Christmas Cookies Mysteries: An Anthology Inspired by The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Cookies Album

by Patricia Bradley (Contributor), Beth Pugh (Contributor), M.M. Chouinard (Contributor)

Everybody loves Christmas … and mysteries. And now the two of them have been combined. We hope you’ll enjoy this fun little project revisiting the Christmas Cookies CD. — Joe Bonsall, The Oak Ridge Boys

Christmas is magical and includes many traditions like decorating the tree, giving gifts, baking cookies … and murder and mayhem?!?! Join in the fun this season and create a new holiday tradition with mysteries from more than a baker’s dozen of award winning authors—all inspired by the songs of The Oak Ridge Boys' Christmas Cookies CD.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing—Patricia Bradley
Ollie Bramlett—Joseph S. Bonsall
From Love to Love—Lisa Preston
Away in a Manger —Beth Pugh
Aunt Elvira’s Jewels (aka Hay Baby)—D. L. Havlin
Little Annie’s Christmas Wish—Christine Clemetson
I’ll be Home for Christmas—Don Bruns
Blessed Be the Day of Our Savior’s Birth—Kathy Harris
Jingle Bells Murder All the Way—Kelly Irvin
Ordinary Days—Delores Topliff
Uncle Luther Made the Stuffing—Vanessa M. Knight
Back to Tennessee—Danielle M Haas
The Warmest Night of the Year—Kaye D. Schmitz
O, Come All Ye Faithful— M.M. Chouinard
O Come All Ye Faithful (Reprise)—Mindy Steele

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Suspense

330 pages, ebook

First published November 2, 2021

About the author

Patricia Bradley is a Romantic Suspense Selah winner, Carol and Daphne du Maurier finalist and the winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. Three anthologies that included her stories debuted on the USA Today Best Seller List.

She and her two cats call Northeast Mississippi home--the South is also where she sets most of her books. Her romantic suspense novels include the Logan Point series, the Memphis Cold Case Novels, and the Natchez Trace Park Rangers. She now hard at work on the second book in her new Pearl River series set in the Cumberland Plateau area above Chattanooga.

Writing workshops include American Christian Fiction Writers, the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference, the KenTen and Scrivener retreats where she was the keynote, Memphis American Christian Fiction Writer group, and the Bartlett Christian Writers group. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.


I love connecting with readers on my blog every Tuesday where I have a Mystery Question for them to solve: www.patriciabradleyauthor.com/blog
Twitter: @ptbradley1
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptbradley1/

Reviews

[Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. I absolutely loved Kelly Irvin's novella Murder All the Way and Kathy Harris novella Blessed Be the Day of Our Savior's Birth the best out of the whole book. You have to grab a copy of this one and it would make a fantastic gift.

[Ellen White · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHRISTMAS COOKIES MYSTERY
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING…Patricia Bradley
Finances at the church were in dire straits, needing a miracle
Would a Christmas Eve Concert with the Oak Ridge Boys do it.
Was he a con man selling them something, or a way of getting money
Beautiful story of miracles do happen when the outlook looks barren.

MURDER ALL THE WAY….Kelly Irwin
Holiday season was a stressful, non stop work. Then having the discord with her husband didn’t help. She couldn’t make a mistake with her catering. business and have the wrong date. The marriage counselor suggested this romantic 48 hour getaway, and he had a surprise for her.
The best was the surprise she had for him, his didn’t work out.
Delightful twist of fate to enjoy….These two were my favorites.
Many authors were new to me and enjoyed reading them.
Given ARC for my voluntary review & opinion

[Barb Beechy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful books full of different kinds of mysteries for different authors. Each story was very well done and kept you wanting more.. the titles were done around a Christmas song from the Oakridge boys, which was awesome as well . I would say to get this book as a Christmas gift for a reader.. they will love it.. I was given an early ARC for an honest review..

[C Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming to Amazon on November 2, 2021. A wonderful collection of Mystery and Christmas stories by some author friends, Mindy Steele Author and Kelly Irvin along with some new to me authors. This is a great collection of mystery stories inspired by Christmas tradition and the Oak Ridge Boys song Christmas Cookies. There’s a little something thrown in from Joe Bonsall. Pre-order yours today.

[Connie Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you one of those people who knows that Christmas is fast approaching but you're still longing for a good read? Well, here's the answer to your dilemma! Christmas Cookies Mysteries is an anthology with 15 short stories that are inspired by The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Cookies Album, and the contributing authors are some of the very best! The book begins with Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Patricia Bradley and ends with O Come All Ye Faithful by Mindy Steele, and the stories in between all revolve around small towns, Christmas traditions, murder and mayhem!

So, grab a cup of coffee or hot cocoa, prop up your feet, and appreciate a brief respite from the hustle and bustle. I recommend Christmas Cookies Mysteries to all who enjoy mysteries but be prepared to also have music playing in your head, because most of the stories have the names of Christmas songs in their titles!

I received a copy of this book but was in no way obligated to post a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

[M.M.]

Hello! I'm one of the authors who contributed to this anthology, and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the opportunity to write one of the stories. I love Christmas, and I love reading feel-good stories at Christmas time--it's a nice break from the darker stories I usually write. I hope you enjoy my little mystery story, and that it brings you a little dash of Christmas cheer!

[Sandy Frykholm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful collection of short mysteries set around Christmas themes. (Though an unfortunate number of errors made it past the final edit in the ebook.) A fun seasonal read.

[Betti · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful way to spend a few hours - reading an anthology of fabulous Christmas mysteries written by 15 well known authors. You will want to put the Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Cookies Album on in the background as you read, bringing the stories and the music to life. There is hope, a miracle or two and the best celebration of Christmas.

An ARC was received through Ally Press. My rating and comments were not solicited but were cheerfully given.

[Jeanne Alfveby Crea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

What a fun collection of Christmas short mystery stories! One of my favorite authors Patricia Bradley leads off with the first short story, followed by Oak Ridge boy himself, Joseph S. Bonsall and 13 additional authors. This anthology was inspired by The Oak Ridge Boys' Christmas Cookie album!

Fans of Christmas short stories will enjoy this collection.

Thank you to Author Patricia Bradley for allowing me to read an early copy. All opinions are my own!

[Kailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice collection of short stories from a variety of different authors! This is perfect for a quick read!


I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

[Mindy Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my word!!! I knew I was privledged to be working with some of the most talented writers of the genre but now that I have had time to read each individual story, confirms it. You cannot pass up this collection of mysteries centered around Christmas and the album inspired by the one and the only, OAK RIDGE BOYS. Small town murder and mystery had never been sweeter.

[Paula Shreckhise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute idea. Some of stories were cute but some were not to my liking.
My favorite three were:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Patricia Bradley. When things seem to be going downhill fast, God makes it right!
Ordinary days by Delores Topliff Mysterious happenings, anything but ordinary.
and From Love to Love by Lisa Preston Heartwarming story of a surprise at Christmas that shows what love can do.
It made me look up the songs on YouTube and listen!
*I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from one of the authors. I was not required to give a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories were REALLY good and enjoyable... others not as good... some didn't seem to have a Christian influence at all others did.

All the stories are novella sized so even the ones I didn't necessarily enjoy were quick reads.

I might appreciated the stories more if I knew more of The Oak Ridge Boys' music! LoL

Disclaimer: I did receive this book from one of the authors but was under no obligation to provide a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[KKEC Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Cookies Mysteries by Various Authors

Published: November 2, 2021
Ally Press
Pages: 312
Genre: Mystery Anthology
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I purchased this book on Amazon, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Patricia Bradley
This was a sweet story about trust, betrayal, and ultimately redemption. I enjoyed the quick pace and the twist, and the ending. Very sweet!

Ollie Bramlett (aka Christmas Cookies) by Joseph S. Bonsall
This felt like the start of what should have been a longer story. But it was interesting. It could have been fleshed out more, but the twist was unexpected, and the ending was a surprise.

From Love to Love by Lisa Preston
This was a sweet story based on characters developed into a series by the author. I might have to read the first book to get more of the backstory because I enjoyed this one so much. Very heartwarming.

Away in a Manger by Beth Pugh
I loved the message in this story! Extremely sweet and something I could identify with. I loved this one so much.

Aunt Elvira’s Jewels (aka Hay Baby) by D.L. Havlin
This was an interesting story, and I enjoyed the themes. I would like to see this fleshed out because I think it could be an exciting novel if done right.

Little Annie’s Christmas Wish by Christine Clemetson
Very heartwarming and filled with emotion. This could also have been a great novel. The concept was unique, and I enjoyed the characters.

I’ll be Home for Christmas by Don Bruns
This could definitely be an entire-length novel. So many aspects that could have been fleshed out and delivered with twists.

Blessed be the Day of Our Savior’s Birth by Kathy Harris
I liked this one. Another that could be an excellent novel if given a chance. I would love to know more about Savannah’s backstory.

Murder All the Way (Jingle Bells) by Kelly Irvin
This was a quick thriller. This also could have been an entire-length novel with the plot. Twisted and dark!

Ordinary Days by Dolores Topliff
This story felt rushed, but I think that was the point. So we could learn to appreciate the “ordinary days,” even when extraordinary things happen.

Uncle Luther made the Stuffing by Vanessa M. Knight
The twist in this one surprised me. The family bond was a solid theme, and I enjoyed how the story unfolded.

Back to Tennessee by Danielle M. Haas
This would be an excellent thriller if each aspect could be fleshed out fully. Scary, twisted, and suspenseful!

The Warmest Night of the Year by Kaye D. Schmitz
This was a charming story. There is a touch of suspense, but mostly this story makes you feel like there are still genuinely kind humans in the world.

O, Come All Ye Faithful by M.M. Chouinard
I don’t know how M.M. Chouinard can write such an emotionally driven story that isn’t an entire-fledged novel, but she did. This story was vivid and beautiful. You visualize the descriptions and feel the warmth.

O, Come All Ye Faithful A Brookhaven Christmas by Mindy Steele
This was a dark Christmas story that ended with a happily ever after.

Overall, all of these short stories were good. Several could absolutely be fleshed out into complete novels. I had a few favorites, but this anthology is an excellent mix of Christmas and suspense.

[Jean Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an Anthology of mysteries set around Christmas. Some of these are quite short, others somewhat longer. Some of the stories I found enjoyable and really good, while others weren't as good. There were a couple that seemed weird to me and some didn't seem as much like Christmas stories while there was one I didn't care much for as it was pretty dark. One story had the Oak Ridge Boys performing at a church after they had been swindled out of money raised by selling tickets to see the Oak Ridge Boys perform. That one was one of my favorites. Overall good stories just some of them were quite different than I was expecting.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like homemade Christmas cookies, each story is different, but each is good.

This anthology is an interesting concept with this collection of short stories mirroring the songs of the Oak Ridge Boys album “Christmas Cookies”. It is always hard to review a collection like this with so many different authors and so many different styles of writing, but overall, it was a good read. And certainly, everyone will find their own favorite story.

I was given an ARC complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

[Vicky Sluiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hang on for a fast ride! These are short intriguing stories that will keep you reading. The authors have written Christmas stories full of drama and suspense, based on the Christmas Cookies Album by The Oak Ridge Boys.

Many different authors, each with a different writing style, make this a unique and fun read. I recommend it for a different type of Christmas book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great short stories!!! A must read!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compilation of short Christmas based mysteries. Short but good.