Christmas Scarf Murder
CHRISTMAS SCARF MURDER by CARLENE O’CONNOR
When grinchy thefts steal the good cheer at a local nursing home, Siobhan O’Sullivan identifies one missing item before Kilbane, Ireland’s Christmas tractor parade, a hideous shamrock scarf wrapped around a very dead body. Now, with her holiday farmhouse bash approaching, Siobhan must dash to stop a deadly Secret Santa from gifting another unwanted surprise.
SCARFED DOWN by MADDIE DAY
It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas at Pans ‘N Pancakes, as twelve days of menu specials dazzle hungry locals. But the festivities go cold the instant a diner dies while knitting a brilliant green scarf. With Aunt Adele tied into a murder investigation, it’s all on Robbie Jordan to find out who’s really been naughty or nice in South Lick, Indiana.
DEATH BY CHRISTMAS SCARF by PEGGY EHRHART
Suspects pile up faster than New Jersey snow when frosty-tempered Carys Walnutt is found strangled by a handmade scarf auctioned at Arborville’s tree-lighting ceremony. Between a winning bidder hiding behind the alias “S. Claws” and a victim who deserved coal in her stocking. Can Pamela Paterson and the crafty Knit and Nibble ladies freeze a killer’s merry murder plot?
The Details
Series: Christmas Collection
Author(s):
Carlene O’Connor
Maddie Day
Peggy Ehrhart
Genre/Category: Cozy –Amateur Sleuth/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496737229
Page Count: 384
Rating:
The Review
Each of the stories in Christmas Scarf Murder is wonderfully delightful. From thefts at a senior living center, a handmade stolen knitted scarf found around the neck of a murder victim, to bad-tempered holiday shoppers, these stories will keep readers engaged and looking forward to the upcoming Christmas holiday.
The characters are well known and beloved by most readers, but if you have read none of the books in the individual series, I would suggest that you read at least the first one in each to get a good idea of who everyone is and why they play an important role in this book. The settings are, as always, described lovingly with enough detail to allow readers to envision each area. The Christmas decorations sound amazing, and I would love to see them somewhere in real life. A scarf is the primary focus of each story. How many times in our lives have we wrapped one of these knitted creations to keep us warm without ever giving a thought to how it could be used to kill someone? These stories will make you think twice before donning another Christmas scarf.
I have enjoyed each of these stories, and I love the year’s Christmas anthology. Christmas Scarf Murder is no exception and was perhaps one of the best ones yet. The suspects in each story were believable, the evidence was carefully presented to keep the mystery going, and the killers and motives take readers on an exciting trip through holidays, history, and secrets. I am happy to recommend this book and each of the author’s series to readers who enjoy a genuine mystery with thoughtful descriptions and characters that feel like family.
The Author(s)
Carlene O’Connor
Carlene O’Connor is the author of the acclaimed Irish Village Mysteries, the County Kerry Novels, and the Home to Ireland Mysteries. Born into a long line of Irish storytellers, her great-grandmother emigrated from Ireland filled with tales in 1897, and the stories have been flowing ever since. Of all the places she’s wandered across the pond, she fell most in love with a walled town in County Limerick and was inspired to create the town of Kilbane, County Cork, the setting of her Irish Village Mystery series. She currently divides her time between Southern California and the Emerald Isle.
Represented by: Evan Marshall Agency
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Maddie Day
Maddie Day is the Agatha Award and Macavity Award-winning author of the Cozy Capers Book Club Mystery series and the Country Store Mysteries, as well as other series written under the name Edith Maxwell. A member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, she is a regular contributor at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen and belongs to The Wickeds, a group of six bestselling authors who blog at WickedAuthors.com. Day lives with her beau north of Boston, though she knows both Indiana and Cape Cod intimately. She is a talented amateur chef and gardener.
Represented by: Talbot Fortune Agency
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Peggy Ehrhart
When Peggy Ehrhart was in the third grade at Our Lady of Peace School in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, she won a Knights of Columbus essay contest, and her fate was sealed. It just took her a while to realize that what she really wanted to write was fiction. Peggy is a former English professor with a Ph.D. in Medieval Literature. Peggy regularly attends mystery writing conferences and participates in conference panels. She also gives talks on mystery fiction at libraries and other venues in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
Represented by: Evan Marshall Agency
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Contact The Cozy Review
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