Christmas – Page 5 – Carol's Notebook

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas by Vicki Delany

August 9, 2023August 10, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas is a fun cozy mystery set in the quirky town of Rudolph, New York, where it’s Christmas all year round. Merry Wilkinson owns the local gift shop and knows just about the whole town. Everyone is looking forward to the local theater group's production of A Christmas Carol, including Merry's mom, Aline, a retired opera singer who is the music director. The cast, however, is arguing about everything from costumes to parts. Then the actress playing Mrs. Crachit is found dead, murdered in Merry's shop. Everyone involved in the musical is under suspicion, including Merry's mom and her shop assistant, Jackie, which gives Merry plenty of reason to start snooping around. I've read a couple in this series before. I like Merry, her family and friends, and of course her dog, Matterhorn. The mystery itself was put together well. There were several suspects and clues and it's fun to hang out with Merry and...

Mistletoe and Murder by Connie Berry

July 27, 2023July 27, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

I can never pass up a Christmas cozy. In Mistletoe and Murder, American-born antique dealer Kate Hamilton is all set to marry her English detective fiancé Tom Mallory in just a few days on Christmas Eve. Her dress is ordered, local friends have planned the ceremony and reception and family is flying in from near and far. Of course, nothing is ever easy and Kate and Tom are soon mixed up in a missing person case. And flights are delayed. And there's a fire and Kate's dress may have some lingering smoke smell. I read this as a stand alone and felt like the characters and setting were introduced well. I liked Kate and Tom and would consider picking up more in the series. For a novella, the mystery was well done with enough clues and suspects to keep it interesting....

Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost

July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

It's Christmas in Mistletoe, Maine, and for the fourth year in a row, someone is murdered. This time around, the dead woman is the lead ballerina in the visiting production of The Nutcracker. And of course, several members of the ballet and the choreography master are staying at Holly's inn at her parents' tree farm. I love a good holiday mystery and Stalking Around the Christmas Tree was fun. It's filled with all things Christmassy - The Nutcracker Ballet, presents for charity, delicious goodies, and plenty of snow. There's enough romance to make me smile, but not so much that it takes over the story. And there's a murder. I enjoy the characters in this series. Holly is surrounded by a supportive, loving, quirky bunch of family and friends. And yes, her boyfriend Evan is the town sheriff, which seems a bit of a cheat, but I actually like him and he treats Holly as if she's capable and intelligent....

The Christmas Caper by Gigi Pandian

January 4, 2023January 4, 2023 by CarolNo Comments

Edinburgh at Christmas sounds wonderful. In this short story, Tempest is asked by her grandmother's friend to figure out how a painting was stolen from a museum, a seemingly impossible crime. The plot is pretty straightforward, but I loved the setting. The author does a fabulous job at bringing Edinburgh and its Christmas market to life. I would really love to visit sometime. One of my favorite fictional bookstores even gets a mention. Tempest is her usual clever self and her grandparents are a joy. We don't get to know the new characters well, but they worked fine for the story. There are also a couple of recipes in the back that sound delicious. I haven't tried the yet though....

Sherlock Holmes and The Twelve Thefts of Christmas by Tim Major

December 31, 2022December 30, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

Morose and uninspired as Christmas approaches, Holmes receives an unexpected invitation to a theatrical performance, thus beginning a challenge set by Irene Adler involving a series of "thefts." The idea of Holmes and Adler contriving puzzles and challenges for each other is fun. Meanwhile, a new client, an explorer, requests Holmes investigate a series of "gifts" left at his door, gifts of raw meat and animal carcasses. The mystery was well done, with a hint of the paranormal, which of course Holmes disproves. I listened to the audio which was maybe a bad choice. Holmes always sounded angry rather than slightly disdainful, mean rather than aloof. I did enjoy seeing Mrs. Hudson, even if she wasn't her usual self this holiday season....

Sherlock Holmes & the Christmas Demon by James Lovegrove

December 22, 2022December 22, 2022 by Carol2 Comments

I've enjoyed a lot of "new" Holmes stories, and I don't need Holmes to necessarily be Doyle's Holmes, but Lovegrove's does come pretty doggone close. Eve Allerthorpe, daughter of a wealthy Yorkshire family, enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson because she believes her family home is being haunted by the Black Thurrick, a kind of anti-Father Christmas. She has found bundles of birch twigs at the castle and seen the Black Thurrick walking across the frozen lake at night. Also, one of the wings of the castle is supposedly haunted. Holmes, of course, is skeptical, but he does suspect that something criminal is afoot. And his suspicion is justified when, soon after he and Watson arrive at Felscar Keep, a member of staff is found dead, pushed from an upper window. The setting is perfect, a secluded Gothic castle surrounded by frozen water and a snowy forest, a place where you could believe in ghosts and demons. The...