A Killer Christmas Affair: A Cozy Mystery
by Sussie Jordan
Blurb:
The Christmas party is in full swing as Darbie and Marisol show off their new business venture, Sunflower Hacienda, as a magnificent Mexican style resort on Lake Travis, when suddenly, Santa is found dead. The Sheriff announces it was an accident. Now it’s up to Darbie and Marisol, with the help of their loveable Saint Berdoodle, to find the killer before anyone else gets hurt and to save their business! Who would want Santa dead?
My Reaction:
Oof, I don't know how to rate this one...! It's another 372-Pages selection—this year's cozy mystery for the lead-up to Christmas. It's not uncommon for books featured on this book club podcast to be a bit challenging to rate: Sometimes I'll rate one highly simply because it was unintentionally hilarious and therefore fun to read. Other times, my rating more closely aligns with my opinion of the book's... quality (or lack thereof). This time, there's an extra complication in the fact that so much of the story seems to have been "borrowed" (lifted directly) from another book (one that guides would-be cozy authors through the process of writing Christmas cozy mysteries).
Well, I can heartily recommend the episodes of the podcast about this book. The book itself needs a lot of work, to be honest. I wasn't expecting much complexity, given how short the book is, but there is barely any investigation at all before the guilty party goes nuts and brings everything to a too-hasty conclusion. Not a satisfying resolution to the mystery, though I have to admit there were some funny bits to enjoy before the precipitous ending.
