Christmas Archives – Page 2 of 8

When Christmas Comes by Andrew Klavan

December 21, 2022December 21, 2022 by Carol2 Comments

I was looking for a Christmas mystery, and I failed to do my research. This is not a warm and fuzzy Christmas story - which is fine, I do read mostly murder mysteries after all. It takes place around Christmas time, but our detective, English professor maybe ex-spy Cameron Winter, is not the type to enjoy the holiday. It's not that he's a Scrooge, he's just moody and longs for the Christmasses of his childhood at his nanny's house and the girl he had a crush on twenty years ago. He dwells on things a lot, which always annoys me and slows down the plot. He's also smart and handsome and almost every woman is attracted to him, including his therapist. Oh, and the woman who is asking for his help with this case is apparently someone he had an affair with when she was a student. The plot itself is good. A former military man is accused of and has...

Murder at the Mill by M.B. Shaw

December 20, 2022December 20, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

You have to feel bad for Iris. Her marriage is falling apart so she's rented Mill Cottage to escape to. Just as she's settling in and getting to know the neighboring Wetherby family, Dom Wetherby ends up dead, murdered. She's drawn into the case almost as a distraction from what's going on in her own life. The Wetherbys are far from the perfect family they present to the world. There are secrets and jealousies and entanglements. The characters are well drawn, each with strengths and weaknesses. There are several people with motives to kill Dom and enough red herrings to keep me guessing. The book was maybe a little long and Shaw really loves similes, but it kept my attention throughout. Iris is intelligent and observant but I do wish she had better taste in men. I also appreciated the Christmassy touches. ...

Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer

December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 by Carol4 Comments

Uncle Willie is rich and old, and therefore would be much more useful to his greedy relatives dead than alive, if only they could be sure who he’d left his money to. Several of his relatives joke on a regular basis about murdering him. The Redpaths have reluctantly invited him to stay over Christmas and would be quite happy if he included them in his will. They’re not the only people who want Uncle Willie’s money though, and soon others are turning up to try to inveigle themselves into his good graces. And of course, Uncle Willie is indeed murdered - after Christmas. Murder After Christmas is an odd book. It's full of holiday cheer - Santa Claus, mince pies, snow, Christmas decorations, and food. It's funny, even if the jokes get a bit repetitive, and the characters are eccentric to say the least. The plot is twisty and turny and people act in all kinds of odd ways. The plot...

Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

November 17, 2022November 17, 2022 by Carol2 Comments

It's the night before Christmas Eve, and the sleeper train to Fort William leaves Euston with a number of passengers on board, including a killer, a stowaway, and former Met detective Roz Parker. The first part of the book introduces us to all the characters. In addition to Roz, we have a widely varied group, including a social media influencer and her boyfriend, a reality tv "star"; four students competing for a place in a quiz team; a couple traveling with their four children; a lawyer; an elderly woman and her son; and of course the train crew. Somewhere after Edinburgh, in heavy snow, the train is derailed, and shortly afterward, one of the passengers is found dead. I love a good closed-circle mystery, especially one set around Christmas. MurderOne of the people on the train is a killer, that's clear, especially when there's a second death. Of course, several of the passengers have secrets, worries, and, in true...

Santa’s Little Yelpers by David Rosenfelt

October 4, 2022October 4, 2022 by Carol6 Comments

Andy Carpenter is a reluctant lawyer who keeps getting drawn back into the courtroom. Andy and his wife also run the Tara Foundation, an organization dedicated to rescuing dogs, so dogs are always at least tangential to the story (and the covers are adorable). The Tara Foundation has just received a mother Golden Retriever, and her eight puppies. Chris Myers, their newest worker, offers to foster them. Chris is a former lawyer who lost his practice when he was jailed for manslaughter. He claims to be innocent, but a witness lied. Now the witness wants to recant his false testimony, and Andy volunteers to help clear Chris's name. Of course, nothing is ever that easy and when the witness ends up dead, Chris is once again on trial. Grover Gardner is the narrator of this audiobook and he is perfect. Andy has a dry sense of humor, is self-deprecating and sarcastic, and Gardner captures his personality perfectly. The characters surrounding Andy...

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder by Tina Kashian

January 4, 2022January 4, 2022 by Carol1 Comment

Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder is the fifth in the series, but the first I've read. I never felt lost. The author did a good job of introducing the characters and giving me enough background to let me feel like I knew them well. At the same time, I might have cared more about the relationship between Lucy and her boyfriend, Azad, which took up a lot of the book. The mystery itself was well-done. The victim was not a nice person and there were plenty of suspects in town. Lucy had a reasonable reason to be investigating - one of her friends is the prime suspect. The clues were placed well, along with a few red herrings. The story started off well, but the middle was a bit too slow and plodding. I did have a guess who the killer was, so that might have been a bit too obvious since I'm rarely right. I think this is the last of...