Christmas Cocoa Murder

It's nearly Christmas in Kilbane, County Cork, but Siobhan O'Sullivan is thinking about the New Year. That's when she officially becomes Garda O'Sullivan. The only thing dampening her enthusiasm is Macdara Flannery still living in Dublin.

In Christmas Cocoa Murder by Carlene O'Connor, the author is joined by Maddie Day, author of Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse, and Alex Erickson, author of Death by Hot Cocoa. All three stories almost put you off your nightly cocoa, but they are charmingly entertaining. 

In Christmas Cocoa Murder, Siobhan is heading for her family's pub, near the town square and cannot believe her eyes. A dunk tank filled with hot cocoa is proudly standing in the middle of the square. She wonders what Paddy O'Shea, the town Santy, is up to now. She knew there was a rivalry with Mr. and Mrs. Claus from Charlesville, but this was ridiculous.  

While the villagers are watching the panto, the dunk tank rolls out of his shed prematurely with Paddy lying on the board extended over the cocoa. Before long, 

Santa's put-upon elf Cormac Dooley picks up a snowball and aims for the target. Bull's eye, Santy gets dunked. As they struggle to roll the tank back into the shed, Siobhan hopes this craziness will die down, but suddenly the dunk tank rolls out of the shed again and this time Santy is floating face down in the cocoa. 

Siobhan has her hands full with kidnapped dogs, stolen family items and a prize winning nutcracker. 

In Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse by Maddie Day, Robbie Jordan finds herself in the middle of a murder. When Jed Greenburg is found dead outside the library with a chocolate lab whimpering over the body, the police look to Abe's father Howard as a suspect.

It seems Jed had been stealing from a joint business venture involving Howard, making him him look suspicious. The police also focus on Robbie's shop because Howard gave Jed some of Robbie's special Christmas cocoa. Nothing kills a restaurant's reputation faster than being accused of poisoning someone with food or drink. 

Robbie knows she needs to solve the murder and save her restaurant and her soon-to-be father-in-law.

In Death by Hot Cocoa by Alex Erickson, Krissy Hancock and her best friend Rita Jablonski set out to attend a Christmas-themed escape room, they never expect to find a dead body. Eight people are scheduled to participate in Lewis Coates' escape room, They each enter a room and are locked in. It is their job to figure out how to open the door to the main room. 

When they all escape into the main room, they find Lewis dead with cocoa spilled around his chair. Now, not only are they trapped in a room until they can figure out the next set of  clues, they have a body to contend with. 

Three entertaining mysteries with unique Christmas-themed puzzles to solve. The ideal stocking stuffer. 


Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher.