Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meir Candy Caine Murder

Candy Caine Murder

Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meir

Kensington, Oct 2007, $16.00, 388 pp.

ISBN: 9780758221988

"Candy Cane Murder" by Joanne Fluke. Wayne, the owner of one of the most profitable store in town, is playing Santa for the children at the orphanage. He has laryngitis so he goes home after his performance. Hannah found him in the snow, the victim of a murderer. Naturally, Hannah, owner of The Cookie Shop, can't resist sleuthing and there are many suspects because the victim was a target who had a lot of enemies.

"The Danger of Candy Canes" by Laura Levine - Freelance writer Jaine Austin is asked by her friend and client Seymour Fielder of Fielder on the Roof Roofers, to help him prove his innocence in the death of Garth Jenkins. He did a reroofing job at their home but when Garth went up there to put up Christmas decorations, he stepped on a loose tile and fell to his death. Jaine knows Seymour wouldn't leave any tiles loose around so she agrees to investigate and finds the dead man had enemies ranging from his neighbors who he played tricks on to get what he wanted to his law partner who he was blackmailing. Jaine learns sleuthing is dangerous to her health.

"Candy Canes of Christmas Past" by Leslie Meir. Lucy Stone of Tinker's Cove, Maine looks back to the first Christmas season in her new home, a fixer-upper on the verge of being condemned. She meets the town librarian who invites Lucy and her son Toby over to bake cookies. The librarian Miss Tilley confides in her that she always wondered if her abusive father killed her mother by throwing her down the stairs. Lucy promises she will find out the truth; that's how Lucy began solving mysteries.

All three of these holidays novellas are fun, enjoyable to read and each has a mystery that takes some hard thinking to solve. This work would make a great holiday present for a sweet tooth amateur sleuth.

Harriet Klausner