Cadaver on Candy Cane Lane by Leighann Dobbs

Cadaver on Candy Cane Lane by Leighann Dobbs
Series: Christmas Village Cozy #1
Published by Leighann Dobbs Publishing on October 17, 2019
Source: Purchased
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Novella, Christmas
Pages: 89
Format: eBook
Purchase at Bookshop.org
Add on Goodreads

When Ember Quinn visits Christmas Village to assist her elderly great-aunt Phoebe in the holiday chocolate-making tasks, the last thing she expects is for an elf to get murdered at their back door.

She soon discovers that toy-making elf, Alfie Svenson, was up to no good. Not only that, but he had a mysterious accomplice. Too bad Ember suspects that accomplice might be Phoebe.

With the reluctant help of Brimstone the snarky cat, Ember must dodge lying elves, creepy snowmen, unfriendly reindeer, an angry toy factory manager, and a sleigh-transportation boss who might be involved in organized crime in order to find the real killer.

This humorous Christmas cozy mystery novella features Ember Quinn and Brimstone from Leighann Dobbs’s Silver Hollow series in a twisty, old-fashioned whodunit in a warm and cozy Christmas village setting.

Cadaver on Candy Cane Lane is a fun, quirky mystery novella. Christmas Village is Christmas village. It’s where elves make toys, a pear tree grows in the middle of winter, swans swim in the lake, and reindeer talk. A lot of the activities are for tourists, tourism is big business for Christmas village, but so is toy-making and shipping. Alfie, the murdered elf, was the Union Rep at the toy factory and a strike was on the horizon. There are a lot of feelings, and motives, on both sides of the issue.

Our amateur detective is Ember from Dobbs’ Silver Hollow series, which I haven’t read. The idea of the mash-up is cute and I didn’t feel like I missed anything from not having read the other. Ember is sweet and trying to prove that she is a good detective too. She’s in Christmas village helping her aunt Phoebe, the candy lady, get enough stock ready for the holidays, and one of her skills, aside from discovering clues and getting into trouble, is putting spells on the chocolate, kindness or relaxation spells for example. I enjoyed the characters and the town, but the snowmen are definitely creepy.

The mystery was well done. We had a few suspects and motives that would have made sense in the regular world too.

It is a very cute, very light Christmas mystery. I found it charming, but it might not be everyone’s cup of hot chocolate.