by Cynthia Chow & Sandra Murphy

This week we have reviews and giveaways of 3 more Christmas mysteries for your holiday reading-Death of a Gingerbread Man: A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery by Lee Hollis, Murder at a Scottish Christmas by Traci Hall, and The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of all 3 books and links to purchase them from Amazon at the end of each review.

Death of a Gingerbread Man: A Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery by Lee Hollis
Review by Cynthia Chow

The holidays are a time for families, not to mention a time of chaos, stress, and arguments. All will occur when food blogger Hayley Mills joins her best friend Mona Barnes on a mission to deliver medication to Mona’s father. It turns out to be more of a family reunion than they expected though, as also at the fishing cabin is their other best friend’s father and Hayley’s own dad, Dwight Jordan. Considering that Hayley hasn’t seen her father since he abandoned their family when she was eight years old, she is less than thrilled when her brother guilts them into inviting Dwight to a family dinner. Even more unhappy is their mother Sheila, who invited herself and her new husband to spend the holidays in Bar Harbor with Hayley. Already stressed out with her critical mother’s arrival, Hayley is initially happy when her father is distracted by competing in a gingerbread decorating contest. When one of the other contestants is found dead by poison though, Dwight immediately becomes a main suspect due to his history of financial scams and general shadiness.

Even though Hayley’s brother-in-law happens to be the chief of police, Dwight doesn’t trust law enforcement and begs her to help prove his innocence. Hayley’s brother Randy also pleads with her to give their father the benefit of the doubt, but it certainly doesn’t look good when she finds incriminating evidence in Dwight’s pocket. Neither does the fact that Dwight has just started dating the mother of Hayley’s other best friend, and Liddy definitely doesn’t want her mom involved with a possible murderer. Now along with writing her Food & Cocktails column and attempting to keep her mother’s cat from terrifying Hayley’s dog, she also needs to find a killer before the New Year holiday.

This 17th of the series shows no sign of slowing down as it continues to hilariously complicate Hayley Powell’s chaotic but family-centered life. The gift of DNA testing brings another extremely unexpected – but not unpleasant – surprise, one that completely upheaves their family dynamics. Hayley’s food and drinks columns continue to be the highlights of the series, as along with recipes they also include stories about her life that reveal the hilarious insanity of her life. Due to their ages, Hayley and her brother have very different reactions to the appearance by their father, who left before Randy could come out and who desperately wants his father’s approval. Hayley is far less trusting, as is her mother, who may be demanding but who was the one who raised her two children alone and without financial support. \

Humor always remains at the forefront of this series though, with the antics of Hayley and her friends getting them all into an enormous amount of trouble; much of which is revealed in Hayley’s Island Times column. The brother and sister writing team who are Lee Hollis continues to deliver heart-warming, complicated, and always funny mysteries that perfectly blend together food and family.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Murder at a Scottish Christmas by Traci Hall
Review by Sandra Murphy

Paislee, her 12-year-old son Brody, and Grandpa have been staying at a friend’s apartment for months while their home is being repaired from a massive water leak. Her holiday wish is to be home for Christmas. At least the workers are to the painting portion of the repair but they’re still waiting for new appliances to arrive.

Amelia works at the police station and is a favorite of the townspeople. She also works part time at Paislee’s shop, Cashmere Crush, a popular shopping spot for locals and tourists alike, whether for yarn or finished goods.

As a Christmas surprise, Amelia’s youngest brother, McCormac, is in town for a visit, although he spends more time with his many ‘lady friends’ than with his family. He’s flashing a lot of cash, driving an expensive car, and is not too forthcoming on the source of his wealth. He’s been in jail and swears he’s on the straight path now. Amelia is about the only one who believes him.

During Hogmanay, a New Year’s celebration complete with fireworks, the oohs and aahs of the crowd drown out the sound of a gunshot. McCormac falls but even his friends think it was from all he had to drink—until someone sees the blood. He’s been shot in the chest.

Detective Zeffer is on the case, Paislee is helping a bit, and Amelia is determined to find the killer on her own if the others don’t hurry and solve the case. It seems at every turn, they find out more about McCormac’s life out of town, his connections with unsavory ‘friends’, and his extensive love life.

In the meantime, Paislee is worried about her sales, keeping enough inventory, and her love life. Hamish, from Brody’s school, is in the picture but then Detective Zeffer, who’s been gone for a while, is back. I’m firmly on Team Zeffer and hope to see him make some progress soon. This is book six in the series. Whether Paislee likes it or not, things change and she changes as well. Not willingly, but still… Grandpa has mellowed, Brody is in the midst of his first crush, and business is good. What more could she ask for? Fewer murders!

Writing as Traci Wilton, there are eight Mrs. Morse and the…books (Ghost, Witch, Sorceress, Vampire, etc.), enough to keep readers busy when the weather outside is frightful.

You can click here to purchase the book from Amazon.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict
Review by Sandra Murphy

Anagrams of novels and holiday stories, titles of 16 Fleetwood Mac songs, and jigsaw pieces at the top of each chapter are clues to see if readers can solve the case faster than the characters. I didn’t try, just went with the flow. See if you can figure out all the hints or, like me, just want to enjoy the story. There are recipes and crosswords as well.

Edie O’Sullivan has a reputation for being an old grouch. It’s just that she likes things a certain way and at certain times and so few people comply. It’s just easier to avoid them. She is a good friend to her neighbor, Riga. When a package is delivered from an anonymous source, it contains a note and a jigsaw piece. Since Edie creates puzzles, the sender is sure she’ll solve their puzzle. If not, someone will die.

This is the beginning of the killer leading Edie on what they think is a merry chase. The victims may seem random but are not—they’re leading to Sean, Edie’s nephew, a police detective, who the killer says will be the final victim. Can Edie decipher the clues in time to save Sean? Chasing down the clues is getting Edie out of her house and interacting with people more than she has done in years. She’s not sure she likes it.

Edie’s personality is an acquired taste but once she lets someone into her life, they’re a permanent addition. Her friendship with Riga is a special one. Edie’s love for Sean is boundless. She’ll do anything to save him.

For readers who like to read the story as it unfolds and be surprised, this works. I did have an idea about the killer’s identity but not the motive—that only happened near the end of the book. Anyone who loves a puzzling plot to solve as it’s read—this is the book for you.

You can click here to purchase this book from Amazon.

To enter to win a copy of all 3 books, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Christmas tbr part 2” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 21, 2024. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Also listen to our new mystery podcast where mystery short stories and first chapters are read by actors! They are also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s the editor for the upcoming Yeet Me in St Louis, an anthology with stories from twelve St. Louis writers. Her own short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and anthologies such as The Perp Wore Pumpkin and I (Almost) Died in Your Arms. ‘Lucy’s Tree’, published in The Eyes of Texas, won a Derringer Award from the Short Mystery Fiction Society. She lives in St. Louis with Ozzie the Westie Impersonator and his sidekick in crime, Louie the Cat.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.