Winter Whodunnits

by Stacey Alabaster

Curl up with a mug of cocoa, a warm fire, and a dozen murder mysteries

12 cozy mystery novels from best-selling authors to get your blood racing on a cold winter's eve. There's nothing chilling about this chance to explore a dozen of cozies. Curl up for a cocoa, a cookie and a killing!


Winter Whodunnits includes stories from:
* Stacey Alabaster - A Pie to Die For, Book 1 in the Bakery Detectives Cozy Mystery series
* USA Today Bestselling author Anna Celeste Burke - A Merry Christmas Wedding Mystery, a Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery
* USA Today Bestselling author Kathi Daley - Much Ado About Felines, a Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery
* Nell Goddin - The Third Girl, Book 1 in the Molly Sutton Mysteries series
* USA Today Bestselling author Alison Golden - The Case of the Fallen Hero, an Inspector David Graham Cozy Mystery
* USA Today Bestselling author Dianne Harman - Murder at Jade Cove, a Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery
* CeeCee James - The Tempting Taste of Danger, a Walking Calamity Cozy Mystery
* Summer Prescott - A Slippery Slope of Murder
* BR Snow -The Case of the Faithful Frenchie, a Thousand Islands Doggy Inn Mystery
* USA Today Bestselling author Shannon VanBergen - The Root of All Evil, a Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery
* Amy Vansant - Pineapple Lies, Book 1 in the Pineapple Port Mystery series
* USA Today Bestselling author JA Whiting - A Haunted Disappearance, a Lin Coffin Mystery

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

2026 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 2, 2018

About the author

I have always loved a good mystery. From my early years watching Murder She Wrote to more recent shows like Monk, Psych, and my absolute favorite BBC show ever, Sherlock, I have studied what it takes to make an entertaining mystery. I am truly blessed to be able to write and share my own mysteries with you. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I loved writing them :)

If you want to keep up with all my new releases, be sure to sign up for my mailing list at FairfieldPublishing.com/cozy-newsletter

Reviews

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a ball reading this anthology and discovering new authors! I already follow a couple and will be adding quite a few to my must read list. I bought the anthology because it had one author I enjoy and one I had been trying to decide if I wanted to read. They were both winners so at the special price, I really won! Although it is made up of shorter books, there are way more pages than the 95 pages noted with the description.

A few books really hooked me and those authors will be on my must read list now.

The big win for me was discovering Amy Vansant and Pineapple Port. Her work had been recommended but I wasn't sure about the 55+ community connections. The book was a blast!!! It was so funny without going too far into silly. This is not a book to read in public or when you are drinking because you WILL break out in unexpected laughter. Both plot and characters were great and a bit unexpected.

Before reading Murder at Jade Cove, I had only read one book by Diane Harmon and it was good but didn't hook me. Jade Cove was excellent even if I didn't like that she lied casually to keep people from worrying about her. I will be checking out more of her books. The dogs are always a plus!

I already love Summer Prescott's writing. She is already a must read for me and Slippery Slope of Murder was a great example of her outstanding cozy mysteries. They are well above the typical cozy.

J.A. Whitting was the author I wanted to check out and I was so glad I did. I will definitely be following this series and looking out others. Again outstanding characters, the basis upon which I most judge books, and the plot was intriguing and heart touching.

The other books were good, either just not as good or not as much to my taste. I read the two books I bought it for and then set it aside. Once I started on it again I couldn't stop until I had read them all.

[Linda Rainey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing Collection

His is an amazing collection of Winter cozy mysteries.
I enjoyed the varied settings,characters and story lines.
It was nice reading books by familiar authors and new to me authors.
My to be read like is increasing.
This collection is recommended for cozy mystery lovers.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection. I am about half way through and have found a couple of gems. The Case of the Fallen Hero and Much Ado About Felines. A Pie to Die For and A Murder at Jade Cove are both a solid 3 stars. I almost always find new authors and/or series to read when I buy these collections. Well worth the .99 cents!

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This set features all the authors from the "Summer Whodunnits" plus an additional six--double your pleasure and fun! Many of the titles are first (or later)-in-series and, if you haven't read them, serve as a great introduction, but at least one is a brand new title. Most of these authors are on my "must read" list so you know I jumped at this set giving me a dozen titles for less than the price of one!

So, let's play a game, flow chart style:
1-Do you like Cozy Mysteries? YES->Go to 2. NO->Are you sure? You might want to give these a try!
2-Have you read ALL these titles? YES->Write a review! NO->Buy the box!

Note: I had already read about a quarter of the titles and am rapidly inhaling the remaining ones. Are there some I like better than others? Of course! And I've written/am writing individual reviews as I read. (Feel free to check them out!)

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like cozy mysteries, this is the set for you. Each author has their own style of writing and each story will take you to a different place. You can meet "new friends" and enjoy the mysteries. I enjoyed each story in this set.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Fantastic

The collection of books is absolutely positively fantastic. Not only is each every one a great book but the collection contains many of my favorite characters from series I follow. I'd definitely recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys cozies.

[Renee Collins]

Exceptional....you’ll love it...as soon as hit my library, I started reading and didn’t stop...

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I give Winter Whodunits 4.25 Stars and urge you to read this collection of cozies.

****A Pie to Die For by Stacy Alabaster-- 4 Stars

This was a cute story with an eclectic cast of characters. We met the victim just long enough to know she was a real witch and no one would miss her. Everyone had a reason to want her gone. Rachael is positive the police suspect her so she sets out to find the real killer with the help of her best friend, Pippa. Of course, Detective Whitaker wants her to stay out of it and let him do his job. When Rachael and Pippa figure out "Whodunit", the Bakery Detectives are born. People kept referring to Pippa as an airhead but I thought the description fit Rachael, too. It was never really explained what killed the victim or why Rachael wasn't making any money since she didn't have the bad reviews the other businesses did. A few loose ends needed explaining. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more in the series.



****A Merry Christmas Wedding Mystery by Anna Celeste Burke-- 5 Stars

Another terrific addition to the Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series. There is never a dull moment at Marvelous Marley World!! From Mad Max trying to hijack Georgie and Jack's wedding 👰to temperamental actors to clandestine affairs and secret marriages to cats🐱, there is something interesting and entertaining going on all the time! I was hooked from the beginning! I had the wrong villain😈 picked out. The wrong reason, too. It was definitely a surprise when the dust finally settled.

Grab this awesome mystery, sit back, and enjoy all the hijinks occurring at The Cat Factory! Better yet, start at the beginning and read all the books in the series.



****Much Ado About Felines by Kathi Daley-- 4 Stars

Much Ado is an entertaining cozy mystery. At first, I felt sorry for the victim but as the story unfolded, my sympathy evaporated. Not that she deserved to die but she wasn't a nice person and had caused a lot of misery for many people. There were plenty of suspects but I had figured out who the murderer was before it was revealed. That did not take away from my enjoyment. I would have liked some follow-up on what happened to all the murder victim's victims after the murder was solved The secondary mystery was heartbreaking, yet...I wish everyone could experience a love like that. I loved the idea of Coffee Cat Books. I would definitely be a regular.



****The Third Girl by Nell Goddin-- 2 Stars

This story had potential but, IMO, never quite hit the mark. There were so many places where the grammar was stilted with odd syntax. (I'm not talking about the dialogue between people speaking different languages.) It was odd to me to have a short chapter here and there giving a few details about the male characters when they were young. I could have understood getting glimpses of the killer's childhood to explain the murders (without revealing who he was) but to me these chapters felt off. The why and how behind the murder was never really explained. Molly's sudden realization of who the murderer was when she saw headlights on the road seemed like a huge leap to me. Not to mention, he was after her because he knew she had it figured out. How did he know? Was he responsible for the other girls' disappearances? Then there were things like her interest in the underwear and Lawrence blurting out that he was gay. ??? Amy's parents are another problem for me...



****The Case of the Hidden Flame by Alison Golden-- 5 Stars

I love Alison's Reverend Annabelle Dixon Mysteries but this was my first Inspector David Graham Mystery. I will definitely be reading more of this series. I love the way British police mysteries are all about using your brain to piece together the information instead of guns and shoot-outs. The four officers in this story are an eclectic mix and each one brings different talents to the investigation. I had the murderer figured out. I love when the author and I are on the same wavelength. 🙂



****Murder at Jade Cove by Dianne Harman-- 3.5 Stars

The plot was interesting with several twists and there was an eclectic cast of characters. I had the killer figured out early on but that didn't detract from the story. I enjoyed the story but there are several reasons I didn't give it more stars. For example: Why would Mike tell Kelly to stay at the scene of the murder when the murderer could have still been there? Brandon didn't seem very affected by his dad's death which I found odd, especially considering his girlfriend was recently murdered. Doc was looked at as a wonderful man but I don't see him that way. He's living off-grid to avoid paying a court ordered settlement. Not cool. The drug cartel was beyond unbelievable. I can't see any member of a cartel acting the way that man did. The dialogue felt odd--not the way people normally talk.




****The Tempting Taste of Danger by CeeCee James--5 Stars

A bookstore with an escape room upstairs is an interesting concept. Add in a murder, a theft, and a stalker and you've got an entertaining mystery with multiple suspects.. The story is full of twists that kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to reading more Walking Calamity Mysteries.




****A Slippery Slope of Murder by Summer Prescott--3.5 Stars

I enjoyed this story. There were definitely some unexpected twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. I was so surprised by who the murderer turned out to be and the reason behind the murders.

I didn't give the story more stars because there were several things about the book that bothered me: Sunny turned her back on her sister and the man she loved--I still don't fully understand why she did. Dean marrying Darla when he didn't love her made me lose respect for him. Why did he put up with her abuse? It amazed me how Darla changed so quickly in rehab. The police didn't seem very competent. Butch acted like an arse to Sunny, yet...(I won't write a spoiler.)

There were also major discrepancies like this example: Both times, Sunny is referencing her sister.
she spotted her sister, who looked like her twin aside from their builds.--from Ch 1
“Have you ever wondered how we could be sisters and look so different?”-- from Ch 23



****The Case of the Faithful Frenchie by B.R. Snow--4 Stars

This was an entertaining story with an eclectic, quirky cast of characters. I loved the Pirate Days festivities, especially the Parade of Dogs. And Freddie. Suzy definitely is good at picking up on clues and her intuitions about people are usually accurate. I don't know that I've ever read about a family as absolutely dysfunctional as the Winters'. They are pathetic. The revelation about Summerman was certainly a surprise and a bit 'out of this world.'

This was my first A Thousand Islands Doggy Inn Mystery but I intend to read more of the series.



****The Root of All Evil by Shannon VanBergen--5 Stars

This is the second Glock Grannies Mystery I've read. I love the humor liberally interspersed with the seriousness of the mystery. I want to have the get-up-and-go and gumption of this quirky group of senior citizens. The story kept me turning the pages and the twists and turns kept me guessing until the end. I highly recommend reading this series of books.



****Pineapple Lies by Amy Vansant--5 Stars

This is the second Pineapple Port Mystery I have read. I love the way the members of the retirement community took Charlotte under their collective wing and made she sure she had a loving, safe environment in which to grow up. I love the antics this group gets up to. While this is a murder mystery, there is plenty of humor throughout the book. There are multiple suspects and twists and turns that kept me turning pages. I look forward to reading more stories in this series.



****A Haunted Disappearance by J.A. Whiting--5 Stars

An entertaining mystery with plenty of twists and turns and an ending that caught me entirely by surprise. The murderer was someone I suspected for the very first murder but I was shocked to learn how they were all connected. I like the fact that Lin can see ghosts but doesn't know how to really communicate with them. I'm sure she will learn how as the series continues. I look forward to reading more of this series.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boxed set of cozy mysteries for curling up on a cold winter's night - oh boy! (I know, it's Spring, but I got busy and fell a little behind - but really, these books can be read in any season). I love mysteries, and cozies are a sub-genre I've recently discovered. For the uninitiated - a cozy mystery is lead by an amateur sleuth, usually a woman (Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency are all good examples). Often cozies are written as a series, and have some sort of theme - if the amateur sleuth is a knitter, for example, both the titles and plots will involve knitting in some way.
I find cozies to be a bit hit-or-miss. Some are really great, suspenseful mysteries, yet many are more like chick-lit with a thin veneer of mystery. Sometimes the lead character doesn't so much solve the mystery as sort of stumble upon the moment the killer is revealed, becoming more of an observer than active participant.
That being said, I liked a few of the stories in this set, namely "A Pie to Die For," The Third Girl," "The Tempting Taste of Danger," "A Slippery Slope of Murder" (which seems to have been written for the boxed set), and "The Root of All Evil."
I'm a huge fan of Alison Golden, so "The Case of The Hidden Flame" comes highly recommended - part of a tight, well-written series about a British detective on the island of Jersey. All of Alison Golden's books are a bit like modern Agatha Christie or Josephine Tey - Maybe because she's British. :) "Pineapple Lies" is a new favorite - a great mystery and refreshingly hilarious, I can't wait to read the rest of the series! :)
The rest of the books in this set I just couldn't get into and didn't finish, which is why I gave the set as a whole only three stars.

[Cher Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

like the shorter stories; and that they can be stand alone or read in sets and continued; however if you read like book 3 or 4, you are missing something; by not starting at the beginning.
great variety of genres in the stories also. Some just plain ole sleuthing; some paranormal; is a variety of settings.

[Elaine Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction to authors new to me.

Enjoyed all the books, although some grabbed me more than others. I will definitely search out these authors for future reading. I like that these are clean enough that, if I had the hardbound books, I would not feel the need to hide them away from my children.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better stories than most collections

The stories in this collection are much better than most. I enjoyed a few of the stories so much that I checked other books by those authors. For those who are driven to distraction by such things - there are very few typographical or grammatical errors. Several clever mysteries in one package. A good buy.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a collection! I was entertained by this stellar group of stories. All of them kept my attention and I met a few new characters I love. Will read more of the authors contained herein. Great work ladies!

[Roslyn Donohoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of stories.

These stories are all great. I enjoyed them all. I think one story I had read before and for some I had read the author in other series. A thoroughly enjoyable book. Very well worth the read.

[Leila Pitchford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stores uneven

The stories in this collection ranged dramatically in quality. Some were just not well written. Others were fantastic. Themes varied: ghosts, baking, a wedding, cats, dogs, various towns, serious, funny.

[Rita Dempski · Rating 5 out of 5]

.Good books

These books where very good...kept me entertained for a long time. Some were more mysterious than others; some of the stories had some fun mixed in with the storyline. I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

.Wow, 💘 this set of books.

These 12 books were awesome - each one held my interest to where I did not want to put it down - finding out who done it was the fun part as I was not always right so I got a surprise - I would recommend this to everyone that 💘 a great. cozy mystery!!

[Philippa Milback]

Wonderful mystery stories

If you're looking for something to read during vacation, this collection of mysteries will fill the need. Good story lines and lots of character development throughout every story. I was anxious to see how each mystery unfolded. Enjoy!!!

[Carol Lange · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I need some (tutoring) help with the books I try to read. How in the world can I ever read them all if everything changes and I have to spend days looking for the book I was reading.
Am just not savy enough!

[Dazeeann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading

Great stories, a lot of detail, maybe a little less would be better, I know it would make the story shorter, but the books were all really good, and interesting

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an outstanding collection of mystery books to occupy your time. Each and every one is intriguing in its own with lots of suspense to go around. Received a free copy.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy book to review

This is not really a book, but an anthology of short novellas. Some of them I liked, others not very much. All I can do is give give it a middle rating.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

This was a fun group of books to read. A great way to pass a cold quiet weekend at home.

[1furrball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reading

This set is a fast read one. Each story holds your attention and keeps you guessing on who the killer is.

[barbara evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

Great box set! Some of my must read authors in with nee must follow authors. You can't go wrong will this set.

[Claudia Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great way to meet new authors

Some very well written books, a few others not so much, but a great showcase of varied talent. I plan to buy more collections like this.

[FRAN BASSETT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great light reading.

Almost like short stories. Quick and fun to read. Let’s me take a break from some of the serious books in my list. Plus, you can’t beat the price!

[Linda Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable variety of who dunnits

Wide variety of mysteries gets to the point in the story where it is hard to put down because you have to know who did it!!

[Lucie P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good some fair

Some books were good, others only fair. All in all, not bad for the price
Makes for a light summer reading collection

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Whodunnits

These Cozy Mysteries was GREAT. Kept me trying to figure out the right villian. The last story really was a surprise to me.