Killer Chocolate Mysteries: Book 2
Publication Date: October 17, 2023
Perfect for fans of Joanne Fluke and Laura Childs, when twin sisters Hanna and Alex head to their high school reunion, will they bite off more than they can chew when they find a former classmate’s dead body?
Hanna and Alex, owners of the Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are busy preparing for the Harriston High School’s reunion weekend. They’re eager to see old friends—and perhaps avoid old foes. One person they can’t avoid is Kyle, the former star quarterback, who is busy using his entire playbook to try and score with Hanna. He even uses his status as a judge at the upcoming chocolate competition to threaten her if she doesn’t play nice. At the reunion, the twins soon bond with their fellow classmates over their nostalgia of their youth—but the party is put on hold when Alex finds the dead body of none other than Kyle himself, bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker that the sisters admired earlier in the night.
Hanna quickly becomes the prime suspect—everyone saw her slap Kyle across the face at the reunion dance. She’ll need her sister, their sleuthing canine, Watson, and their old friends and colleagues to help break this case wide open. While looking through old yearbooks and taking a stroll down memory lane, Alex uncovers a few secrets about Kyle, now, it seems like everyone had a motive to kill him: Is there a football team secret Coach Fenton was covering up? Could the mayor, Everett, have a skeleton or two in his closet? And for some classmates, maybe time doesn’t heal all wounds.
When the suspects start becoming the victims, Alex and Hannah know that they can’t melt under the pressure—they must find the killer before they become just another yearbook memory.
I enjoyed the first book in the Killer Chocolate Mysteries series, A Christmas Candy Killing, by Christina Romeril, so when I came across A Nutcracker Nightmare, I wanted to revisit Harrison, MT.
This series follows twin sisters Alex and Hanna, who own Murder and Mayhem, a book and chocolate shop. Alex is the primary sleuth, but Hanna is her support system. And in the case of A Nutcracker Nightmare, Hanna is also a suspect. Alex jumps in with both feet to prove her sister isn’t a murderer.
Alex and Hanna are easy to relate to. They’re older characters, both divorced and dipping their toes into the dating pool. They own a small business in an equally small town, where they are relatively newcomers. I enjoy the interactions between the sisters and am rooting for each of them to find true love.
On to the mystery, I had strong suspicions about who was the murderer pretty early on. I just didn’t figure out the motive. The story started slowly, and several characters were introduced. I often had to stop and try to remember who was who. But in the end, I found the mystery satisfying and well put together.
A Nutcracker Nightmare is a solid Christmas cozy mystery. There was good character and relationship development, along with a well-rounded mystery. But if you like cozy mysteries set around the holidays, give this one a try.
Christina Romeril loves to plot murders, especially by poisoning. When she’s not plotting how to kill one of her characters she’s coming up with ways to dispose of the body. Since writing her debut novel her husband’s friends have been regularly checking on his well-being.
Christina also loves to read, eat chocolates, and travel when she’s not in her she shed writing. She grew up in Southern Ontario and spent most of her summers in Muskoka swimming, boating, and generally getting into mischief. She’s lived on both coasts of Canada and has a love of being near the water and close to a forest. Thus, it makes perfect sense that she moved to the prairies of Southern Alberta over twenty years ago.
During the warmer months you’ll find her escaping to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park with her cooler stocked full of chocolate and pastries. Occasionally, the once avid hiker will even set out on one of the many hiking trails and hope she doesn’t run into a hungry bear.
Christina is a member of Sisters in Crime and enjoys interacting on social media.
Thank you so much for having me on the blog!