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Festive Mayhem 2
Seven crime writers of color have teamed up for the second year running to offer you the gift of escape this holiday season. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Halloween to New Year's, cozy mystery fans are bound to find a favorite holiday represented in this limited-time collection of exclusive, never-before-published seasonal short stories.
What you'll find inside:
• "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth. A suspected poisoning leads Cherry Hills, Washington animal rescue maven Imogene Little to spend New Year’s Eve 1999 tracking down a would-be murderer.
• "The Brotherhood of Tricks and Treats" by Francelia Belton. A young man wants to fit in with his older brothers, but gets in over his head.
• "Cookies, Lies & Homicide" by Angela Henry. When lonely widow Mercy Davenport finds a lost dog, she has no idea searching for its owner will land her in the middle of a murder mystery, putting her in the crosshairs of a killer and on the radar of a grumpy local police detective.
• "Last Bite" by Rhoda Berlin. When Emily introduces her fiancé to her family, Thanksgiving comes to a fateful end.
• "A Praline for Pepe" by Carolyn Marie Wilkins. Carrie McFarland’s psychic powers are tested when a showboat featuring a racist revue brings a handsome stranger, a new cuisine, and a cold-blooded killer to Aaronsville, Indiana in 1921.
• "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard. Debutante Chelsea Parker's birthday celebration launched his catering business into an overnight success, but Milo is thrown into the center of a murder investigation before dawn with his business partner and love of his life as the primary suspect.
• "The Jollof Rice and Crayfish Mystery" by Stella Oni. Elizabeth Ojo senses trouble when billionaire businessman Chief Arowolo, his wives and family come to celebrate his 75th birthday in the Mews, and she is not wrong as Chief collapses on the day of his celebration.
Bonus recipes are included for each story!
This anthology is only available for a short time, so grab it now before it's gone. It would be criminal to miss it!
What you'll find inside:
• "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth. A suspected poisoning leads Cherry Hills, Washington animal rescue maven Imogene Little to spend New Year’s Eve 1999 tracking down a would-be murderer.
• "The Brotherhood of Tricks and Treats" by Francelia Belton. A young man wants to fit in with his older brothers, but gets in over his head.
• "Cookies, Lies & Homicide" by Angela Henry. When lonely widow Mercy Davenport finds a lost dog, she has no idea searching for its owner will land her in the middle of a murder mystery, putting her in the crosshairs of a killer and on the radar of a grumpy local police detective.
• "Last Bite" by Rhoda Berlin. When Emily introduces her fiancé to her family, Thanksgiving comes to a fateful end.
• "A Praline for Pepe" by Carolyn Marie Wilkins. Carrie McFarland’s psychic powers are tested when a showboat featuring a racist revue brings a handsome stranger, a new cuisine, and a cold-blooded killer to Aaronsville, Indiana in 1921.
• "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard. Debutante Chelsea Parker's birthday celebration launched his catering business into an overnight success, but Milo is thrown into the center of a murder investigation before dawn with his business partner and love of his life as the primary suspect.
• "The Jollof Rice and Crayfish Mystery" by Stella Oni. Elizabeth Ojo senses trouble when billionaire businessman Chief Arowolo, his wives and family come to celebrate his 75th birthday in the Mews, and she is not wrong as Chief collapses on the day of his celebration.
Bonus recipes are included for each story!
This anthology is only available for a short time, so grab it now before it's gone. It would be criminal to miss it!
- GenresMystery
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2021
9 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Paige Sleuth
59 books103 followersPaige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen. She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats' demands, she writes.
Please join her readers' group so she can keep in touch.
Please join her readers' group so she can keep in touch.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2021
These 7 novellas are perfect when you are looking for a bite or a snack to read and don't have time for a full-length novel.
The stories cover major holidays and are set in the past, the present, and even in various countries.
I enjoyed reading each one and being exposed to a new cozy author and will be looking for more works by these authors.
Sometimes I solved the mystery before the reveal, and sometimes I didn't. About my average speed when reading a mystery.
I liked that there are recipes at the end and there are a few that I want to try out soon.
We give this book 4 paws up.
The stories cover major holidays and are set in the past, the present, and even in various countries.
I enjoyed reading each one and being exposed to a new cozy author and will be looking for more works by these authors.
Sometimes I solved the mystery before the reveal, and sometimes I didn't. About my average speed when reading a mystery.
I liked that there are recipes at the end and there are a few that I want to try out soon.
We give this book 4 paws up.
September 26, 2021
Festive Mayhem 2 Earns 5/5 Cozy Delights…Entertaining Fun!
Festive Mayhem returns with a second set of cozy mysteries from seven popular authors from the United States and the UK: Paige Sleuth, Francelia Belton, Angela Henry, Rhoda Berlin, Carolyn Marie Wilkins, Barbara Howard, and Stella Oni. Marla Bradeen has compiled seven outstanding short stories not only portraying the surprising nature of various holidays, of course, but also various family dynamics, devious secrets, jjust the right amount of “mayhem” to cause an audible “Oh, my!”, and karmic justice enough to be satisfied. Despite each story being short, they are filled with vivid descriptions, engaging banter, and rich characters making each short worth of a longer story—several are from current series. Tasty Bonus! With each story having a culinary element, easy-to-follow recipes directly from one of the short cozies have been included in the book with a photo to illustrate the final product. Enjoy: Imogene Little’s No-Bake (and No Poison!) Peanut Butter Balls, Vincent’s Krispie Balls: Salted Caramel Popcorn Cocoa Krispie Treats, Festive Cranberry Date-Nut Doodles from Mercy Davenport, the Korean treat Japchae à la Aunt, Matisse’s Praline King Cake, Pink Kisses from MJ Catering, and Jollof Rice, sans the crayfish, from Elizabeth.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author and editor. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.
Festive Mayhem returns with a second set of cozy mysteries from seven popular authors from the United States and the UK: Paige Sleuth, Francelia Belton, Angela Henry, Rhoda Berlin, Carolyn Marie Wilkins, Barbara Howard, and Stella Oni. Marla Bradeen has compiled seven outstanding short stories not only portraying the surprising nature of various holidays, of course, but also various family dynamics, devious secrets, jjust the right amount of “mayhem” to cause an audible “Oh, my!”, and karmic justice enough to be satisfied. Despite each story being short, they are filled with vivid descriptions, engaging banter, and rich characters making each short worth of a longer story—several are from current series. Tasty Bonus! With each story having a culinary element, easy-to-follow recipes directly from one of the short cozies have been included in the book with a photo to illustrate the final product. Enjoy: Imogene Little’s No-Bake (and No Poison!) Peanut Butter Balls, Vincent’s Krispie Balls: Salted Caramel Popcorn Cocoa Krispie Treats, Festive Cranberry Date-Nut Doodles from Mercy Davenport, the Korean treat Japchae à la Aunt, Matisse’s Praline King Cake, Pink Kisses from MJ Catering, and Jollof Rice, sans the crayfish, from Elizabeth.
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author and editor. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.
October 28, 2021
Read my review on NovelsAlive.com by clicking the link below. It is also posted in full.
https://novelsalive.com/2021/10/28/3-...
I rated the book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars here and on other sites.
Festive Mayhem 2 is a holiday anthology spanning several different celebrations. There are seven stories set in different locations, and all are written by different authors who are new to me. The stories are cozy mysteries and have food and cooking at their core, but they were vastly different in their storytelling and approach to the murders and mayhem. It was a nice touch that recipes in the back of the book tie into the stories.
The stories were short and didn’t have the depth I expected. Since many were connected to other stories by the authors, I felt I was expected to know about specific relationships and details without being given the necessary background information. Some characters were difficult to like, and others seemed to get what they deserved. A few of the stories had a nice flow, while others were choppy. The stories all ended abruptly and unexpectedly as if there were more of the story to tell.
The cover with the skull and bones on the gingerbread house hints at something mysterious and possibly dangerous will be inside awaiting us while we read the book. At just over two hundred pages, Festive Mayhem 2 was a quick and somewhat enjoyable read. I might look into reading the first Festive Mayhem.
I rated the book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars here and on other sites.
https://novelsalive.com/2021/10/28/3-...
I rated the book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars here and on other sites.
Festive Mayhem 2 is a holiday anthology spanning several different celebrations. There are seven stories set in different locations, and all are written by different authors who are new to me. The stories are cozy mysteries and have food and cooking at their core, but they were vastly different in their storytelling and approach to the murders and mayhem. It was a nice touch that recipes in the back of the book tie into the stories.
The stories were short and didn’t have the depth I expected. Since many were connected to other stories by the authors, I felt I was expected to know about specific relationships and details without being given the necessary background information. Some characters were difficult to like, and others seemed to get what they deserved. A few of the stories had a nice flow, while others were choppy. The stories all ended abruptly and unexpectedly as if there were more of the story to tell.
The cover with the skull and bones on the gingerbread house hints at something mysterious and possibly dangerous will be inside awaiting us while we read the book. At just over two hundred pages, Festive Mayhem 2 was a quick and somewhat enjoyable read. I might look into reading the first Festive Mayhem.
I rated the book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars here and on other sites.
Read
May 8, 2022Thank you to everyone who supported Festive Mayhem 2! The anthology is no longer available, but some of the stories still are. Find them here:
• "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth
• "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard
• "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth
• "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard
Read
February 1, 2022Thank you to everyone who supported Festive Mayhem 2! The anthology is no longer available, but some of the stories still are. Find them here:
• "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth
• "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard
• "Nefarious New Year" by Paige Sleuth
• "A Cup of Secrets" by Barbara Howard
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews