It’s the most, murdery time of the year! Okay, so maybe it’s not. But there are a lot of cozy Christmas capers that come out every year, and I love reading them. There’s just something about a snowstorm, a cozy fire, and murder that makes me want to curl up with a good book at this time of year. Since there are so many out there, here are a few I’d like to recommend:
The book I’m going to read – THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter
Ally Carter is one of my favorite authors. She’s also a lot of fun to crawl through the ducts of the International Spy Museum with, but that was a long time ago and my knees wouldn’t allow me to do that again. I’m really excited to start her latest tonight:
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.
The book I read last year – CAT’S PAWS AND CURSES, Nancy Warren
As a knitter and a cozy reader, I’m a huge fan of Warren’s Vampire Knitting Club series. This is her Christmas story and it’s great to read on it’s own…but maybe it’ll lure you into starting the whole series, because who doesn’t like a bunch of undead knitters who help young Lucy solve murders in Oxford England?
When Lucy organizes a holiday knitting circle, it's good fun, Until someone's murdered...
And the culprit must be one of the knitters...
Knitting an ugly Christmas jumper at Cardinal Woolsey’s knitting shop in Oxford, is supposed to be relaxing. Until a knitter keels over. It’s soon clear to amateur sleuth Lucy that murder's in the air and the culprit is one of the knitters.
This is a fun take on a classic closed room mystery. Of course, no room is ever closed when vampires live downstairs. But are the undead knitters to blame? Or is there more to this Oxford knitting circle than lumpy Santas and light-up reindeer?
The classic – MIDWINTER MURDER by Agatha Christie
The Grand Dame of murder needs no intro from me. Also read last year, this is a joy to read under the flannel covers with a mug of spiked cocoa. If you like all things Agatha – you will love this book too!
There’s a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter . . . It’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fire with these wintry whodunits from the legendary Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This chilling compendium of short stories—some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple—is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect holiday gift for mystery lovers.
My mom’s favorite – Murder at an Irish Christmas, Carlene O’Connor
My mom reads Carlene’s books the minute they come out and this is one of her favorites. I’d say I love it too, but my mom says she loves it more and tells me that’s more important. Trust me, if you love Irish mysteries, you’ll love this Christmas caper!
This December in Kilbane, if you’re planning to warm up with a cuppa tea at Naomi’s Bistro, you may have a bit of a wait—the entire O’Sullivan brood has gone off to West Cork to spend the holidays with brother James’s fiancée Elise’s family, including her grandfather, the famous orchestral conductor Enda Elliot. Siobhán is so happy for James and Elise but also quietly disappointed that she must put her own wedding to fellow garda Macdara Flannery on hold. Mac will have to join them later, so he can spend part of the holidays with his mam.
When the O’Sullivans learn everyone will choose a name from a hat to buy a music-related Christmas gift for someone else at the gathering, it seems like their greatest concern—until the cantankerous conductor is discovered crushed under a ninety-pound harp in a local concert hall. With the extended family—including Enda’s much-younger new wife Leah, a virtuoso violinist—suspected in his murder, it's up to Siobhán to ensure the guilty party faces the music before the killer orchestrates another untimely demise.
Happy Holidays and Happy Reading!
Leslie
Why the hell not?
Leslie Langtry does not like to write bios. Seriously, she’s just not good at it. You’d think that after fifty books, she’d be able to pull off a few sentences, but no, she can’t. It’s very disappointing. At least her books are good, which counts, in her mind, as a win.
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