueness of this series.

Now, this isn’t to say that the mystery isn’t taken seriously.  I love how everything is balanced.  No, the plot isn’t dark, it’s in keeping with the tone of the series, but April still wants to figure out what is going on, and her investigation drives the story forward.  The clues lead her to a logical and satisfying solution.

Then there are the characters.  April leads a charming cast that I just love to spend time visiting.  We’ve seen growth in some of them and their relationships over the course of the series, and that holds true again here.  And the new characters fit perfectly into this world.

I can’t leave out the humor.  The elves never do anything half-heartedly, and that hold true again here.  I’m not going to spoil some of the chaos that causes, but it is once again brilliantly done.  I grinned and smiled my way through the book.

If you are looking for a light, holiday themed cozy mystery, you need to check out this series.  Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s will please fans of April Claus.  If you haven’t yet explored this fantastic world, you really need to do so soon.  Skipping this series just might put you on the naughty list.

Enjoy more holiday mayhem with the rest of the Mrs. Claus Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: A Slay Ride Together with You by Vicki Delany (Year-Round Christmas Mysteries #7)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: The characters are charming as always

Cons: The mystery could have been better

The Bottom Line:

Wedding and Easter

Complicated by murder

Plot needed some work

Spring Brings Another Murder to Rudolph

Despite the fact that this series from Vicki Delany is the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries, most of the books have still taken place in December. I mean, that is peak Christmas season, right? We are actually visiting in spring with A Slay Ride Together with You, the seventh in the series.

If you haven’t found this series before, it stars Merry Wilkinson, a resident of Rudolph, New York. When the industry in the town started to die down, the residence leaned into the name and became a Christmas themed tourist town. Merry herself owns Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, which features fine holiday themed decor items.

As I said, this book takes place in spring, which is a bit slower time in Rudolph.  That means it is the perfect time for Merry’s friends Vicky and Mark to get married.  They’ve chosen the Saturday before Easter for a small wedding for just family and a few friends.  They’re also excited because they’ve just bought the Cole House.  It’s been abandoned for years, so it will need a lot of work, but it’s also the only way they were able to afford it.

However, the house turns out to be a bit of a nightmare, complete with weird sounds in the middle of the night.  When Merry visits one night, the evening ends in disaster when the three finds a dead body on the property.  Worse yet, the police think Mark might be the killer.  Despite being warned away from the investigation, Merry starts to gather information.  Can she figure out what happened?

Normally, I enjoy these books, but I have found one or two that weren’t quite as good.  Unfortunately, this is one of those times.  The plot just didn’t work for me.  The story took way too long to get going – to even really have an idea where things were going to go.  Tension wise, the story did pick up once the murder had happened, but I felt like the it just didn’t work overall.  Having said that, my questions were answered at the end.

Since this is set in spring, this book doesn’t have the cozy Christmas vibes you might be expecting before you pick the book up.  Being a Southern California resident where we only ever dream of a white Christmas, I was surprised to find that I was wishing for some snow to give me more of the Christmas vibes.  Having said that, I did enjoy getting to visit Rudolph outside of December.  This is more a me thing than anything having to do with the book.

I’m glad to say the cast of characters were as charming as always.  I always enjoy getting to visit them, and this book was no exception.  The suspects we met were all interesting and did a great job of pulling me further into the story after the murder happened.

One of the subplots of this book is Vicky working on a proposal for a cookbook.  You see, Vicky runs the bake shoppe in town and her creations are extremely popular.  We benefit since we get three recipes at the end of this book that come from her cookbook.

Fans of the series will want to visit Merry and the gang in A Slay Ride Together with You.  But if you haven’t started the series yet, you can skip this one.

Here are the rest of the Year-Round Christmas Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: Sugarplum Dead by Carolyn Hart (Death in Demand #12)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great mystery, Annie, Max, and Laurel

Cons: Mystery seemed to wander a bit before it really got going

The Bottom Line:

Returning father

Kicks off this Christmas myst’ry

Slow start but gets good

Can Annie Catch a Killer at Christmas?

I’ve often talked about how I try to read seasonally when I can. I knew that Sugarplum Dead, the Christmas entry in Carolyn Hart’s Death on Demand series, was coming soon. I’d thought about saving it for nearer Christmas, but I didn’t want to wait that long. Turns out, my audio book rotation was perfectly time to read it and call it part of Christmas in July. 

Once again, we are headed to Broward’s Rock, an island resort community off the coast of South Carolina where Annie Lawrence Darling runs the mystery bookstore Death on Demand. She gets the shock of her life 10 days before Christmas when her father, Patrick “Pudge” Lawrence, a man she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl walks into her store. She wants nothing to do with him, but she can’t help but be pulled toward getting to know him. 

Pudge is there as part of the gathering for his ex-sister-in-law, Marguerite Dumaney, an actress who has summoned the family together for an extended birthday party and Christmas celebration. Annie winds up on hand when Marguerite makes an announcement that upsets the rest of the family at her birthday dinner. The next night, someone is murdered, and Pudge is acting strangely. Annie may not like her father, but she can’t believe he’s a killer. Can she find the truth?

This book seemed to wander quite a bit before finally getting to the murder. Yes, it was setting up the characters and the threads we’d follow through the rest of the book, but it was still hard to figure out exactly what was going on since it seemed rather random.

When the murder happened, however, the book really took off. There were a few surprises along the way that kept me engaged, and the ending made perfect sense. 

I was a bit surprised how little we saw of some of the series regulars. Basically, they had cameos. Laurel, Annie’s mother-in-law, has a part to play in the story, however. I’ve really grown to love her character; she’s just enough to be funny without being over the top annoying. Annie and Max, her husband, are fantastic as always. And this gave us time to get to know some of the suspects more than we normally do, which was nice. 

We also didn’t get quite as many references to other mystery authors and books as normal. Considering I find those annoying when they are overdone, that’s a good thing. On the other hand, I loved the shout out to Mystery Lovers Bookshop, a real mystery bookstore that is still opened. 

The book came out in 2000. It’s kind of fun to watch the characters deal with the emerging technology. (Although I sure thought Max had a cell phone in previous entries in the series, something he didn’t seem to have here.)

We didn’t get as much Christmas cheer as I expected. There are some scenes that lean into the season but they are few. If you are looking for something to fully immerse you in the season, you’ll be disappointed, but the few touches we do get are fun. 

As always Kate Reading did a great job on the audio version. 

No matter when you read Sugarplum Dead, you are in for a great ride. I’m definitely glad I picked up this book. 

Immerse yourself in the rest of the Death on Demand Mysteries. 

Book Review: The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning by P.J. Fitzsimmons (Anty Boisjoly Mysteries #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Plenty of laughs with a fun main character

Cons: Pacing and suspects could be a little stronger

The Bottom Line:

Murder at Christmas

But when was the victim killed?

Plenty of laughter

A Little Murder for Christmas

I completely loved the first Anty Boisjoly Mystery when I read it earlier this year, and I was looking forward to reading the second, The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning.  Yes, I might typically have saved this to read in December, but I couldn’t wait that long, so I decided that Christmas in July was the best time to jump in.

These books are set in 1920’s England.  Anty is a man with social standing who specializes in working out problems for others.  Problems like murder.

This year, he’s planning to spend Christmas with his aunt Azalea, who is a bit of a recluse.  He hasn’t visited her in years, in fact.  When Anty arrives, Azalea informs him that she’s just discovered the body of her next-door neighbor, a man she’d begun to be friendly with.  The victim is a local war hero, and everyone in the village is upset by the news.  Unfortunately, the footprints in the snow make it look like Azalea is the only person who could have realistically killed the man.  Oh, and there’s also the fact that he was seen by many people in the pub hours after Azalea claims she found the body.  Can Anty figure out what really happened and prove his aunt innocent?

The book jumps right in, introducing the mystery in the first sentence.  However, I found it wandered a bit as the book progressed.  Don’t misunderstand, we had plenty of mysterious happenings and a few of them present more impossible problems for Anty to figure out.  But the pacing started out a little weak, growing stronger as the book went along.  The ending explained everything, including those impossibilities that drew me in.

Likewise, the suspects were a little flat.  I didn’t feel like we got to know most of them super well.  On the other hand, some of the other characters really helped draw me into the story.

Neither of these issues were too bad, so maybe I’m being too critical.  I was still engaged in the book as I was reading.  I was curious about how everything was going to be resolved.  And the suspenseful scenes really drew me in.  Maybe I was expecting more from this book based on how much I loved the first one.

One thing that was as good as I remember was the humor.  This book has a very dry wit, and I was laughing for much of the story.  And those suspense scenes I just mentioned?  They had some of the best laughs while still keeping me engaged in the story.

The book isn’t dripping with Christmas cheer on every page, but it does lean into the seasonal fun.  I enjoyed this glimpse at how the holiday was celebrated in England 100 years ago.

If you are looking for a comedic impossible crime novel, you’ll be glad you checked out this series.  Overall, I did enjoy The Case of the Ghost of Christmas Morning, and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series.

Be sure to read the rest of the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries.

Book Review: An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen by Liz Freeland (Louise Faulk #3)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Interesting historical backdrop to time with characters we love

Cons: The pacing to the mystery doesn’t work

The Bottom Line:

Louise’s last case

Uneven pacing but nice

To see her again

Was it Murder or Suicide?

I’m making a conscious effort to finish off several series I know have ended this year, and one of those was the Louise Faulk Mysteries.  I only had An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen, the third in the series, to go, so it was an easy one to meet my goal.  Sadly, it wasn’t the strongest ending to the series.

The series is set in the 1910’s where Louise is one of the first women in the NYPD.  Typically, that just means guarding the female prisoners, but Louise still manages to find herself involved in some murders.

This book opens on Thanksgiving 1914 when Louise is called from a boring shift to go with an officer to a crime scene.  A prostitute has been found dead in her apartment along with one of her twin sons.  The other one is still alive.  Her fellow officers are quick to rule it a suicide, but Louise is certain something else happened to the woman, so she starts an off-the-books investigation into what happened.  Can she figure it out without losing her job?

Obviously, this is a darker book than the cozies I read.  However, the worst of it is in the setup, so if the teaser intrigues you, you’ll be fine picking up the book to figure out what Louise uncovers.  Overall, I’d put the book squarely in the traditional camp.  Louise is enough of an amateur that this really isn’t a police procedural, but it’s got that gray to it that is evident in the set up.

Sadly, there the book really goes wrong in the pacing.  I get what the author was doing with the plot, but the problem is it didn’t work.  The middle turns into a bit of a slog along the way.  However, when we do get to the climax, we get a suspense scene and a wrap up that answers our questions.

Quite often, you can tell when an author knows the series is ending, and they wrap up any on-going storylines.  That wasn’t the case here.  Don’t worry, there aren’t any cliffhangers, but there were some things in Louise’s life that weren’t wrapped up in a nice bow.  I’m actually not complaining since it gives us a chance to fill in what happened to her.

If you’ve read the first two books, you’ll be glad to know that we do get to see the regulars again, and I enjoyed our time with them.  We did see advances in their lives even if things weren’t wrapped up for us.

Since this book is set in 1914, World War I has started, although the US hasn’t entered it yet.  This provides an interesting backdrop to much of the action, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story.

The majority of the book takes place in December, and it is fun watching some Christmas creep into the book as the story unfolds.

It’s a shame that Louise didn’t get a stronger send off.  Those who enjoyed the first two will still be glad they picked up An Orphan of Hell’s Kitchen.

Novella Review: Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Laughs, good mystery, Jaine

Cons: No nightmares to be found

The Bottom Line:

Death by ornament

Another great case for Jaine

Seasonal laughs, twists

Murder of (a Mall) Santa

When I fall in love with an author, I will follow them just about anywhere.  Which is how I originally read Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine.  If you haven’t read this novella yet, you are in for a treat now that it is available as a standalone ebook.

Freelance writer Jaine Austen has taken a job as the elf at a mall to a pretty despicable Santa.  When he is killed with a Christmas ornament to the heart, there are no shortage of suspects, but Jaine dives in to make sure the case is solved before her annual trip to visit her parents.

The series always features wacky humor, and this story is no exception.  Even though the story is only 100 pages, we manage to get a couple of sub-plots and some twists as well.  The characters are developed enough to pull us in while making us laugh as well.

As I’ve said, this is a novella, so keep that in mind when you pick it up.  It’s a great shorter story if that’s what you are in the mood for.

This story originally appeared in the romance anthology Secret Santa.  Yeah, I’m still scratching my head at the publisher’s decision to do that, but they did.  Now all of Jaine’s fans can enjoy this story without having to get the rest of the stories if they don’t want to (although two of the three other stories were good.)

Get ready to laugh when you pick up this novella.  Nightmare on Elf Street is a delightful Christmas story you can enjoy no matter what the season.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Jaine Austen Mysteries.

Book Review: Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #34)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Characters we love in another charming mystery

Cons: One character is thin; weak ending

The Bottom Line:

Reality show

Meg deals with a killer on set

Yes, there is Christmas

Reality Show and Murder at Christmas

Donna Andrews dependably releases a Meg Langslow mystery with a Christmas theme every year, and it’s become a Christmas tradition for me to save it for December.  This year’s Christmas entry is Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow!, and it’s another book fans will enjoy.

Meg has no desire to be more than a gofer on the reality competition Blades of Glory!  If for no other reason, Meg is a blacksmith, but she doesn’t specialize in making weapons, and the competitors are all going to be bladesmiths.  However, she has agreed to help out behind the scenes since the first episode is being filmed the week before Christmas on her friend Ragnar’s property, and her blacksmithing teacher, Faulk, is one of the competitors.

However, the night before the filming is set to kick off, someone attacks Faulk, so he can’t compete after all.  Meg reluctantly steps in, wondering who is responsible for the attack.  Navigating the first competition and all the personalities of the other contestants is trickier than Meg expected, but she isn’t prepared for the body of another contestant to turn up.  Is someone going after all the contestants?  Can Meg figure out what is going on?

I’ve got to admit, I was scratching my head when I read this plot teaser initially.  It feels like it should have been the setup for the non-Christmas entry in the series we also get each year.  Then again, with multiple Christmas books already in the series, I’m not sure what Christmas activities we haven’t explored yet.  This may not have all the touchstones we normally expect from a Meg Christmas book, but we do still get plenty of Christmas spirit, just with a bit of a twist.

It certainly helps that we get the usual supporting characters.  It felt like many of them had smaller roles than normal, but it was still delightful to see them.  And maybe that’s just my perception.  At this point in the series, we know what to expect from them, but it is still a delight to get it.  I will say, I found one of Meg’s competitors to be very one note.  I get it, we aren’t supposed to like him.  And I didn’t want to like him.  But it would have been nice if there had been some nuance to his character instead of a cliché.

Fans of the series pretty much know what to expect here plot wise, and that’s what we get.  It’s a ways into the story before the body drops, but there is a lot with the competition to keep us engaged.  Plus, suspects and motives are set up, so when Meg does find the victim, we are off to the races.  The ending was on the weaker side, but everything was explained by the time we turned the last page.

If you aren’t familiar with this series, it is famous for its humor, and it is on fine display here.  I laughed and smiled my way through the book at the various things going on.

It’s tight to try to get this book read before Christmas this year, but you’ll want to add Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! to your reading list if you haven’t already done so.  No matter what time of year you read it, this will be a fun Christmas visit with characters you’ll quickly love.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Meg Langslow Mysteries.

Book Review: Dearly Deleted by Sarah E. Burr (Book Blogger Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Wonderful characters and a complex plot

Cons: ‘Tis the season to skip cons

The Bottom Line:

Death after signing

Characters charming again

With great mystery

Killing at Christmas

Normally, I’m not one to binge read a series or even an author.  I find that if I do, I start to notice more of the author’s quirks.  But here I am, reviewing Dearly Deleted, the second Book Blogger Mystery, just three weeks after I reviewed book one.  I just couldn’t pass up squeezing this Christmas book into the month.

For the first time since moving to Copper Bay, Massachusetts, Winnie Lark is spending Christmas there instead of flying back to her native Southern California.  Not only that, but she is hosting her family in her small cottage by the sea.  While she has recently made strides in healing her relationship with her brother, she still has a shaky relationship with her parents.

Right after her brother arrives in town, Winnie heads to a book signing hosted by Owen, one of her best friends.  His bookstore is playing host to Diane Post, bestselling author of many cozy mysteries.  The night ends in disaster, however, when Owen finds a dead body behind his store.  With his reputation on the line, Winnie can’t help but investigate.  Can she catch a killer before Christmas?

The book took just long enough to reintroduce us to Winnie and some of the other regulars before it jumped into the story.  And I’m not complaining.  The plot kept me guessing as we moved from one suspect and motive to another.  I loved it, and I didn’t see the killer coming until Winnie figured it out.  I did feel like one sub-plot got rushed, but it is a very minor issue since I love how it played out.

It was fabulous to be back with these characters again so soon.  I fell in love with them in the first book, and they are just as fantastic and charming this time around.  We got to watch several relationships grow.  I also appreciated that Winnie and her brother got along much better in this book.  Yes, they still had the occasional issue, but their relationship was much stronger.

The book focused a bit more on the plot than the Christmas setting in the first half.  However, there was still plenty to give me the spirit of the season as I was reading, especially in the second half, and I really enjoyed some of those scenes.

Since Winnie is a book blogger, there are lots of references to books throughout the story.  They are mostly mysteries, and I smiled since I recognized most of them.  We even got an emphasis on Christmas cozies in this book, which I enjoyed.

There isn’t much time left before Christmas, but if you are looking for a festive mystery to sneak in, you’ll be glad you picked up Dearly Deleted.  In fact, no matter when you pick up this book, you’ll be happy you did.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.