Christmas Mittens Murder

 Anthology

Authors:    Lee Hollis/Lynn Cahoon/Maddie Day

Genre:       Mystery/Christmas

Hardcover; Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496744241; 9781496744258

Kensington Cozies

400 Pages

$19.30; $8.99; $1.99 Amazon

October 22, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Crisp Christmas weather is made for mittens -- and some mittens are made for murder...

DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS MITTEN KNITTER by LEE HOLLIS

The church's annual Christmas bazaar is an unqualified success until the local jeweler realizes a valuable diamond ring has been stolen.  Food writer Hayley Powell joins the search but discovers something shocking -- the dead body of a local knitter with a homemade mitten stuffed in her mouth...

TWO CHRISTMAS MITTENS by LYNN CAHOON

Magic Springs, Idaho, is decked out in its sparkling holiday best, but Mia Malone is almost too busy to notice.  Taking a second job at the Lodge to save Mia's Morsels doesn't leave her much time for festivities -- until she finds a dead body near one red mitten in the snow...

MURDEROUS MITTENS by MADDIE DAY

A quiet Christmas in Colinas, California, at her twin sister's charming B&B is exactly what CeCe Barton needs during the holiday hustle of Los Angeles.  But the morning after a lovely evening at the local wine bar, CeCe learns that the bar's proprietor, who sells mittens in her spare time, has been found dead...

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Death of a Christmas Mitten Knitter:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really enjoyed this first mystery.  Lee Hollis, whom I will admit that I didn't care much for the first book in this series, has turned into a delightful author that I will read time and time again.  I love the Hayley Powell series, and this short story gives us another Christmas with Hayley and her husband, Bruce.  But it is Hayley who takes the spotlight, when she is roped into providing a pricey gift basket for the church bazaar by the local pastor.  It seems her friends, Mona and Liddy, along with her brother, have been tapped as well.  But there is discontent among the church ladies who knit and crochet gifts, as theirs aren't as popular, and they're blaming everyone else but themselves.  Fights ensue.  Then a valuable diamond ring is stolen, and everyone is a suspect.  When Hayley is finally allowed to leave, she finds the body of one of the knitters, with a mitten shoved in her mouth.  Now Hayley is tasked once again with helping the police to find a killer...

This was a delightful story, and kept me riveted enough to read it in one sitting.  I enjoy Hayley and her friends, and the strong bonds they have.  Hayley is stumped with this murder, and when she finally figures out who the killer might actually be, it could cost her her life...

Two Christmas Mittens:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐  Full disclosure: I read Ms. Cahoon's Tourist Trap Mysteries, and love them all.  Unfortunately, I am not one to read fantasy, such as those with vampires, werewolves, or witches.  So this is the first I have read of hers that have to deal with such.  But, I love her other books, so was willing to give it a chance.  I was pleasantly surprised, and am happy that I did so.

Mia Malone is a caterer who also happens to be a witch, although she doesn't embrace it as much as others.  When she and her friends find a dead body with a mitten nearby, no one thinks anything of it, until the mitten causes someone to fall into a coma, and will die if Mia and her witchy friends can't find a cure.  Her grandmother can keep the woman alive for a time, but until then, they need to find a key item to endeavor a cure.  Finding herself in strange situations, it isn't until she starts to put the pieces together that she's able to find the truth of the murder and who killed the person...

This was a very good mystery, even with its paranormal elements.  I enjoyed the story, and everything that it entailed, including the above.  I enjoyed it so much that I might actually delve into more of these mysteries.  The ending was done well, and story intriguing, and worth it all.

Murderous Mittens:  ⭐⭐⭐When CeCe Barton visits her twin sister Allie in Colinas, California, for a relaxing Christmas at Allie's B&B, it isn't going to be one.  She meets a woman at a winery one night and by the next day the woman has been found murdered.  Now she's involved in solving the murder along with a new friend named Cam who has some experience in solving mysteries herself...

I have read several of Ms. Day's books in the past and enjoyed most of them.  But now I will have to do something I hate to do: which is speak of the way books have turned since before.  This book is definitely 'politically correct,' and I read to get away from everyday learnings, not have them thrust upon me in books, which is why I couldn't give this more than three stars.  There was more than a story in this, there were things that didn't need to be in there to get the story across.

I will say that I was surprised by the ending, which is always a good thing.  It also introduces us to a new character, CeCe Barton, who is beginning her own series, and one of my earlier favorites, Cam, who had her own series of organic gardening (very good mystery series).  It was like meeting an old friend and a new.  A decent story for the most part, and worth reading anyway.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Mittens-Murder-Lee-Hollis/dp/149674425X/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7100217703

More on Lee Hollis's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/lee-hollis/

More on Lynn Cahoon's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/lynn-cahoon/

More on Maddie Day's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/maddie-day/

A Corpse Among the Carolers

A Food Blogger Mystery Book 7

Author:    Debra Sennefelder

Genre:     Mystery

Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781960511928

Beyond The Page Publishing

225 Pages

$15.99; $5.99 Amazon

October 8, 2024

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hope Early is fully immersed in the spirit of the Christmas season, until the sounds of joyful carolers are silenced by the words "Ho-ho-homicide"...

Food blogger Hope Early always gets a hearty holiday laugh from knowing that the weeks leading up to Christmas are as frantic as they are festive.  But in spite of everything she has to do, the one thing she always has time for is the annual Jingle Bell Stroll, a night when the community gathers to sing their hearts out and enjoy each other's company.  This year's caroling feels especially heartwarming, until the final note lands with a thud when Hope finds the body of the man who'd volunteered to play Santa, a knife plunged into his back.

With virtually the whole town present at the caroling, the list of suspects seems endless.  It doesn't take long, though, for both Hope and the police to turn a sharp eye on the victim's bitter and vindictive ex-wife, along with his new wife, who may have been after his money.  Then Hope unearths a clue that suggests the dead man may have been hiding a sordid past and connections to unseemly characters.  But as she closes in on the killer, they're determined to wring her neck before she can ring in the new year...

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Hope Early has a good life.  She's finally happy with her boyfriend Ethan and his two daughters, and she's looking forward to a large family and friends Christmas celebration.  This holiday season is starting out well...for a while.  But then she overhears an argument between her 'Santa', Mitty, and Ralph, a friend, which ends up with Ralph pushing Mitty.  All because Ralph believes Mitty, the owner of an antique shop, sold him a bogus lamp.  While Mitty denies it, there's no denying that there's a problem to be solved.  Along with shopping, Hope can't help but overhear Mitty's ex-wife and new wife having their own argument, and does what she can to stop it.  

But there's more going on behind the scenes, especially when Hope is out caroling with her sister, Ethan, his daughters, and others -- and she discovers a dead body.  Again.  Now, while the lead detective, Sam, tells her to stay away, the main suspect's family asks her to help.  How is she supposed to say no to friends?  But will she be able to solve a murder, get her Christmas together, and do everything else on her agenda before it all comes to a crashing halt?...

I have to say that if I had to do everything Hope does, I'd be a wreck.  Plus, I just don't have that kind of energy anymore (alas!).  It's fun to read about it, but it tires me out just thinking about it!  She's a whirlwind of energy, and quite a brilliant sleuth, to boot.

She's trying hard to make this a perfect Christmas, but things keep getting in the way.  Things like murder and deception.  Angry ex-wives (more than one).  Not to mention that Hope is having little accidents -- and one big one that almost sidelines her permanently.  But that's all I will say about that.

She does her best to pick up clues with the help of her best friend Drew, who's a reporter.  Who has his own problems that have nothing to do with murder.  In fact, there's a couple of very funny scenes that surround the man.  It's all worth reading.

Without giving anything else away, I will say that this is a delightful Christmas mystery that you can try and find the clues yourself.  They are there, but not easy to decipher.  When the ending comes and the murderer is discovered, it comes as a surprise, which it should do.  And leaves us wanting to read the next in the series.  A very nice book for a holiday evening.  Recommended.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Corpse-Among-Carolers-Debra-Sennefelder-ebook/dp/B0D6G64B46/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7076851130

More on Debra Sennefelder's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/debra-sennefelder/

The Spirit Moves

 A Haunted Haven Mystery Book 4

Author:    Carol J. Perry

Genre:     Mystery/Paranormal

Trade Paperback; Digital Book

ISBN #:    9781496743626

Kensington Cozies

240 Pages

$17.95; $9.99 Amazon

May 27, 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When the body of "how-to" book writer Terry Holiday is found by Aster Paterson in her flower garden, the townspeople of Haven are shocked.  But they're even more surprised when the beloved bookshop owner insists that the spirit of her late husband Peter led her to the grim discovery.  Only Aster seems unsurprised -- she's been baking his favorite shortbread cookies every day, hoping to lure his ghost back home...

Even Maureen is a little skeptical -- until Peter's ghost appears in the bookshop window for all to see.  Haven's hard-headed realist cop Frank Hubbard is determined to unveil whatever trickery led to the apparition, as he suspects the answer to who killed Terry Holiday may be connected to the illusion.

If Maureen's learned anything since she moved from New England and inherited her haunted inn, it's that 1) ghosts are real (at least some of them), and 2) so are murderers.  She doesn't need a how-to manual to solve a murder; she's done it before.  But with suspects ranging from a mystery writers group to a ghostwriter who just checked in at the inn, she will need a little help from her spirited sleuths...

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Maureen inherited her Florida (haunted) inn from a woman named Penelope, someone she'd never met.  Now settled in with the crew who came with the inn, she's more than involved with Ted, the head chef.  The two are moving forward with their romance, which is pleasing her other employees.

She's also looking for ways to make the inn more profitable, as she's barely making ends meet right now.  While visiting her friend Aster, who owns the local bookshop, she sees that a group of mystery writers are meeting and she finds their remarks about an author who writers 'how-to' books are not flattering.  Curious, she purchases his latest book and sees that it is certainly useful, and learns that this particular book was more than likely written by a ghostwriter.  But when the author, Terry Holiday, is supposed to arrive for a signing at the bookshop, he never shows up.

Later, Aster finds his body in the flower garden behind her shop, and tells everyone that the ghost of her husband Peter told her it was there.  Detective Frank Hubbard thinks Peter's appearance is a trick, and now Aster is a suspect, along with everyone who knew Terry.  With the bookshop a crime scene, Aster moves to the hotel with her cat, Earl Gardner...and the spirit of Peter, supposedly.  The writers' group is now meeting at the inn, and a couple of other guests show up, along with a man who claims to be a ghostwriter, but is charming everyone around him.

With a murderer on the loose, people are cancelling reservations.  No one knows who to trust, and even Frank is asking Maureen for help on this case.  What is going on?  Can she solve a crime while still trying to find time to spend with Ted?  It seems as if she'll need the help of her ghostly roommate Lorna, and Lorna's beau, a late Scotland Yard detective named Reggie.  But how will she explain it all to Frank, who doesn't believe in ghosts?...

This is the fourth book in the series and I have read them all.  I have also loved them all.  To tell the truth, I do love books with 'friendly' spirits, and especially learning about their backgrounds as well.  I love the relationship between them and Maureen, and it adds to the attraction of the book.  Along with her dog, Finn, who has a lively time with the ghosts  as well.

Maureen's efforts are not unrewarded, but she has a lot of people to sift through -- the guests at the hotel, and the writers' group -- she refuses to believe that gentle Aster could be a murderer, even if Frank isn't quite convinced.  The clues that she finds are intriguing, and it isn't easy deciphering them, but I love a challenge.

I will not give anything else away, and hope that I didn't give too much (basically, I expanded on what the blurb states, so there's that), but I will say that the ending left me as stunned as it did Maureen.  I was hoping for a different outcome, but murderers have their own ideas, and it's never reasonable nor logical.  It was a tad humorous, though.  I look forward to the next in the series and highly recommend this book.

I received an advance copy from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review.

https://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Moves-Haunted-Haven-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DFS48CKN/ref

Goodreads:    https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7062557852

More on Carol J. Perry's Books:    https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/carol-j-perry/