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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Silent Night, Deadly Night in Books

Aug 28, 2019

This College Reunion is Nothing to be Thankful for

Merry Wilkinson is looking forward to Thanksgiving, but her mother, Aline, is looking forward to the weekend before. Aline has invited her college friends to come to Rudolph, New York, for a reunion. However, when the women arrive, they quickly devolve into bickering and sniping. Desperate to find a way to keep the peace, Aline invites Merry to several of their events. At one of them, one of the women die under suspicious circumstances. Merry can’t help but begin to gather information, but when a newcomer tries to use the crime to get Merry’s father removed as the official town Santa, she steps up her game. Can she figure out what happened before the women leave town?

As a lover of all things Christmas, I was thrilled to be able to visit Merry and the town of Rudolph again. While set at Thanksgiving, the book perfectly captures that late fall feel and the Thanksgiving spirit while also working in Christmas. We get to know the suspects and the victim a bit before she dies. While the victim and murder method might not be too surprising, there are some secrets and twists buried in the book that kept me reading, and the sub-plot involving Merry’s dad also drew me in. I was a bit worried when we met all the suspects at once, but we get enough context early on to keep them straight until they develop as more characters. It was great to see the series regulars again as well. Whether you read this book now or save it for Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’re sure to enjoy it.

Kudos

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2510 KP) rated Mulberry Mischief in Books

Aug 28, 2019

Mulberry Mischief

Sharon Farrow | 2019 | Mystery

10.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Halloween Mischief and Murder

It’s the week before Halloween in Oriole Point, Michigan, yet the town is focusing on health thanks to the Haunted Halloween Harvest Health Fair. The Saturday the festival opens, Marlee Jacob, owner of the Berry Basket, is cornered by Leticia the Lake Lady. Leticia is one of the odd characters who call the town home. She is ranting about the shadow people who have come to town and demanding that Marlee order mulberries so Leticia can use their protective properties to cover her cabin. Marlee thinks Leticia is harmless if a little off, but that’s before a dead body turns up. Will the latest happenings disrupt the health fair?

Picking up this book, I knew I was in for another fantastic ride, and I wasn’t disappointed. While it takes a couple chapters for the body to drop, we are meeting characters who will become important to the story and trying to make sense of some puzzling things that start to happen. The pace doesn’t slow at all once the murder takes place, and the revelations are only beginning as Marlee pieces things together. The suspects are all strong, and I could have believed any of them were guilty until Marlee pieced together the final clues. Of course, the series regulars are as fun and charming as always – I love them! I’m not quite ready for fall, but this book still put me in the Halloween spirit. We get four berry inspired recipes – two featuring Mulberries and two berry inspired Halloween treats. I really can’t recommend this series highly enough. New fans will be hooked, and existing fans will love Marlee’s latest adventure.