Book 129, 2023

[chez_jae]

Christmas Corpse by Mona Marple

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I finished reading Christmas Corpse by Mona Marple this afternoon. It's the first in the "Christmas Cozy Mystery" series. The main character is Holly Wood. Yes, that's her name!

After losing her job, Holly is driving home through a snow storm to her empty house when she skids off the road. She's rescued by a woman claiming her name is Mrs Claus, and Holly is spirited off to Candy Cane Hollow. There, she finds herself in a true winter wonderland, peopled by cheerful people and one grumpy medical office receptionist. Persephone is suspicious of Holly's appearance in town and warns her not to cozy up to Mrs Claus' son, Nick. When Persephone is murdered, the victim of a poisoned mince pie, Mrs Claus becomes the prime suspect. It was her pie, after all. Determined to repay the older woman's generosity, Holly vows to clear her name. And if sticking around in Candy Cane Hollow allows her to spend more time with Nick, that's merely a bonus.

This story was holiday fluff in its purest form. It was sweet and uncomplicated, and everyone was just so gosh darn nice. It was fun to make discoveries right along with Holly, especially as she realized that Santa was real and that she was now caught up in the frenzy leading up to Christmas. The budding romance between Holly and Nick was sweet and lovely.

Favorite lines:
♦ I'd never really stopped believing in Santa, in the magic of Christmas.
♦ "I've never really considered myself to be too much of a failure. Not until this call, anyway."
♦ "Your home should be your own wonderland. A place where you can kick off your shoes and feel safe and at peace."

Alas, this story was a victim of the 'holding my breath' line:
I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

Darling, and perfect for this time of year. Four stars.

Comments

[felaine]

That does sound seasonal and some different.
And the boyfriend isn't a cop, that helps.

[chez_jae]

It was fun. I'd read more in the series.