Christmas Cocoa Murder
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published September 24th 2019 by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Goodreads synopsis:
'Tis the season for hot chocolate and mouthwatering treats. But sometimes too much of a good thing can be downright deadly . . .
CHRISTMAS COCOA MURDER by CARLENE O'CONNOR
Siobhén O'Sullivan's hopes for a quiet Irish Christmas are dashed when the local Santa turns up dead in a carnival dunk tank of hot cocoa. Now instead of hunting down holiday gifts, she's pursuing a heartless killer. Seems the dead Santa was no angel either, stealing neighborhood dogs to guide his sleigh. But was it his holiday antics--or worse--that led to his death by chocolate?
CHRISTMAS COCOA AND A CORPSE by MADDIE DAY
When local businessman Jed Greenberg is found dead with a Chocolate lab whimpering over his body, the police start sniffing around Robbie Jordan's country restaurant for answers. Was it something in Robbie's hot cocoa that killed Jed, or was it Cocoa the dog? As the suspects pile as high as her holiday tree, Robbie attempts to get to the bottom of the sickly-sweet murder . . .
DEATH BY HOT COCOA by Alex Erickson
A Christmas-themed escape game seems like the perfect pre-holiday treat for bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock and her best friend. But when the host is found dead in a pool of hot cocoa, it's up to Krissy and her team to catch the killer--or escape before getting killed.
There's nothing like a hot cup of murder to warm up the holiday season!
***
4.5 Stars
I was very excited to dig into these stories. The one by Alex Erickson, Death by Hot Cocoa, is the one that really drew me in. I love his Death by Coffee series! I am such a fan girl. The whole Escape Room drama was so on point! That is the perfect setting for a murder. I think there needs to be a Clue® themed Escape Room where you have to not only get out but solve the mystery as well. I am so in!
I am so amazed that Krissy and Rita remain friends. I guess they are really more like frenemies. Not really friends, but not really enemies either. Rita drags Krissy to this escape room and like always, a murder occurs and she has to be the level headed one and solve it. Loved this story so much! 5 Stars from me for this one!
The Christmas Cocoa Murder, for which this book was titled, was a fun one as well. I wasn’t familiar with these characters so was unsure who the criminal element was as opposed to the normal recurring characters. The concept of the dunk tank filled with hot cocoa was hilarious. Can you imagine falling into a steaming hot beverage? Wouldn’t you get scalded? This was my second favorite story in the bunch. I was intrigued by Siobhen and the supposedly poisoned hot cocoa made by Declan. This book makes me want to check out this series for sure.
The last story named Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse was a bit gory for my taste. Nothing too awful but gory is not my most favorite thing in the world. I don’t even do tame horror. For a short story this is the winner for the most characters running around during the action. The family dynamic was the best part of this. Robbie and her hot cocoa packets played a prominent role in this one. They were almost like a secondary character.
All over this was a pretty delightful book of short story. I love a good coffee or hot cocoa themed book any day! If you love cozy mysteries and want to check out a particular author’s work, this is a great way to see what they are all about. Such a fun ride!
I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.
No comments:
Post a Comment