Gingerdead Man (A Five-Ingredient Mystery #7) by Maya Corrigan

Gingerdead Man

(A Five-Ingredient Mystery #7)

by Maya Corrigan 

Paperback, 304 pages

Expected publication: September 29th 2020by Kensington Publishing Corporation

Goodreads synopsis: 

When Santa is sleighed by a poison gingerbread cookie at a holiday party, Val Deniston's reputation is on the line . . .

This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London. Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival. Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival's costumed volunteers, who range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.

But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up. The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head--okay, Ghost of Christmas Present, Val gets it--hands out gingerbread men with white icing skeleton bones. This year's sour Santa has none of the big fellow's mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it's no secret Santa loves cookies. But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year . . .

Includes delicious five-ingredient recipes!

***

4.5 stars

This is the seventh book in the Five-Ingredient mystery series by Maya Corrigan.

During a holiday festival, Santa meets his demise eating a gingerbread man cookie.

I thought this was a pretty good story. Santa wasn’t quite a Santa. He would have probably been voted least likely candidate due to this real life activities but there is some inkling of his nefarious ways at the beginning.

Val who lives with her grandfather hosts a tea party after the Victorian London-esque affair. This is where Santa bites into a cookie left by the ghost of christmas present who was dressed as a present with a gift bag on their head.

I have read a couple of other mysteries in this line: Crypt Suzette and The Tell-Tale Tart. They have all been equally good and kept my attention all the way through. The mystery was well-plotted and solid. I wasn’t a fan of all the secondary characters but it is the main ones that will keep me coming back. Definitely a series I want to continue to follow.

If you like cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

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.