Shop keepers in the lovely picturesque village of Dickens
Junction are used to strangers and tourists in their
closely knit community with its tradition of upholding
many of the values and traditions inspired by one of
England's great writers, especially now in the Advent
season before Christmas! Even if one hadn't read Charles
Dickens directly (Heresy in this town), just about everyone
had heard off the story of Ebenezer Scrooge's heartwarming
and ideological transformation after ghostly visits on
Christmas Eve.
Yet, to Simon Alastair, owner of Pip's Pages, this stranger
is different and isn't just his request of "Atlas
Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, a writer whose ideas Simon has long
ago dismissed. Fortunately for Simon, another newcomer
customer proves to be much more appealing and not just in
looks alone. Introducing himself as Zach Benjamin from
Rainbows, a monthly gay and lesbian travel magazine, his
mission is to do a feature on the holiday events and the
charms of the Junction.
But the charms of that evening's Christmas Carol tableaux
are shattered by the shocking discovery of the stranger's
body! Why had he come to town? Why was he killed in such a
shocking way? What was behind Marley Enterprises' sudden
interest in Dickens Junction?
Before Detective Boggs gets a chance to solve this murder,
more gruesome deaths start to threaten the holiday spirit
of goodwill and the livelihood of the community. As a
founding citizen, Simon feels a special obligation to
investigate what is happening. But, when everyone could be
a suspect, who can he trust?
Readers are fortunate indeed that Christopher Lord has
launched this first book, THE CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDERS, as
the start of a new series centered in the fictitious town
of
Dickens Junction, Oregon. It is a different, yet
delightful, type of cozy mystery: full of human drama and
suspense, coupling old fashioned values with au courant
perspectives and literary interests.
As a new author, Lord has a deft hand with character
development. The many and diverse characters (both main
and secondary) are realistic in emotion, outlook and
hidden (or not so hidden) secrets, ranging from the
literary wittiness of George Bascomb, Simon's good
longstanding friend, to Brock and his moonlighting to
make extra income. I just loved the scene between Mavis
Surlock, the owner of Bleak House Bed and Breakfast, and
her response to her guest, Dagny Clack's outrageous demands
for service.
Lord also dexterously balances the story line between Simon
trying to read the clues of a potential
relationship with Zach and in the murder investigation
while skillfully seasoning the story with sage wisdom,
literary references and seasonal sights and aromas. This
contemporary uptake on the classical tale is sure to be
alluring to any reader. As my cat notes, with a little
more showtime in the future for Miss Tox, Simon's feline
friend, this could end up being a real dickens of a
series!
It is glad tidings indeed THE CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDERS is
one treat
you won't need to beg for! Just go out and get it or gift
wrap it up for a friend!
It’s the holiday season in Dickens Junction, Oregon. Local
bookstore owner, Simon Alastair, is getting ready for the
community’s annual celebration of Charles Dickens’ well-
known story. But when a mysterious stranger shows up in
the Junction and is murdered hours later, Simon begins to
suspect that his little community has been targeted for
destruction by a shadowy organization.
With the support of Zach, a dashing young magazine
reporter, Simon decides to investigate the crime himself.
When a second murder follows, Simon must confront the
worst question of all: which of his friends and business
associates is a ruthless murderer?
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