Christmas Is Murder by Carolyn Arnold + Giveaway

Christmas Is Murder by Carolyn Arnold
Published by Hibbert And Stiles in 2015.

Carolyn Arnold is currently giving away ebook copies of Christmas Is Murder. I spotted the offer on her Twitter feed - specifically This Tweet Here! The giveaway is open until the end of December 2016!

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy the ebook from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the ebook from Smashwords
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
InstaFreebie download

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Albany’s the perfect image of a winter wonderland, and Sean and Sara’s friend Jimmy is going to be Santa Claus for the upcoming Christmas parade. The trees and decorations have been selected and the gifts have been purchased. The season has truly cast its magical spell--until Sean and Sara’s neighbors die in a horrible house fire. While the fire department ruled holiday-related hazards as the cause, Sara suspects there’s more to it. Her determination to find the truth has her and Sean toeing the line between what’s legal and what’s not. As they sort out fact from fiction, the McKinleys make the final decision about whether or not they should open a private investigation firm.

Christmas Is Murder is the seventh in Arnold's McKinley Mysteries series. The solving of the mystery is a self-contained story so I could happily follow what was going on in this novella without having previously read any of the others. There are frequent hints to the backstory though and it wasn't until near the end that I understood why everyone seemed to let Sara and Sean McKinley get away with pretty immoral behaviour - they're on TV!

Our suitably seasonal tale gives Arnold the opportunity to create a perfect winter holiday atmosphere, American style, with a grand parade and lots of falling snow. I wasn't convinced by Sara's overriding desire to investigate the fire, especially as she had only met her neighbours the once, and the methods the McKinley's choose for their investigation didn't strike me as ethical or even completely believable. However, if you can overlook that, then Christmas Is Murder is a fun novella with lots of entertaining humour and a dash of romance too. Read it while listening to seasonal songs and with a glass of mulled wine, and you'll be in a Christmas mood in no time!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Carolyn Arnold / Crime fiction / Books from Canada