The Quilliam sisters, Meg and Sarah, are working hard to
keep the Inn at Hemlock Falls open. In a strange way the
bank has decided to send them their version of a Christmas
gift. The bank has sent an efficiency expert, Albert
McWhirter, to "help" them find ways to save time and
effort. It's just too bad that his living up to the
nickname he acquired from his co-workers, they call him
Scrooge. Salvation might be headed the sisters way when an
old classmate Lydia Kingsfield and her husband Zeke leases
the Inn as the backdrop for cooking show they're shooting.
Nothing is ever quite that easy though, is it? Lydia soon
also receives a nickname that suits, Loathsome Lydia, and
the Kingsfields bring more upheaval than salvation. And it
gets worse. After Zeke's body is found at the bottom of
the gorge, it is assumed he went off the trail while he
was cross-country skiing leading Lydia to threaten a
lawsuit. Zeke's shady dealings, and trying to decide
exactly what about those dealings are shady, force Quill
to start questioning everything she thinks she knows about
the couple. If Zeke really was murdered, which of the many
reasons that people had to hate him was the actual
motivation? With the multiple distractions of a kitchen
undergoing renovation for the cooking show, the efficiency
expert interviewing the entire staff at the Inn, and a
possible murderer in their midst how will the sisters be
able to focus on saving their business? Can they do it
all? Perhaps they can, with a little help from their
friends and maybe a Christmas miracle?
This is the sixteenth book in the Hemlock Falls Mystery
series. The series seems to be going strong and with good
reason. The wide variety of characters, handily identified
in the opening "Cast of Characters," makes this small-town
seem larger than life. There is someone for everyone to
connect with and the complex relationships ring true. Not
to mention the who, the how, and the why of the who-dunnit
are all very nicely done!
For the Quilliam sisters, there's nothing jolly about this Christmas. Someone with a paintball gun is taking down inflatable Santas all over town. And Meg and Quill are near-broke. At least there's one bright star on the horizon: a big-time magazine and television show will feature the Inn. But soon the editor's husband skis to his death. Now, if the Quilliams are to save the Inn from a lawsuit, they'll need to prove this was no accident. But the slopeside slayer has a message for them: You better watch out.
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