EGGNOG MURDER is a collection of Cozy Mystery story stories
by some of
the best authors in the genre. When I saw this anthology, I
immediately
picked it up because I have never tried any of the authors'
works before, but
have heard about how great their books are. All of the
stories are part of
larger existing series already so it's a wonderful way to
try multiple series out
in one go.
The first story is by Leslie Meier and I feel like she is
the most popular of the
bunch. I had some pretty high expectations because of this,
however, I was a
little disappointed in this. Although it's quite cozy and
cheerful, I did feel like
the mystery was quite toned down. I don't know if that's
because it's a short
story the narrative isn't as developed as I expected but I
was definitely
hoping for more. While I liked the characters overall, some
parts did drag
and the mystery was a little wishy-washy.
The second story comes from Lee Hollis and this one was my
favorite of the
bunch. From the opening scene right to the end, this was the
one that held
my interested the best. I enjoyed Hollis' charm and wit and
when you
combine that with the mystery, it makes for a great story.
After this, I am
definitely going to be checking out more of Hollis' books.
The third story is from Barbara Ross and I was interested in
this one because
I have another book by this author that I plan to read soon.
Again, I had high
expectations and found that I enjoyed this story. While the
mystery isn't as
complex as I would like, it suits the short story format
well. I think when it
comes to novellas, writing Mystery stories can be a little
difficult because the
authors don't have much time to really weed through all the
suspects and
clues like a full-length book does. However, I still very
much enjoyed this
anthology.
EGGNOG MURDER by LESLIE MEIER
When a gift-wrapped bottle of eggnog—allegedly from the
Real Beard Santa Club—proves to be a killer concoction
for a Tinker’s Cove local, all Lucy Stone wants for
Christmas is to find the murdering mixologist who’s
stirring up trouble.
DEATH BY EGGNOG by LEE HOLLIS
Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell has never
cared much for Bar Harbor’s grouchy town librarian,
Agatha Farnsworth. But after the Scroogy senior has a
fatal—and suspicious—allergic reaction to supposedly non-
dairy eggnog, it’s up to Hayley to ladle out some
justice.
NOGGED OFF by BARBARA ROSS
Julia Snowden’s tenant Imogen Geinkes seems to be jinxed.
First, her poorly named “Killer Eggnog” gives all her co-
workers food poisoning at the holiday party, then her
boyfriend’s body shows up in Julia’s moving truck as
she’s headed back to Busman’s Harbor. Now Julia has to
get moving to catch the cold-hearted culprit.
Cozy up with a glass of eggnog and enjoy the spirit of
murder and mystery in a Yuletide treat perfect for those
winter holidays . . .