Merry Christmas everyone!

Here's another great collection of Christmas stories: The Usual Santas: a Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers. Eighteen short stories are divided into three categories about acts of kindness, holiday noir, and holiday secrets. The first section is absolutely delightful and includes the return of the wonderful elderly lady who is 'up to no good' by Helene Tursten. (See blog post from September 20, 2019). All Maud wants is a little peace and quiet ... The 'noir' section is truly that, brace yourself, these are dark, dark stories. Well written, though, and compelling reading. Part of the fun of the third group of stories is figuring out the secret. This was a great read!

Christmas Sweets is a collection of three stories by three well known mystery writers. The one by Joanne Fluke, The Twelve Desserts of Christmas, was not really a mystery, but rather a nice story about six children who could not go home for Christmas (they are in a boarding school) and the teachers who stayed with them. The cook did not have time to make any desserts before she left, but fortunately one of the teachers has a sister with a bakery. They come up with a fun plan as to how they will pick the requisite twelve desserts. Recipes are included. The last thing Jaine expected, when applying for a job is that she would end up as an elf. (Let's just say blackmail is used). In the story from Laura Levine, Nightmare on Elf Street, she ends up in a horrible, tight, ugly costume assisting Santa. One horrible and often drunk, one nice and a delight with the kids. One ends up dead. I'll admit ... I did not see the ending coming! And lastly, the one from Leslie Meier, (who writes wonderful holiday themed mysteries), The Christmas Thief. Something big, make that huge, is going to happen over the Christmas holiday at the hotel where Elizabeth works so all vacations are canceled, and Elizabeth unexpectedly finds herself in a demanding job. One of her duties was to help guard some rare and expensive jewels, which, of course, go missing. She is a suspect, but her Mom and Aunt Tilly (not really an aunt, but everyone calls her that) arrive to help solve the crime. These made for nice reading, with a cup of tea on an overcast December afternoon.

Kate Kingsbury is writing a wonderful series, well, a sub-series, I guess, as the Pennyfoot Holiday Mystery series take place within the Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries. Christmas is coming, guests are gathering, a local ... a demanding local is preparing for her annual pantomime (always a disaster), new staff have .... interesting secrets ... and (naturally) a body is found. It is not a hotel guest, no one recognizes him other than to say he might have been at the gambling table (which is supposed to be for guests only), so who is he, and why is he dead? A Merry Murder is a nice winter time cozy.

Reading Hermit With Dog