Gingerdead Man
This holiday season Bayport, Maryland, is a dead ringer for Victorian London. Val and her grandfather are taking part in the Dickens of a Holiday festival. Val is hosting a private tea party serving the festival’s costumed volunteers. They range from Dickens divas like Madame Defarge and Miss Havisham to Ebenezer Scrooge and old St. Nick himself.
But one costumed reveler may have gotten the holidays mixed up. The winner of the creepiest outfit, robed in black with a gift bag covering the head, okay, Ghost of Christmas Present, Val gets it, hands out gingerbread men with white icing skeleton bones. This year’s sour Santa has none of the big fellow’s mirth but plenty of his appetite, and it’s no secret Santa loves cookies. But when the man in red turns blue, Val and Granddad have a cookie-cutter killer to catch before the New Year.
Series: A Five-Ingredient Mystery – Book #7
Author: Maya Corrigan
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 288
Rating: 
Who doesn’t enjoy a good Gingerbread cookie inspired cozy? In the latest addition to the “A Five-Ingredient Mystery” series, Gingerdead Man, readers will enjoy a mystery that keeps them guessing and a plot that will inspire them during the festive season. This story is filled with holiday activities, family gatherings, and plenty of food and is an easy-to-read entertaining story.
Val and her Granddad are hunting down a killer when a guest dies after eating a Gingerbread cookie at the end of the Dicken’s festival. Soon after, there appear to be other deaths and attempted murder. With everything going on, Val and Granddad have to keep their wits about them, protect a friend, and find a killer before someone else dies. All of the characters in this story are likable, the setting is interesting, but for me, there just wasn’t enough of Val’s cafe involved in this book. And if readers haven’t read other books in the series, they may have difficulty getting to know the characters and understanding what part they play in the big scheme of things.
The murderer is caught but only at the last minute. The author did an outstanding job of keeping the reader in suspense and guessing throughout the story. Suspects weren’t hard to find, but motives were not easily distinguishable. Using the festive season as a backdrop and a Gingerbread cookie as a weapon is fantastic. I love how the twists and turns were interwoven, and the evidence at the forefront but not shoved down the reader’s throat. Gingerdead Man is a relaxing, enjoyable read that will keep its audience happy while turning the page.
More holiday and culinary cozies readers will enjoy include Josi S. Kilpack’s heartwarming mystery The Candy Cane Caper in the “Culinary Mysteries” series or Leslie Budewitz’s holiday cookie inspired cozy, As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles in the “A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery” series.
About the Author:
Mary Ann Roman Corrigan writes crime stories under the name of Maya Corrigan. She owes her love of mysteries to her 4th-grade teacher, who gave her the Nancy Drew collection, and to her mother, who brought home stacks of detective books from the library. Before writing crime fiction, Maya taught college classes in writing, American literature, and crime fiction. She also wrote nonfiction and designed courses for online learners.
Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., an easy drive from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the setting for her mystery series. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords. Maya is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
Contact Maya: https://www.mayacorrigan.com/newscontact.html
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