This collection is three short stories all featuring eggnog. All of the stories come from current cozy series, so some of the characters and situations will be familiar to readers. I will preface my review by letting you know I have only ever read the Leslie Meier series before.
Story#1 :: Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier
When a bottle of eggnog, supposedly from the Real Beard Santa Club poisons a woman with a nut allergy, it is shown that the eggnog was made with cashew milk instead of dairy. The Santa Club does not make a version without dairy. Was this just an accident of not labeling a bottle correctly or was it murder? Lucy is determined to find out and have a fantastic Christmas, while her entire family is home.
This was the only series I had any prior reading of and I thought that it was the weakest of the three. That really surprised me. The mystery is pretty non-existent, a certain memberof her family needs to be smacked upside the head, and the conclusion is ridiculous. I know it is suppose to be a lighthearted Christmas read, but even the scenes that were about family, made me want to smack people. This one was a big let-down.
Story #2 :: Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis
Hayley is invited to the town's charity Christmas dinner fundraiser, where all of the restaurants in town offer up a delectable treat. Already complaining about the menu is the town cranky librarian, Agatha. She does not think eggnog should be served because she has a serious allergy to dairy. She makes a huge deal about this to one of the committee members, Fannie, who brings eggnog but has both a dairy and non-dairy version. Both pitchers are clearly labeled. After eating a spicy hot wing, Fannie rushes to give Agatha a glass of the non-dairy eggnog, only to have her drop dead from anaphylactic shock due to dairy. Was it an accident, did Fannie purposely get rid of a thorn in her side, or is something more sinister going on?
I really enjoyed this mystery. It was short, but the mystery aspect of the story was well thought out. I do not think that Hayley really "sleuthed" any clues. One just fell into her lap and she started guessing. The characters were well written and I wouldn't mind reading more of this series. Interspersed throughout the story are little "columns" Hayley has written with recipes. This confused the heck out of me, because I didn't understand that they were meant as an aside. I hope the publisher fixes this, so it is easier to read.
Story #3 :: Nogged Off by Barbara Ross
Julie Snowden is finally letting her New York apartment go and moving to Maine without a net. When the girl subletting her apartment has a crisis and cannot keep it, Julia packs up the whole apartment into a moving van, including the girl, Imogen, and heads home. The girl had served eggnog at a business function and made the entire office so sick they had to be admitted to the hospital. After arriving home, the moving van is stolen and when it is recovered they find the dead body of Imogen's ex-boyfriend in the back end. Who killed him, why, and what are they going to do with Imogen?
This was my favorite of the three. I really liked the characters. I have a few books in this series and they have definitely been moved up in my TBR pile. The mystery was good, even though the conclusion was sort of stupid. It didn't really affect my enjoyment of the story though.
I think that mysteries have a hard time being short stories, because it makes them have to be so simple or sort of stupid. I think the authors did a decent job of trying to get over this gigantic hurdle. Unfortunately, I think Leslie Meier struggled the most. Her writing is so character driven, that it just doesn't work condensed.
* I voluntarily read an Advanced Reading Copy of this book and honestly reviewed it*
Story#1 :: Eggnog Murder by Leslie Meier
When a bottle of eggnog, supposedly from the Real Beard Santa Club poisons a woman with a nut allergy, it is shown that the eggnog was made with cashew milk instead of dairy. The Santa Club does not make a version without dairy. Was this just an accident of not labeling a bottle correctly or was it murder? Lucy is determined to find out and have a fantastic Christmas, while her entire family is home.
This was the only series I had any prior reading of and I thought that it was the weakest of the three. That really surprised me. The mystery is pretty non-existent, a certain memberof her family needs to be smacked upside the head, and the conclusion is ridiculous. I know it is suppose to be a lighthearted Christmas read, but even the scenes that were about family, made me want to smack people. This one was a big let-down.
Story #2 :: Death by Eggnog by Lee Hollis
Hayley is invited to the town's charity Christmas dinner fundraiser, where all of the restaurants in town offer up a delectable treat. Already complaining about the menu is the town cranky librarian, Agatha. She does not think eggnog should be served because she has a serious allergy to dairy. She makes a huge deal about this to one of the committee members, Fannie, who brings eggnog but has both a dairy and non-dairy version. Both pitchers are clearly labeled. After eating a spicy hot wing, Fannie rushes to give Agatha a glass of the non-dairy eggnog, only to have her drop dead from anaphylactic shock due to dairy. Was it an accident, did Fannie purposely get rid of a thorn in her side, or is something more sinister going on?
I really enjoyed this mystery. It was short, but the mystery aspect of the story was well thought out. I do not think that Hayley really "sleuthed" any clues. One just fell into her lap and she started guessing. The characters were well written and I wouldn't mind reading more of this series. Interspersed throughout the story are little "columns" Hayley has written with recipes. This confused the heck out of me, because I didn't understand that they were meant as an aside. I hope the publisher fixes this, so it is easier to read.
Story #3 :: Nogged Off by Barbara Ross
Julie Snowden is finally letting her New York apartment go and moving to Maine without a net. When the girl subletting her apartment has a crisis and cannot keep it, Julia packs up the whole apartment into a moving van, including the girl, Imogen, and heads home. The girl had served eggnog at a business function and made the entire office so sick they had to be admitted to the hospital. After arriving home, the moving van is stolen and when it is recovered they find the dead body of Imogen's ex-boyfriend in the back end. Who killed him, why, and what are they going to do with Imogen?
This was my favorite of the three. I really liked the characters. I have a few books in this series and they have definitely been moved up in my TBR pile. The mystery was good, even though the conclusion was sort of stupid. It didn't really affect my enjoyment of the story though.
I think that mysteries have a hard time being short stories, because it makes them have to be so simple or sort of stupid. I think the authors did a decent job of trying to get over this gigantic hurdle. Unfortunately, I think Leslie Meier struggled the most. Her writing is so character driven, that it just doesn't work condensed.
* I voluntarily read an Advanced Reading Copy of this book and honestly reviewed it*
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