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

Facebook ~ Website ~ AmazonAuthorPage ~ Goodreads

Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa 2021

From my home to yours, may your holiday season be healthy and happy, regardless of what you celebrate or observe. As a reader, I continue to "escape" the pandemic and the confines through books. What about you? Here are some of the newest Christmas cozy mysteries I found this year - several are on my TBR list. Definitely not all that are out there. Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments! (I'll add them to my list for next year!) Note: Descriptions are shortened versions from Amazon.

Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: Santa Who? (A Gooseberry Bay Mystery) by Kathi Daley. Ainsley Holloway had come to Gooseberry Bay to find answers about her past. She'd come to find an explanation for the dreams that haunted her after the death of the cop who'd both rescued and raised her. 

And she’d come to identify the family she couldn’t remember but knew in her heart she’d once belonged to.

Christmas Dessert Murder (A Hannah Swenson Mystery) by Joanne Fluke. It's Christmas in Lake Eden, Minnesota, and there's no better way to enjoy the holidays than by cozying up to two Hannah Swenson yuletide mysteries with a plateful of goodies from the Cookie Jar Bakery. Yes, two Christmas stories. Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!

Tangled Up in Tinsel (A Kenni Lowry Mystery) by Tonya Kappes. Don't get your tinsel in a tangle... It's Christmastime in Cottonwood, Kentucky, and Sheriff Kenni Lowry is determined to keep the peace. Plus, the snowstorm of the century is headed right toward Cottonwood, leaving the residents in a frantic frenzy and potentially derailing Kenni’s Christmas plans with Finn. There's been a murder and there's a tinsel wrapped victim at the center of it. 

Slashing Through the Snow (A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery) by Jacqueline Frost. Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in - Karen.The short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Karen's dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box.

Mistletoe Cake Murder (All Day Breakfast Cafe Mystery Book 6) by Lena Gregory. 'Tis the season for celebrating when Gia Morelli's holidays include both a wedding and yuletide festivities. Until someone naughty delivers a most unwanted Christmas gift - murder. Gia’s caterer friends are the prime suspects in what appears to be murder by poisoning. Includes recipes from the All-Day Breakfast Café!

The Twelve Jays of Christmas (A Meg Langslow Mystery) by Donna Andrews. Meg and Michael's annual holiday celebration is well underway, with a throng of out-of-town relatives staying at their house. Hosting these festivities is a little harder than usual - they have to relocate all the events normally held in their library, currently occupied by Roderick Castlemayne, the irascible wildlife artist...

Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off (A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery) by Darci Hannah. Tucked away inside an old lighthouse in Beacon Harbor, Michigan, bakeshop cafe owner Lindsey Bakewell is ready to make her first Christmas in town shine bright. But her merry plans crumble fast when murder appears under the mistletoe...

Twisted Tea Christmas (A Tea Shop Mystery) by Laura Childs. Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are catering a Victorian Christmas party at a swanky mansion in downtown Charleston. Drucilla Heyward, the hostess is one of the wealthiest women in town. Theodosia finds her crumpled unconscious in the hallway... a syringe sticking out of her neck.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder (A Catering Hall Mystery) by Maria DiRico. Astoria, Queens, is decorated within an inch of its life for the Christmas season, and Mia Carina is juggling her job at the Belle View with a case of murder. Amid the holiday celebrations, she intends to find out who's the guilty party... Italian recipes included.

Fleece Navi Dead (A Kiki Lowenstein Mystery) by Joanna Campbell Slan. Every holiday season, Kiki Lowenstein plans 12 days of classes, her Holiday Craft Extravaganza. And every year, it nearly kills her. As the holiday season approaches, Kiki over-schedules herself and winds up running herself ragged. To make life more stressful, she must fend off a stalker.

A Lost Claus (A Christmas Cozy Mystery) by Mona Maple. As Christmas approaches in Candy Cane Hollow, it's time for the annual Claus family ice fishing trip. Holly Wood (yes, that's her real name) is a ball of nerves about meeting all of Nick Claus' relatives, until the trip ends in disaster. This is the third book in the series.

Nothing strike your fancy? Here's another selection of Cozy Christmas cozies (old and new) to consider.