Plundered Christmas

Talbott Family Mystery #3

by Susan Lyttek

Compelled to spend Christmas on a private island with her father's future bride and her family, Jeanine learns that Margo Banet is descended from a pirate queen. Relatives and friends all have their reasons for attending the festivities--including the legendary treasure. But when Margo's nephew winds up dead and a violent storm cuts them off from the mainland, Jeanine has to wonder if they will solve the mystery before someone else dies trying.

Genres: Mystery, Holiday, Christmas

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2014

About the author

At the tender age of six, calamity struck Susan Lyttek’s childhood home. Actually, the television died and her educator parents who’d just purchased their first home didn’t have the funds to replace it. Thus, she began reading to find escape and solace in story worlds like Narnia, Earthsea, and Prydain, or adventures with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
Later, after told the mystery she wanted to check out from the library with “talking mice, fish, and fairies” didn’t exist, she decided to write the stories she wanted to read. She’s been doing exactly that ever since.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, that means her work crosses genres and formats: from mystery to fantasy, flash fiction to novels, poetry to plays, and magazine articles to devotionals. If it intrigues her, she will write about it!
A diehard supporter of the homeschool community, writing teacher and coach to multiple generations of homeschooled students, she believes that educational paths are by choice, not obligation.
Married to the man who dated her on a bet when they were both teenagers, she chooses to treat life as an adventure and does at least one thing each year that scares her. Why should her characters have all the fun?
Author of the Portal Watchers of Telba YA fantasy series and the Talbott Family mystery series, both with Pelican Book Group, she currently self-publishes her Biblical poetry collections and keeps a weekly blog going on her website.

Reviews

[Carol James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirates, and Clues, and a Storm, oh, my!

Who doesn’t love a Christmas mystery? While the idea of spending Christmas on a friend’s private tropical island might sound like the perfect get-away, Jeanine gets caught right in the middle of a hurricane, a murder, and a hunt for pirate treasure. I enjoyed watching her and her family try to figure out the clues and who-dunit. And…I was completely surprised when the actual guilty person was revealed. Bravo to the author. This is a well-written story full of intrigue that will keep you turning pages. It’s a nice little escape from the winter doldrums.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had an actual happily married couple - quite a novelty! Christmas, pirates, and a treasure hunt - a fun, quick cozy.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Plundered Christmas" is a light but engaging read. It offers a different take on Christmas that's refreshing and can help readers relax during the busy holiday season.
Jeanine and her family must spend Christmas on a private island with her father's future bride Margo Banet and her family. While this special trip sounds like paradise, Jeanine learns that Margo is descended from a pirate queen. Strange things happen on the island, too, including the discovery of a mysterious map, a search for a legendary treasure and the unusual behavior of numerous guests.
Trouble abounds, too. Margo suffers from a shark attack, her nephew winds up dead and a violent storm cuts them off from the mainland. Can Jeanine solve the mystery before someone else dies?
This book is third in a series that features Jeanine and her family, but it can be read alone.
There is a faith element that I appreciated, especially the reminder to trust God to provide in all circumstances.
For an easy, fun and engaging read this Christmas, I recommend "Plundered Christmas."

[Christine L. Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The family tradition has always been to spend Christmas in the family cabin the woods with the grandparents. However, the grandmother died a couple of years ago and now grandad (mid-50s) is seriously involved with Margo, who invites them to her private Caribbean Island estate for the holidays. The story is told from the viewpoint of the daughter (late30s) and her interactions with her two pre-teen mystery solving kids, her husband, grandad with Margo and her extended family members.

Once on the island, they learn Margo’s family secret of being descended from a notorious pirate who was the original inhabitant of the island. Clues are found for buried treasure and the hunt begins and brings about a murder victim. The stakes are high to discover who the murderer is before anyone else is killed and finding the treasure from the mysterious clues. It’s a fun read that offers interesting historic tidbits along the way about pirates and Christmas traditions. It’s a book to read any time of the year.

[Karen Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plundered Christmas hooked me from the start. I immediately connected with the main character and her family, and was excited to see what adventures awaited. Poor Jeanine is taken away from her Christmas traditions, as her family agrees to spend Christmas with her father’s future wife on her private island. Even though they’re on an island, there’s still a giant Christmas tree, and I love the family’s tradition of telling why they decorate the tree and how the tree can represent Christ. The spiritual truths wind their way throughout the story. As the story progresses, so does the mystery. One character is killed, and many mysterious events occur. Jeanine and her family find clues to a pirate treasure.
I enjoyed the relationships between Jeanine and her husband, her father, and her future mother-in-law. Plundered Christmas was a delight from start to finish, and kept me in suspense to the last page!

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful book! The characters are all well developed and I even liked the bad ones and wished they were not bad. I could not put it down because I had to find out what happened next.
My favorite part was where they explained the meaning of the Christmas tree and I read that part to my family. It gives you a warm feeling all over because it is heartwarming.
Thank you Susan for such an enjoyable book.

[Wendy Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful adventure! This story has it all—faith, excitement, pirates and treasure. But most importantly, a driving force of love, family and what it means to incorporate faith into every decision we make. A definite must-read!

[Klarissa Wilkinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5. I had a hard time relating to the main character and sole POV, it felt like the author was writing the character as herself and all the other characters were clouded by the same viewpoint. Even the language of the kids didn’t feel like what they would actually verbalize but how the mom (main character) would say it. I wasn’t prepared for the Christian over (not under) tones, and the writing felt one-dimensional and most of the main characters internal musings were distracting and unnecessary. The protagonist came across as close-minded and not fully self aware but thought she was. But a quick, easy read (wouldn’t have finished otherwise) with a fun setting - private island Christmas murder mystery and treasure hunt.

[EJ Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with Christian mystery. I didn't even know such a thing existed. However, with the focus on God, it definitely takes and changes what we are expecting when we think "mystery."

Jeanine Adorabelle Talbot is the main character. She's a stay-at-home-mom who home schools her two children, Justin and Josie. She's married to a military man named James. And yes, that's a lot of J's in a single family. It's one of the flaws, actually. It made it difficult to keep track of everyone!

This is the third book by Susan. All of them deal with Jeanine and her family. There are references to the other stories in this book, so I'll have to be sure to look into them. However, in this book, they were invited to her father's girlfriend's island for Christmas. Jeanine had a hard time with that idea because Christmas meant cold weather, fires, pageants at the church, and other traditions. Heading down to the tropics for Christmas didn't seem like much fun. To top it off, Margo, her father's girlfriend, definitely had money and was not an easy person to like.

Unfortunately, Christmas took an exciting turn when Margo gets injured, a clue to the age-old Banet family history emerged, and Margo's nephew went missing right before a major storm rolled in. Stuck on the island with the help and Margo's odd family, Jeanine and her children set out to solve the mystery surrounding Margo's family past.

This book, even though it's a mystery, isn't as 'thrilling' as we're used to in mainstream mystery fiction. With the focus being more on God, all of the danger and gruesome details are toned down. Since it's not what one is normally expecting, especially if you're not aware it's a Christian novel, it might set you back a bit. However, she does a masterful job weaving in her belief system into a standard mystery. It's even a book I'd allow my children to read as there's no unnecessary cursing, gore, or anything else of that nature. All in all, I found it a relaxing and enjoyable read.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Plundered Christmas -Talbot Family #3 - Christmas Holiday Extravaganza
Author: Susan Lykket
Published: 12-1-14
Publisher: Pelican Book Group / HarbourLights Books
Pages: 171
Genre: Christian Fiction
Sub Genre: Cozy, Women Sleuths, Amateur Sleuths, Suspense & Thrillers
ISBN: 9781611164619
ASIN: B017QL63Q0
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley

.
When Jeanine and her family are asked to spend Christmas with her father and his fiancé, Margo Banet on her family's Island they learn she is the descendant of Pirates. Margo has a personality that makes it difficult to get to know her well and liking her is questionable. Then Margo is injured, her nephew disappeared and is found dead. A storm cuts the island off from the mainland and Jeanine and her family begin to look into everything from the Banet family secrets to what happened to Margo's nephew.



This Christmas may be different from her remembered ones when she was younger, but her faith and family keep her grounded and strong. When it seems danger surrounds them they know God will keep them safe and use them to bring his plans to fruition. A story that will keep you involved from beginning to end. Filled with humor, intrigue, suspense and a family you cannot help but love. I hope I can return to Gentle Springs often to visit with Jeanine, her family and friends. Although this is the third in the series you will have no problem reading it on its own. Take a peak and you will not come up for air until the exciting ending.



Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...


Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/plund...


Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jeanine Adorabelle Talbot and her family agree to spend Christmas with her father's rich girlfriend, Margo on Margo's family's private island, Jeanine doesn't have a clue what she's in for. While getting Christmas decorations, a note is found that was written by Margo's ancestor--a genuine pirate. Before you know it, Margo ends up with a shark bite--she says she was pushed into the water and her nephew's dead body is found. A big storm is brewing, the electric goes out, and everyone is forced to huddle together with a killer on the loose.

I know it's past Christmas, but this book was one I had wanted to read and I'm glad I did. I loved that the author is a Christian, who filled her book to overflowing with references to Christianity, and how the family relied on the Lord every day. I also appreciated reading about the legend of the Christmas tree. I've never heard that story before.

I highly recommend this book.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time finishing this. It's overburdened with Christian preaching all the way through.

I gave it a two because it's got Christmas on an island during a hurricane. There's a treasure hunt and some murder.

[Twist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. This is a family story, and a Christian story with a murder mystery and a treasure hunt included.