Book Review: A CHRISTMAS CORPSE ( A Christmas Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) by Kate Forrest writing as Mona Maple

About the Book

Welcome to Candy Cane Hollow, where every day feels like Christmas! 

Holly Wood (yes, that's her real name) is driving home for Christmas and not feeling too happy about the empty house waiting for her. When her car skids into a snow bank, she's rescued by a sweet old lady who promises her name is Mrs Claus.

Holly is taken to Candy Cane Hollow to recover, and finds herself in a genuine winter wonderland. As Christmas Day approaches, the grouchy medical receptionist appears to have been poisoned by a mince pie. And to Holly's surprise, Mrs Claus is the prime suspect. With Mrs Claus under suspicion, Holly vows to return the woman's generosity by clearing her name. Maybe it will impress Mrs Claus' dimpled dish of a son, too? 

Review 

From the character names, the magical surroundings, and the romance budding between Holly and Nick who is hiding his own kind of magic and the busy night ahead of him, this was a fun read. It has all the feels of a Christmas cozy, with the requisite mystery - and everyone knows Mrs. Claus isn't guilty - and a side of romance. 

Mona Maple's writing is flawless and the pace is steady. A major problem with Candy Cane Hollow is that it's hard to quickly identify who the killer is. They are all magical. I enjoyed this one - it's a great start of a series. I'll return to Candy Cane Hollow to enjoy more of this light, magical, world Maple has created.

AMAZON

The Christmas Cozy Mystery Series

A Christmas Corpse

Slay Bells Ring

A Lost Clause

Mistletoe Murder

Candy Cane Killer

Yule Be Sorry

About Mona Marple 

ONE PENNY A STORY, I called across the playground.  

Entirely unusual, given how shy I was (and still am), for me to be shouting anything across a playground. But there I was, a double-sided sheet of narrow ruled paper (I've always been kind of particular about the paper I like. Back then, narrow ruled. Now, grid.) in my hand, selling stories I hadn't yet wrote. 

Every line featured a different title. I'd lay on my bed the night before thinking of them all, probably singing along to Boyzone songs as I did [hey, don't judge... I see you over there like you never thought you were destined to marry a boy band singer...]. My school friends could buy a Mona original for one penny. One penny! 

They'd pick the title they liked, hand over their sweaty penny, and I'd write the story for them. And I've never grown out of writing stories. Now, I write cozy mystery stories from my den in the Peak District, and when I'm not writing them, I'm reading them.

AUTHOR LINKS

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