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Murder Most Merry
Mystery, mayhem, and murder provide a singular backdrop for the Christmas holidays in six short whodunits.
Contents:
Christmas cat / Garrison Allen --
Christmas margaritas and murder / Barbara Block --
Marley's ghost / Toni L.P. Kelner --
Too little room at the inn / J. Dayne Lamb --
Deep and crisp and even / James R. McCahery--
Slayride at Spirit Mountain / J.F. Trainor.
Contents:
Christmas cat / Garrison Allen --
Christmas margaritas and murder / Barbara Block --
Marley's ghost / Toni L.P. Kelner --
Too little room at the inn / J. Dayne Lamb --
Deep and crisp and even / James R. McCahery--
Slayride at Spirit Mountain / J.F. Trainor.
349 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1994
1 person is currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Garrison Allen
7 books12 followersaka Gary Amo
Gary Amo is a past-President of the SoCal/MWA and has written several BigMike books under the pseudonym "Garrison Allen." He's also written a fewthrillers under his Amo moniker, including one that was nominated for an Edgar.
Gary Amo is a past-President of the SoCal/MWA and has written several BigMike books under the pseudonym "Garrison Allen." He's also written a fewthrillers under his Amo moniker, including one that was nominated for an Edgar.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 19, 2015
Not a bad collection of Christmas based mysteries: 1) The Christmas Cat. The cat's owner finds the body of Santa Claus dead under the Christmas tree at the tree farm. 2) Christmas Margaritas and Murder. A Christmas trip to Cancun results in a murder based on Mayan sacrifice. 3) Marley's Ghost. The murder of a restaurant owner twenty five years age needs to be solved so that love can flourish. 4) Too Little Room at the Inn. A visit to a quiet country inn results in the murder of one of the guests. 5) Deep and Crisp and Even. The body of a stranger is found by a parishener going to Christmas Mass. 6) Slayride at Spirit Mountain. A woman is murdered on a ski run. These are all good stories but the one Deep and Crisp and even was my favorite. A good collection.
April 17, 2020
This book is a compilation of six short stories by various mystery authors. All the amateur sleuths are women of varying ages. The story I actually wanted to read is the first one by Garrison Allen. I have read #1 in his Big Mike Mysteries and wanted to read this short story titled CHRISTMAS CAT (#1.5) to complete the series. I like short stories to be a whole unto themselves with a beginning, middle, and end. Each of the six stories are part of a series written by the authors. I knew the quirky characters of the Garrison Allen series so had no trouble with it or with some references to things that happened in book #1. But I felt I was beginning in the middle of the other stories, because I have not read any of the books in their series. Therefore, I didn't know the characters or past events mentioned from previous books. It was somewhat confusing.
The six stories are:
1) CHRISTMAS CAT by Garrison Allen - Penelope Warren and Big Mike (an Abyssinian alley cat from Abyssinia) visit a tree lot to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Big Mike spots the right one at the back of the lot, but underneath it is a dead naked Santa who has been shot. Penelope has an honorary police badge and I.D. card from helping the police previously so doesn't hesitate to use them to investigate. Clues lead her to Bootleg Springs and Lion Canyon to find the killer and bags of gold nuggets that were lost in 1881 by a Lost Patrol of soldiers that were ambushed by Apaches.
2) CHRISTMAS, MARGARITAS AND MURDER by Barbara Block - Robin Light is in Cancun for the International Collectors Herpetology Conference with a 16 year boy named Manuel who wears enormous shorts, knee length Metallica tee shirt and pierced ears, side burns and a pompadour. When visiting some ancient pyramids at Chichen Itza, they discover the body of James Johnson who looked like he had been killed in a Mayan sacrifice ceremony. There are plenty of suspects from the conference, and red herrings to keep one confused. The killer was unexpected.
3) MARLEY'S GHOST by Toni L. P. Kelner - Laura Fleming and her husband Richard have returned home to Walters Mill for Christmas. She spends the holidays investigating the 20 year old murder of Fannie Topper who owned a barbecue place. Along with her death was buried the secret of where she hid a cache of money she had saved. Laura's aunt Edna was in love with Caleb Wilkins who was arrested for the murder, but was proved innocent. Too much notoriety forced him to leave town. Laura wants to find him and bring him back as a present for her aunt. There are three possible suspects for the murder, and Laura spends her time at a Christmas party questioning them. If she can find the sack of money, she might also figure out who the murderer is. Can she reunite her aunt Edna and Caleb? Richard's penchant for Shakespeare just might save the day.
4) TOO LITTLE ROOM AT THE INN by J. Dayne Lamb - Teal Stewart, a CPA, wants to getaway from the hustle and bustle of Boston and spend Christmas with some privacy at The River Bank Inn on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine. Unfortunately a local family of seven are using the inn to lodge family in. Mrs. Nichols is the matriarch and her son Robert is in control of everyone else. There is plenty of tension at the table. Later Robert is found murdered in a snow bank. No one seems to be too concerned about it. They all spend time in the kitchen making mincemeat while Teal does some sleuthing. The answer lies in who has trust over the family land and who wanted to sell it.
DEEP AND CRISP AND EVEN by James R. McCahery - 70 something Lavina London is on her way to Mass and Communion at her church in Monticello. When she arrives early in the morning, she hears a door banging on a van near the church. Going over to shut it, she discovers a snow clad body of a man on the ground nearby. He has been stabbed several times. Lavina summons the priest, Father Cernac, and they call the police. While the police are wrapping up at the scene of the crime, the few members of the congregation who showed up join in the mass. Participating is the newly arrived deacon named Andrew Bonavic. He seems hesitant with his new duties. Since Lavina is an amateur sleuth, she notices that something is out of place at the service. Later, she comes up with the answer and the murderer.
SLAYRIDE AT SPIRIT MOUNTAIN by J. F. Trainor - Anishinabe princess Angela Biwaban is visiting family for the holidays and spends time skiing on Spirit Mountain. On the slopes she meets an old friend, Yvonne Pryor, who is working now as an office manager for Polaris Development Corp. The next morning Angela reads in the paper that Yvonne has perished in a skiing mishap. It also says she was found embezzling money from the company. Since Yvonne almost made the Olympic team one time, Angie figures it was murder. She sets out to prove it was and that Yvonne was framed about taking the money. A lot of the story takes place in Grandma Biwabin's kitchen with the family preparing the Christmas dinner. Our native American detective discovers the murderer on the ski slopes and must outwit him to survive.
The last story was my favorite. If you are reading any of these series, then reading these shorts will fill them in for you. Recommended.
The six stories are:
1) CHRISTMAS CAT by Garrison Allen - Penelope Warren and Big Mike (an Abyssinian alley cat from Abyssinia) visit a tree lot to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. Big Mike spots the right one at the back of the lot, but underneath it is a dead naked Santa who has been shot. Penelope has an honorary police badge and I.D. card from helping the police previously so doesn't hesitate to use them to investigate. Clues lead her to Bootleg Springs and Lion Canyon to find the killer and bags of gold nuggets that were lost in 1881 by a Lost Patrol of soldiers that were ambushed by Apaches.
2) CHRISTMAS, MARGARITAS AND MURDER by Barbara Block - Robin Light is in Cancun for the International Collectors Herpetology Conference with a 16 year boy named Manuel who wears enormous shorts, knee length Metallica tee shirt and pierced ears, side burns and a pompadour. When visiting some ancient pyramids at Chichen Itza, they discover the body of James Johnson who looked like he had been killed in a Mayan sacrifice ceremony. There are plenty of suspects from the conference, and red herrings to keep one confused. The killer was unexpected.
3) MARLEY'S GHOST by Toni L. P. Kelner - Laura Fleming and her husband Richard have returned home to Walters Mill for Christmas. She spends the holidays investigating the 20 year old murder of Fannie Topper who owned a barbecue place. Along with her death was buried the secret of where she hid a cache of money she had saved. Laura's aunt Edna was in love with Caleb Wilkins who was arrested for the murder, but was proved innocent. Too much notoriety forced him to leave town. Laura wants to find him and bring him back as a present for her aunt. There are three possible suspects for the murder, and Laura spends her time at a Christmas party questioning them. If she can find the sack of money, she might also figure out who the murderer is. Can she reunite her aunt Edna and Caleb? Richard's penchant for Shakespeare just might save the day.
4) TOO LITTLE ROOM AT THE INN by J. Dayne Lamb - Teal Stewart, a CPA, wants to getaway from the hustle and bustle of Boston and spend Christmas with some privacy at The River Bank Inn on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine. Unfortunately a local family of seven are using the inn to lodge family in. Mrs. Nichols is the matriarch and her son Robert is in control of everyone else. There is plenty of tension at the table. Later Robert is found murdered in a snow bank. No one seems to be too concerned about it. They all spend time in the kitchen making mincemeat while Teal does some sleuthing. The answer lies in who has trust over the family land and who wanted to sell it.
DEEP AND CRISP AND EVEN by James R. McCahery - 70 something Lavina London is on her way to Mass and Communion at her church in Monticello. When she arrives early in the morning, she hears a door banging on a van near the church. Going over to shut it, she discovers a snow clad body of a man on the ground nearby. He has been stabbed several times. Lavina summons the priest, Father Cernac, and they call the police. While the police are wrapping up at the scene of the crime, the few members of the congregation who showed up join in the mass. Participating is the newly arrived deacon named Andrew Bonavic. He seems hesitant with his new duties. Since Lavina is an amateur sleuth, she notices that something is out of place at the service. Later, she comes up with the answer and the murderer.
SLAYRIDE AT SPIRIT MOUNTAIN by J. F. Trainor - Anishinabe princess Angela Biwaban is visiting family for the holidays and spends time skiing on Spirit Mountain. On the slopes she meets an old friend, Yvonne Pryor, who is working now as an office manager for Polaris Development Corp. The next morning Angela reads in the paper that Yvonne has perished in a skiing mishap. It also says she was found embezzling money from the company. Since Yvonne almost made the Olympic team one time, Angie figures it was murder. She sets out to prove it was and that Yvonne was framed about taking the money. A lot of the story takes place in Grandma Biwabin's kitchen with the family preparing the Christmas dinner. Our native American detective discovers the murderer on the ski slopes and must outwit him to survive.
The last story was my favorite. If you are reading any of these series, then reading these shorts will fill them in for you. Recommended.
January 12, 2013
This is a compilation of six short mysteries having to do with the holiday season. A couple of them were very enjoyable but several were just okay. It did make me want to check out other work by a couple of the authors: Barbara Block and Toni Kelner.
May 12, 2017
I like 2 of the stories more than the others, which were only so-so. There's a little of everything in these short stories that someone is sure to find something they like in these cozy mysteries.
April 17, 2017
I read this for the J F Trainor story which I enjoyed. I also like Kelner, and have some Allen and Block which I haven't read. The Lamb story was excellent. Very enjoyable collection.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews