Author: Ruth Baker
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Paperback. Digital Book
ISBN #: 9798367089240; 9798637087109
Clean Tales Publishing
169 Pages
$15.99. $9.99; $3.99 Amazon
December 9, 2022
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With Christmas just around the corner, Lucy can't wait to indulge in all the festive traditions with her family and friends. One of those traditions includes picking a Christmas tree at a local farm. She's delighted to be sharing this activity with the handsome detective in town wo she's recently begun a relationship with.
When she discovers a dead body among the fir trees while looking for the perfect Christmas tree, she's left shocked and shaken at witnessing such a horrific sight at this most wonderful time of the year.
Things only take an almighty turn for the worse when the remainder of some fruitcake from Lucy's bakery is found in the deceased's home...and is laced with poison!
Lucy knows someone has intentionally used her dessert to cover their tracks and draw all the negative attention to her.
But she knows her desserts were created with love and made to add to the seasonal joy of everyone who walked into her bakery. It seems what was designed to bring joy has been used to take it away from the deceased's family and Lucy's small town.
Will she help to solve another mystery in Ivy Creek or settle for a blue, blue, blue Christmas?
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Lucy Hale, owner of Sweet Delights bakery, is getting ready for the holiday season, turning out Christmas delights with her baker, Hannan, employee Betsy and her Aunt Tricia. She's also looking forward to celebrating Christmas with her beau Taylor, and they've planned an outing to find the perfect tree. But while looking through the local tree lot, they come across the body of the owner, and now Taylor has another murder that needs to be looked into. Suddenly, Lucy's perfect Christmas has taken a very dark turn...
But with the man being killed, there's the question of who did it? Was it the ex-husband of his fiancée? A disgruntled ex-associate? Another local businessman? Or someone else? With so many suspects, and so little time, Lucy is determined to help Taylor figure out who they're looking for, even as he warns her to stay away. But will Lucy listen? Or will her kindness only turn into trouble itself?
This is the ninth book in the series and I have read them all. While the mystery itself is very good, this book makes one realize that family and friends are the things that bind us together, especially during the holidays. Lucy's kindness and love shows through as she tries to find a gift for her aunt, and even as she tries to help Taylor. There are also other scenarios that show this, and they are just as vital to the story line.
In the case of the mystery, the suspects abound, and we watch as each one is removed from the list. One must watch for the clues that are there in order to find out the truth, and it's an interesting tale that keeps us reading in order to discover it. When Lucy figures it out, we watch as she must extricate herself. It is a worthy read, and I enjoyed it highly. A lovely cozy for the holiday season. Merry Christmas!
I was given an advance copy of this book from the publisher but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Ruth Baker's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/ruth-baker/
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