Welcome to this week’s edition of Friday Book Round-Up. I love cozy mysteries and if you throw in some Christmas vibes, I’m like, gimme now! Lol! I noticed a lot of holiday-themed books are coming out soon so I thought I’d share the five I’ve pre-ordered and can’t wait to inhale on release day.
Cadaver on Candy Cane Lane (Christmas Village Cozy Mystery Book 1) by Leighann Dobbs
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.
A Merry Little Death: A Short Christmas Novel: A 1930s Murder Mystery (Poison Ink Mysteries Book 7) by Beth Byers
Christmas 1937 Georgette Dorothy Aaron has found her dream home, her dream village, and her dream husband. She and Charles are ready to dive into their holidays and create their own ideal traditions. When they're drawn into an unexpected mystery, they little expect what follows. Except for one thing, the reliable goodness of their friends and family. Join Georgette and those she loves as they dive into the intrigue working around an excess of time next to the fire, milky tea, and Christmas treats. Book SEVEN in The Poison Ink Mysteries. Georgette Dorothy Aaron might have been a quiet wallflower once upon a time, but those days are over. Are you ready to journey with her as she crafts her life? For fans of Carola Dunn, Jacqueline Winspear, Georgette Heyer, and Lee Strauss. A light, cozy historical mystery. No swearing, graphic scenes, or cliffhangers.
Eggs on Ice (A Cackleberry Club Mystery Book 8) by Laura Childs
The Christmas season at the Cackleberry Club café is marred by murder in the latest book in the New York Times bestselling series, now in paperback.
Some say that casting crusty attorney Allan Sharp as Scrooge in the Kindred Players production of A Christmas Carol is just playing to type. He's not the most beloved man in town. In fact, you'd have a dickens of a time finding someone who liked him. Still, it's a shock when the Ghost of Christmas Past stabs him during the first rehearsal. Suzanne, co-owner of the Cackleberry Club café, Kindred's favorite combination diner, craft store, and bookshop, chases the murderer out of the building but loses him in the alley.
As the days pass, the list of suspects grows longer. Is it the disgruntled law partner? The former secretary, whom Sharpe sexually harassed? Or is it fellow owner of the Cackleberry Club Toni's almost ex-husband, Junior? The women of the Cackleberry Club are determined to find the killer before he can add another victim to his Christmas list.
Handmade Ho-Ho Homicide (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Book 8) by Lois Winston
Two and a half weeks ago magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack arrived home to find Ira Pollack, her half-brother-in-law, had blinged out her home with enough Christmas lights to rival Rockefeller Center. Now he’s crammed her small yard with enormous cavorting inflatable characters. She and photojournalist boyfriend (and possible spy) Zack Barnes pack up the unwanted lawn decorations to return to Ira. They arrive to find his yard the scene of an over-the-top Christmas extravaganza. His neighbors are not happy with the animatronics, laser light show, and blaring music creating traffic jams on their normally quiet street. One of them expresses his displeasure with his fists before running off.
In the excitement, the deflated lawn ornaments are never returned to Ira. The next morning Anastasia once again heads to his house before work to drop them off. When she arrives, she discovers Ira’s attacker dead in Santa’s sleigh. Ira becomes the prime suspect in the man’s murder and begs Anastasia to help clear his name. But Anastasia has promised her sons she’ll keep her nose out of police business. What’s a reluctant amateur sleuth to do?
Apple Cider Slaying (A Cider Shop Mystery Book 1) by Julie Anne Lindsey
Apples are at the core of the family business run by Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe. But this year’s crop is unseasonably ripe with murder . . .
ONE ROTTEN APPLE
Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny’s beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it’s struggling. That’s why they’re trying to drum up business with the “First Annual Christmas at the Orchard,” a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike—until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny’s long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .
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MRS N, Book Addict