Death at Holly Lodge

The Blurb
Ooh La La hair salon owner Daisy Thorne adores the Christmas cheer in her picturesque hometown of Edgemead, England. Excitement is extra high this year, as international pop star, Mimi Levanté , the village’s newest resident, begins renovating historic Holly Lodge. But the charming country home’s makeover is cut short by a shocking discovery, the body of a man, dressed as Santa Claus, jammed inside the house’s chimney!

The secreted Santa is identified as Gregory Pearce, a local father who vanished on Christmas Eve two years ago. As the case moves from missing to murder, Daisy and dashing DCI Paul McGuinness begin combing through the clues of Christmases past. But the killer will go to great lengths to keep old crimes under wraps. Now, DCI McGuinness must protect Daisy as she tries to untangle the mystery before a merry murderer embarks on another slay ride.

The Details
Series: A Daisy Thorne Mystery – Book #3
Author: Louise R. Innes
Genre/Category: Cozy – Exotic Location/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496729846
Page Count: 288
Rating:

The Review
England during the holidays, what could be better? Other than murder in England during Christmas. Death at Holly Lodge is the third book in the “A Daisy Thorne Mystery” series and may be the best one yet. Daisy’s hair salon is busier than ever, the holidays are bringing in more and more customers, and everyone wants to look their best. But… murder comes to call when Daisy visits Holly Lodge while renovations begin and finds Santa Claus dead.

The characters in this series are always fun and exciting to read about. They have a flair for the dramatic and an inherent ability to find trouble. Just because it’s the Christmas season doesn’t make a difference. They are still getting into mischief and causing chaos. The victim this time around is a complete unknown, which in many ways is easier than if it was a character that readers already had a predetermined bias. Finding Santa Claus in a chimney may sound funny until you realize he didn’t get there willingly.

It doesn’t take Daisy long to come up with suspects, from Santa’s widow to the townspeople who hold a grudge. Suspects and evidence team up to make this story an exciting ride. Add in a few drops of Christmas cheer, a new Santa Claus who may or may not be involved, a few red herrings, and you have yourself a mystery for the holidays that won’t disappoint. Daisy slowly unwraps the killer’s motive and the killer themself while setting herself up for a possible Christmas disaster and another murder, her own. Death at Holly Lodge is an enjoyable read from start to finish and should be on all cozy reader’s holiday lists.

The Author
Louise is an English author of romantic suspense & cozy mysteries. She loves to write about brave, warm-hearted men and the feisty, independent women who love them. Louise started writing at the age of sixteen and became a full-time writer in 2014. She lives in beautiful Surrey, in a village not unlike the one in her books. When she’s not writing, she can be found traipsing through the parks or kayaking on the River Thames.