The Peppermint Mocha Murder

It’s beginning to look like Christmas for Hayden Mundy Moore. On vacation from providing her sought-after expertise in all things chocolate, Hayden heads to snowy New England with her friend and financial advisor, Travis, for the opening of his pal’s highly-touted holiday musical. When the show’s producer is murdered, Hayden trades sampling Chocolate Santa’s for finding the killer.

Soon Hayden discovers there’s more to Travis’s chic hometown than mulled wine and cocoa cookies. Almost no one, including Travis, is quite what they seem. Did the show’s lead have more savage motives than stardom? Could the dead producer’s husband have felt murderous envy for his successful wife? Getting behind the mistletoe and jingle bells will take all of Hayden’s savvy if she hopes to catch a killer with a heart more bitter than the darkest truffle.

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Series: A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery – Book 5
Author: Colette London (AKA: Lisa Plumley)
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Culinary/Holiday
Publisher: Kensington Books

Rating:

Colette London is a good writer. She has a vivid imagination and works in the details without missing a beat or distracting from the story. Most of her characters are lively and memorable, with enough oddness to make them normal. This holds true, especially in The Peppermint Mocha Murder.

Hayden wants to enjoy Christmas like she hasn’t in many years. She wants it all, snow, carols, lights, and presents. But she learns that things don’t always turn out the way you want them. She is a bit immature, and on occasion can take things too far when she wants information. This is particularly true when it comes to finding out more about Travis’ past.

Other characters in this book are entertaining and at times thought-provoking. In particular, Travis and Danny. There is a bit of dislike and completeness between the two men, and it appears that Hayden may have to choose between them. The tension allows the reader to want to know more about both men and their relationship with Hayden. This gives the book a bit of an edge at times.

For many readers, the constant talk about chocolate can get to be a bit much, even for a chocoholic. Although it is an important part of Hayden’s life, it shouldn’t be the main focus. Also, and this may be a sticking point for me, knowing the law and what a person can get by with, makes Hayden’s inheritance restrictions unbelievable. No one, even someone who is leaving you a great deal of money can put a constraint that does not allow you to settle down in a home on a permanent basis.

Because of the inheritance situation, it also limits what can be done with the character in future installments. It makes it difficult to generate interest in the setting. It might be better if the character must always travel, to place her in exotic locations around the globe instead of a small New England town or other small towns in future editions.

The murder itself is intriguing, and the suspects are credible. The killer is unexpected and yet seems to be appropriate. All the clues are in the story that the reader needs to solve the murder. Some are well disguised and takes some thinking to make sense.

The Peppermint Mocha Murder is a fun read even with a few issues. The premise is original, and hopefully, the author will be able to find a solution to the problems without diminishing the enjoyment of writing the series or reading it.