Christmas Cookies Series
Publication Date: November 29, 2022
This fun cozy mystery features a “colorful display of Christmas suspense and intrigue” perfect for lovers of true crime and mysteries.
Jessica Barker blogs about true crime for an online magazine. Blogging for others is far from her dream job, but she’s willing to pay her dues so that someday she’ll have a podcast of her own.
Then, Jess witnesses what appears to be her next-door neighbor in distress and Jess is the only one who seems to care. When the cops dismiss her as a bothersome true crime reporter with an overactive imagination, Jess must delve into the life of her mysterious neighbors, Rory and John Regan – with hints at embezzlement and gambling – before someone ends up dead.
Lori L. Robinett introduces a new series about the adventures of an aspiring podcaster that will appeal to fans of true crime and cozy mysteries.
Gingerbread Dead by Lori L. Robinett is the first book in a new series, and it was a quick read at less than one hundred pages.
A lot was packed into this cozy mystery with Jess, a true-crime blogger, and her neighbors in this small town. When a potential crime hits close to home, Jess has to be careful, but she also wants to stop whoever is hurting her new neighbor Rory.
Gingerbread Dead has several stories told within its pages, and they are woven together nicely. There are clues that only Jess can see, and the police have not been willing to help.
Rory’s husband has several secrets, and Jess has a front-row seat as where she blogs and writes is at a window that overlooks her neighbor’s house.
The story has twists and turns as Jess keeps piecing the clues together. She is nothing if not diligent, and it was nice to see that her boyfriend supported her as she delved for answers.
Things come to a head when their street has its annual Christmas Eve gathering, and some neighbors get sick. There is closure with the mystery of Rory’s strange illness being solved and whodunnit, but there were a few loose ends that I hope will be addressed in the next book.
A cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth who writes and blogs about true crime with lots of attention to detail made this book a quick and fast-paced read.
Ms. Robinett is a new-to-me author, and I look forward to reading more books in this series and her other mysteries and western romances.
Lori L. Robinet is a paralegal by day, writer by night. She’s the author of several books, including mysteries, thrillers, and contemporary western romance. She also offers online writing courses through WriteScouts (her signature course is Blank to 50K). Lori and her husband of 25+ years live on a hobby farm in central Missouri maintained for the comfort and enjoyment of their Beagle and Snorkie and two rescue calico cats. When not writing (or reading), you can find Lori crafting or indulging in her TV addiction. Her favorite authors are Stephen King, Tierney James, Carolyn Paul Branch, Micki Browning (and soooo many others!).
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