Christmas Mitten Murders
By Lee Hollis, Lynn Cahoon, Maddie Day
ISBN: 9781496744265
Websites: leehollismysteries.com; lynncahoon.com ; edithmaxwell.com
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS MITTEN KNITTER by LEE HOLLIS
The church’s annual Christmas bazaar is an unqualified success until the local jeweler cries out that a valuable diamond ring has been stolen. Food writer Hayley Powell joins the search for it but discovers something decidedly more shocking—the dead body of a local knitter with a homemade mitten stuffed in her mouth. With only days to spare before the holiday, Hayley must unravel the mystery of Bar Harbor’s crafty killer before someone else receives a deadly gift.
TWO CHRISTMAS MITTENS by LYNN CAHOON
Magic Springs, Idaho, is decked out in its sparkling best for the season, but Mia Malone is almost too busy to notice. Taking a second job at the Lodge to save Mia’s Morsels doesn’t leave her much time for festivities—until she finds a dead body near one red mitten in the snow outside the Lodge during the holiday party. Learning that an ancient curse is at play, Mia must find the missing mitten and solve the murder before someone she loves is the next victim.
MURDEROUS MITTENS by MADDIE DAY
A quiet Christmas in Colinas, California, at her twin sister’s charming B&B is exactly what Cece Barton needs during the holiday hustle of Los Angeles. But the morning after a lovely evening at the local wine bar, Cece learns that the bar’s proprietor, who sells mittens in her spare time, has been found dead, hit on the head with a bocce ball nestled in one of the mittens she sells as a sideline. With her horrified twin one of the main suspects, can Cece unmask the merry murderer before this becomes a holiday from hell? (Goodreads)
Review:
I began this lovely titled Christmas-themed book of three novella’s with a tad bit of trepidation as novella’s are not usually my thing. Adding to this trepidation is that two of the three authors were new to me. I can say that while I did not love the short stories, I did like it well it enough that I am anticipating picking up full length titles by Lee Hollis and Maddie Day to get good exposure with their writing beyond novella’s.
The three stories all contain “mittens” as the common denominator. One story involves a stolen mitten, another has a cursed mitten, and the third story has the mitten as a murder weapon. I wasn’t as engaged in these stories as I would have liked, though I still enjoyed them. Pleasant enough main characters and the mysteries, for the most part, had satisfying endings. This book was perfect for reading when time was limited and one wants the complete tale.
Of the three stories – I most enjoyed Two Christmas Mittens by Lynn Cahoon. The ancient curse theme added a bit of mystique into the tale. Kept my attention throughout. It may well have been that I also have had exposure to this author’s writing previously.
Should you wish to read three short Christmas-themed tales involving mittens (actually a unique theme – at least to me), then I suggest picking up Christmas Mitten Murders and settle in with a hot cup of cocoa or tea and get reading 🙂 . A book to get you into the winter/holiday spirit.
