The Candy Cane Caper
Paperback, 320 pages
Published October 1st 2019 by Shadow Mountain
Goodreads synopsis:
This Christmas, Sadie Hoffmiller Cunningham is making a list and checking it twice. For the first time since she and Pete married five years ago, their combined families are gathering for the holidays in Fort Collins, Colorado, for a party that would make Santa and Mrs. Claus proud.
She just has to bake the famous Cunningham Candy Cane Cake, make sure the looming snowstorm doesn't derail everyone's travel plans, and oh, yes, solve one teensy-tiny mystery before the big day.
At ninety-four and nearly blind, Mary, Sadie's friend and neighbor, knows this will be her last Christmas. When Sadie learns that someone has stolen antique Christmas ornaments from Mary's tree, she vows to find the thief, no matter what. The ornaments had been appraised at more than $40,000, but they were worth even more to Mary, who had intended to bequeath them to her great-granddaughter, Joy, as a final gift.
With Pete in Arizona wrapping up a case of his own, it's up to Sadie to question the residents of Nicholas House, where Mary lives, and deduce who had the means and the motive to steal heirloom ornaments during what should be the most wonderful time of the year.
When stories of other thefts surface, Sadie feels like she's creating a "naughty" list that could rival Santa's. Identifying the thief, recovering the ornaments, and restoring them to Mary's tree in time will take a Christmas miracle—and maybe a few extra-special cookies.
***
4.5 Stars
Wow! This was awesome.
As I was reading along I felt like this was a cozy mystery turned on its head. It felt like half police procedural and half whodunit. T
he sleuth is Sadie. She had been new to her neighborhood when her elderly neighbor, Mary sort of adopted her and they became fast friends. Then Mary had to be put into a nursing home type facility since she is now losing her eyesight and is practically blind. Mary has Sadie get some Christmas ornaments from storage in order to decorate her room. She knows this will probably be her last Christmas. Sadie agrees but what she doesn’t realize is that these ornaments are antique and worth quite a lot of money. The day after Sadie puts these precious ornaments on Mary’s tree, they get stolen. And it is up to Sadie to save Christmas for Mary.
This was such a sweet story and friendship. I was crying at the end of this. This story is way more than stolen ornaments and missing things from other residents. This is a story of hope and Christmas miracles. Just a great mix of it all.
If you love cozy mysteries, police procedurals or detective fiction set at Christmas time, definitely check this one out. It does not disappoint.
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.
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