A Classic Case of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber, Reviewed

 

I wanted to like this book more than I did.

 A Classic Case of Murder is the third book in Daryl Wood Gerber’s Literary Dining Mystery series, and this was my first book by the author. Perhaps that is part of the problem. There are a lot of characters in this book, and while I appreciated the character list at the beginning (more books should do this!), I never really felt as though I got to know any of them well enough to care very much about what happened to them. And, I have to admit, some of the names were so unusual that I occasionally had to stop and remind myself who was who. (For some reason, the name Tegan just grated on me.)

 The premise certainly has everything a cozy mystery ought to have going for it. The story takes place in the fictional North Carolina town of Bramblewood during the Christmas season, and the centerpiece is a literary-themed dinner party based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. There is a rare first edition of the book, a murder, a stolen treasure, a suspicious collection of guests, a small-town inn, and enough Christmas atmosphere to keep the carolers busy. 

 Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the story simply lost me.

 There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it. I just never became engaged. I could put the book down without wondering what was going to happen next, which is never a particularly good sign for a mystery. Eventually, I found myself reading less because I was enjoying the story, and more because I was determined to finish it and move on to something that grabbed me a little more firmly. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of the writing; sometimes a book and a reader simply don’t click, and this one and I apparently missed our appointment.

 The Christmas setting and the Dickens connection are also clever, and if you are looking for a traditional holiday cozy with a literary twist, this certainly fits the bill. It has all of the familiar ingredients: Christmas festivities, a picturesque setting, a murder, an assortment of suspects, and a heroine determined to figure out what happened.

 And then there are the recipes.

 I may not have been completely captivated by the mystery, but I was considerably more interested when I got to the recipes at the end of the book. There are several I would like to try, particularly the Smoking Bishop. First of all, it sounds absolutely heavenly. Secondly, who could possibly resist a recipe called Smoking Bishop? I certainly can’t.

 I also appreciated that some of the recipes for baked goods included gluten-free adaptations. I’m not gluten-free myself, but I know many readers are, and having an alternative version included is a thoughtful touch.

 So, where does that leave me?

I think A Classic Case of Murder will probably appeal to readers who enjoy a traditional Christmas cozy, particularly those who like literary themes, large casts of characters, and plenty of holiday atmosphere. The Dickens connection is interesting, the setting is charming, and there are some genuinely nice touches throughout.

 For me, however, it fell rather flat. I never became invested in the characters, the mystery didn’t hold my attention as much as I would have liked, and I spent far too much of the book thinking about what I was going to read next.

 Perhaps I would have felt differently if I had started with the first two books in the series. That is always possible when stepping into an established cast of characters. But based solely on my experience with this one, I didn’t find myself eager to go back and catch up.

So, all in all, this is a perfectly pleasant holiday cozy mystery. It has an appealing setting, a literary theme, Christmas atmosphere, a large and unusual cast of characters, and some recipes that I actually intend to try. 

 But for me, it just never caught fire.

 I wanted it to. I really did. I kept waiting for that moment when everything would click and I would become invested in Allie, the suspects, the murder, and the outcome.

 It never happened.

 If you love traditional Christmas cozies, particularly those with literary themes and a strong holiday setting, this may be exactly the sort of book you are looking for. As for me, I’m afraid A Classic Case of Murder was one of those books where the recipes interested me considerably more than the mystery.

 And when I’m more excited about the Smoking Bishop than the murder, well…we probably have a problem.

 My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars)

 You can get a copy of the book here.

 Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Countdown to Christmas Murder Review: Festive Cozy with Small-Town Charm and Some Tangents

 

Countdown to Christmas Murder is the 32nd entry in Leslie Meier’s long-running Lucy Stone series. While the books are generally written so they can be read as standalones, if you are new to the series, you might find yourself frequently wishing that you had more backstory from earlier installments.

 With her children grown and out of the house, Lucy is navigating empty-nest life while preparing for the holidays. When a local bank manager is found dead after being targeted by vicious online attacks, Lucy suspects there’s more to the story than suicide and begins her own investigation.

 This is a classic cozy mystery complete with a charming small-town Christmas setting, an amateur sleuth, and plenty of holiday spirit. Lucy remains a generally likeable protagonist when she’s focused on the case rather than climbing onto her occasional soapbox.

That said, the book spends a lot of time on an excessive number of characters and subplots. There’s a noticeable effort to weave in diversity that sometimes feels forced rather than natural, and the story frequently wanders off on tangents that slow the momentum and pull focus from the central mystery. As in previous books, a few brief political asides appear, nothing lengthy, but enough to feel repetitive and a bit tedious.

Largely this is a more relaxed mystery, not lacking in coziness, small town charm, with plenty of Christmas joy peppered throughout. Die-hard fans of the Lucy Stone series will likely enjoy catching up with old friends during the holidays. New readers might want to start earlier in the series for better context. If you love festive, low-key amateur sleuth stories, it’s worth picking up, especially if you’re already invested in Lucy and her Tinker’s Cove Maine community.

 You can order a copy here.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Why Charlotte MacLeod’s Rest You Merry Is the Cozy Christmas Mystery I Re-Read Every December.

 

There are a handful of books that, for me, officially kick off the Christmas season. Mistletoe, carols, and twinkly lights are lovely, but nothing says “it’s December” quite like curling up with Charlotte MacLeod’s Rest You Merry—the hilarious, clever, and surprisingly heartwarming first book in her beloved Professor Peter Shandy series, that ultimately ran ten novels. It started as a short story, but was so popular that MacLeod was encouraged to turn it into a novel, wherein the short story became the opening chapter.

 Picture this: Balaclava Agricultural College in rural Massachusetts is in full holiday frenzy. Every December the campus transforms into the “Balaclava Grand Illumination,” a garish, money-spinning tourist spectacle that would make Clark Griswold blush. Peter Shandy — propagator of the world's most renowned rutabaga — a mild-mannered, tenured horticulture professor who just wants a quiet Christmas with a glass of good sherry and zero blinking reindeer, finally snaps. In a glorious act of passive-aggressive rebellion, he hires a decorating company to smother his historic faculty house in the tackiest, most over-the-top light display imaginable… then promptly boards a cruise ship to escape the fallout.

Fate, of course, has other plans. The ship breaks down, Shandy returns early, and he walks into his living room to find the college’s nosiest librarian dead beneath his mechanized Santa display—apparently killed while trying to sabotage his decorations. The police call it a tragic accident. Peter Shandy, being a detail-obsessed academic with a Poirot-level intolerance for loose ends, smells murder. And that, dear reader, is how a grumpy agronomy professor becomes one of the most endearing amateur sleuths in cozy history.

What makes Rest You Merry so irresistible, even 45 years later, is how perfectly it captures the classic cozy formula while feeling completely fresh. The small New England college town functions exactly like a traditional English village: everyone knows everyone, grudges go back decades, and secrets hide behind every poinsettia. MacLeod populates this world with larger-than-life characters—the fearsome President’s wife, the ancient endowment-obsessed benefactress, the perpetually starving graduate students—who deliver some of the wittiest, snappiest dialogue I’ve ever read in a mystery. Seriously, the banter is champagne-bubble sharp.

 Shandy himself is a delight: prim, precise, secretly sentimental, and armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of turnips and ornamental grasses that somehow proves essential to solving crime. By the end of the book he’s acquired a leading lady (the marvelous Helen Marsh) who becomes his perfect foil in the nine sequels. Yes, I’ve read them all—multiple times—and yes, I’m a die-hard Anglophile cozy reader who rarely strays from British settings. The fact that a Massachusetts farming college stole my heart says everything.

If you love classic Golden Age vibes (think Agatha Christie with better one-liners and a New England winter backdrop), this is your book. It’s funny without ever being cute, clever without being smug, and genuinely Christmassy without drowning in sentiment. The audiobook, narrated by wonderful John McLain, is an absolute treat—perfect for wrapping presents or baking cookies.

So light the fire, pour the eggnog, and let Peter Shandy remind you that even the grumpiest heart can be won over by murder, mistletoe, and a truly outrageous lawn display.

Rating: 5 twinkling reindeer out of 5

 You can (and you MUST!) get a copy here.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards, Reviewed

 

Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife by Martin Edwards is a fun, clever mystery that feels like an Agatha Christie story with a modern twist. Six struggling crime-writing fans are invited to a snowy Yorkshire village to play a murder mystery game for a big prize. But when the fake murder turns real, the old library setting becomes creepy and exciting. Edwards keeps you guessing with a smart plot, fun clues, and a cozy yet tense vibe that’s perfect for a winter read.

The format of the book is unique in that it uses podcast clips, text messages, and journal entries to tell the story. While that definitely makes it feel fresh, it did take a little bit of getting used to. The snowy village and double-mystery idea are great, but only two characters get first-person chapters, which feels uneven. Some of the Trust staff seem more like types than real people, but the story still pulls you in with its fast pace and clever twists.

Overall, it is a charming, suspenseful read for fans of classic mysteries and games like Clue. It’s playful but keeps the stakes high, earning 4.5 stars (rounded to 5). If you love cozy mysteries with a dark edge, this book is a great pick for a chilly night.

 You can order your copy here.

              As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  

 Disclaimer: I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Mince Pies and Murder by J.R. Leigh, Reviewed

 

This is the first time I’ve ever read anything written by this author before, but I cannot resist a Christmas cozy, so I had to read this one. Plus in addition to Christmas, a cozy mystery, and the fact that it takes place in England — Cornwall, no less — is my personal trifecta, so I am certainly delighted that I did.

 J.R. Leigh’s Mince Pies and Murder is a delightful cozy mystery that captures the charm of a Cornish Christmas. It is the fourth book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone quite well. Set in the picturesque village of Seal Bay, the story follows Morwenna Mutton, a sharp-witted sexagenarian sleuth, as she unravels the suspicious death of local author Pawly Yelland. Found dead with a champagne flute and mince pie in hand, Pawly’s demise, though initially deemed an accident sparks Morwenna’s curiosity, leading her to uncover secrets amidst festive cheer. This book is a wonderful blend of holiday warmth, small-town gossip, and a twisty plot filled with red herrings, making this a perfect winter read for mystery lovers. The vivid Cornish setting, with snow-dusted rooftops and twinkling lights, adds a magical backdrop that enhances the story’s cozy appeal.

I fell in love with Morwenna immediately! She is feisty, relatable, and intrepid. The other characters in the book only serve to enhance her; I loved her quirky family and trusty cat. There are quite a few characters in this book and that can feel a bit overwhelming at times, but thankfully an extensive character list is included at the beginning (something all authors should do no matter how many characters are in their story, and I will die on that hill), and I greatly appreciated that.

The mystery with its touch of romance, and eerie events like threatening Christmas cards and a sinister Santa figure keep you guessing until the final page. Having read this book, I am most definitely going to read the other three in the series. I can totally see this being turned into a television program the likes of The Thursday Murder Club, fingers crossed that it will be.

You can get your copy here.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

Many thanks to J.R. Leigh, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas, Reviewed

I’m dating myself here, but I watched the pilot episode of "Murder, She Wrote" when it first aired on television. I knew from that very moment, despite being unfamiliar with Angela Lansbury, that I was going to love that series, and I did. It is wonderful that it continues on in this series of books that always makes me feel as though I am sitting by a fire, wrapped in a warm blanket, sipping a cup of cocoa or tea. I can easily visualize the characters from those in the series, I can hear their voices, I can smell that salty sea air.

Photo credit: Universal Studios

The latest book in the series, A Killer Christmas (book number 59!), scheduled for release on Tuesday, like the others, captures Jessica and Cabot Cove quite well. Not all of the books in the series take place in Cabot Cove (How could they?), but this one does, and those are my favorites. It also takes place around the holiday season, and that makes it even more enjoyable in my estimation. It centers around copious holiday preparations, where the town is competing with others across the state in the hope of being named the most seasonal in all of Maine, an honor that comes with a cash prize. Meanwhile, Cabot Cove realtor, Eve Simpson, is delighting over the fact that she has finally found a buyer for an old property, long vacated, that is going to mean a hefty commission. The mystery is a good one, the characters are at their absolute best, (I have to admit to loving Eve), the book is as enjoyable as expected, and I can’t wait for more.

 I am so grateful to the variety of authors who have delighted us with this series over the years. Keep them coming. This "Murder, She Wrote" fan can never get enough.

Many thanks to NetGalley, author Terrie Farley Moran, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

 As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.