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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2572 KP) rated The Wolves of Christmas in Books

Dec 18, 2019

This Christmas Will Not Be Completely Festive

Phoenix Homicide Cops Joe, Tom, and Gretchen’s boss, Jerry, has announced that his retirement has been put on hold since someone has stolen his retirement investment. The fraud division of the police department is going to look into it, but Joe and Tom have just been given a case that may tie in. A dead body was found in Salt River Canyon, but since the victim lived in Phoenix, the case has been transferred to these two. The connection? He worked for the investment firm where Jerry had his money. Could the two tie together?

The book starts out well, but it gets a bit unfocused as it goes along with too many sub-plots. This is especially true when we learn that Tom’s cousin, and Joe’s infatuation, has been brutally raped and left for dead. The two fly over to Ireland to be by her side and help solve the crime, but we also get updates on what is happening in Phoenix thanks to scenes with Gretchen. I did enjoy the main mystery, and I found myself caught up in it, but I wish the book had been a little more focused. This is definitely more serious than the cozies I normally read, but we don’t get too many needless details. Since this is book eight in the series, I really do love the characters, and it was great to spend Christmas with them. In fact, the book stretches from mid-December into the New Year, so we get some nice holiday scenes. The early books in the series were written in the mid-90’s, and the author has kept that time period for the books, as this one makes very clear. All told, I was left smiling when I finished the book.