I have a few more Christmas mysteries still to post! :-)

Seems I'm reading the Snow Globe Shop Mystery series, by Christine Husom, out of order, The Iced Princess is the second in the series. (See December 9, 2017 for the others). The holiday season is approaching fast so store owners Camryn and Alice (aka Pinky) hire some extra help. (Their stores are adjoined so they will share). Turns out the new employees do not get along and soon, one of them ends up dead. Other suspects, and events from the past emerge as the police and store owners try and figure out the why and how of the murder. And who, or what, is responsible for the light in the store bathroom going on and off at random times?

For some reason I especially enjoy short stories this time of year so Murder Under the Christmas Tree: Ten Classic Crime Stories for the Festive Season, edited by Cecily Gayford, was the perfect read. It's a collection from familiar authors (Sayers, Doyle, Marsh, Peters, and more) with familiar situations (locked doors, vanishing weapons, 'traditional' motive), making for some needed 'down time' in front of the fire. :-)

And, one last Christmas mystery (I think) (!) Six Cats a Slayin', is part of the Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James. Two notes arrive for Charlie ... one an unwanted invitation to a gathering he'd rather not attend, and one included with a box of five kittens, pleading for him to care for them. He reluctantly goes to the gathering (where the body is found) and happily takes in the kittens. Turns out, the corpse is not who she said she was ... and why had she returned to town claiming to be part of an old family? And who left the kittens? Is it the same person spotted peeking in the windows? Sad and fun, this has been an enjoyable series. Diesel, a Maine Coon Cat (and 'the cat in the stack') is a favorite character of mine.

Reading Hermit With Dog