Book Review: As the Christmas Cookie Crumbles by Leslie Budewitz
My Honest Opinion
I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
In Jewel Bay, all is merry and bright. At Murphy’s Mercantile, AKA the Merc, manager Erin Murphy is ringing in the holiday season with food, drink, and a new friend: Merrily Thornton. A local girl gone wrong, Merrily’s turned her life around. But her parents have publicly shunned her, and they nurse a bitterness that chills Erin.
When Merrily goes missing and her boss discovers he’s been robbed, fingers point to Merrily—until she’s found dead, a string of lights around her neck. The clues and danger snowball from there. Can Erin nab the killer—and keep herself in one piece—in time for a special Christmas Eve? (Goodreads synopsis)
I have not read anything by Leslie Budewitz, which after reading this one is a travesty. I will be adding her to my list of authors.
This was a fun, entertaining, and festive story to read. I want to go to Montana so badly, especially in the winter, and I felt the holiday cheer as well as the grief. I felt the author described a winter Montana, and its drawbacks, in a way that people would remember to be prepared when visiting. While Jewel Bay is the author’s creation, she has stated that it is based off of a real village in NW Montana as well as other locations, provinces in Canada. Another location on my travel to-go list.
The characters were realistic, personable, and exactly what I figure a small-town community would be like. Throughout the story, I empathized with Merrily, and how she must have felt being shunned by her family. The scene of her mother yelling at her in public caused even my cheeks to heat up in embarrassment. I felt for Erin, when she refused to give up on finding out what exactly happened to Merrily for her daughter’s sake. I also felt for Detective Bello, being a new guy in a new village. It’s hard especially when where you have been before is so different from where you are now.
The mystery was well thought out, and provided several twists and turns. I had several suspicions, and suspected multiple people, but it wasn’t until closer to the end that things started solidifying. I followed along with Erin the whole way.
What the synopsis doesn’t mention is how Erin is solving the mystery while also planning her wedding which is only a few weeks away. While we get some details leading up to the wedding day, I would have liked a little more detail to Erin and Adam’s wedding itself. But I thought the interaction with Adam’s family was adorable.
I also was refreshingly happy that there was absolutely no love triangle, or crushes of any kind, that might make Erin question her upcoming marriage. And while Bello starts off as if he will be against Erin, it turns out that he will not outright dismiss her either. I understand his reluctance, because it is the same feeling I have about many amateur detectives. However, Erin has shown (in this novel at least) that she is smart and will not take unnecessary risks to herself.
As always I love the addition of recipes at the book of any book. I have already copied a few of them to try this holiday season. For anyone wanting a mystery but still stay in the festive mood, I would strongly recommend this novel.
Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars. I will have to start back at the beginning with this series, and maybe check out her other ones as well.
About the Creator
Caitlin Gonya
I love reading. Everything and, just about anything, I can put my hands on. I was guided towards writing, so I started with book reviews, and am now feeling ready to showcase some of my stories. I would appreciate any constructive feedback.
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Book Review: Tomes, Scones, and Crones by Colleen Gleason
I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. At forty-eight, Jacqueline Finch has a nice, easy life with few responsibilities: she’s been a librarian in Chicago for twenty-five years, she doesn’t have a husband, children, or pets, and she’s just coasting along, enjoying her books and a small flower garden now that she’s over the hill. That is, until the Universe (helped by three old crones) has other ideas. All at once, Jacqueline’s boring life is upended, and the next thing she knows, she’s heading off to Button Cove to start a new life as the owner of Three Tomes Bookshop. The bookstore is a darling place, and Jacqueline is almost ready to be excited about this new opportunity until Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Danvers show up. Somehow, the literary characters of Sherlock Holmes’s landlady and Rebecca deWinter’s creepy and sardonic housekeeper are living persons who work at the bookshop. Not only does Jacqueline have to contend with them—and the idea that people regularly eat pastries while reading books in her store!—but the morning after she arrives, the body of a dead man is found on her property. Things start to get even more strange after that: Jacqueline is befriended by three old women who bear a startling resemblance to the Witches Three from Macbeth, an actual witch shows up at her bookshop and accuses Jacqueline of killing her brother, and the two women who own businesses across the street seem determined to befriend Jacqueline. And then there’s the police detective with the very definite hot-Viking vibe who shows up to investigate the dead body. The next thing Jacqueline knows, her simple life is no longer quiet and unassuming, and she’s got crones, curses, and crocodiles to deal with. And when a new literary character appears on the scene, things start to get even more hairy and Jacqueline is suddenly faced with a horrible life and death situation that will totally push her out of her comfort zone if she’s brave enough to let it. After all, isn’t forty-eight too late for an old dog to learn new tricks? (Fantastic Fiction synopsis)
By Caitlin Gonya3 years ago in Geeks
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Perhaps one of the best known modern plays in all of 20th century theatre, ‘Death of a Salesman’ is a 1949 play written by Arthur Miller. Set in Brooklyn, it takes place over two acts and portrays the tragedy of the Loman household - specifically that of protagonist Willy Loman. It deals with the crushing of the American Dream and forces the audience to confront the harsh truth about what America has become. It ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play and as it is revived many times we in literature and drama hope it can continue its influence for years to come.
By Annie Kapura day ago in Geeks
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