Musings and Ramblings

I was excited to see another Liz Talbot Mystery so soon after the last installment; and one with quite the provocative title. I'll be honest, I didn't read the blurb, so I didn't realize that this had a bit of a Christmas theme going on, Although the poinsettias and ornament on the cover should have given that away.

So Liz and her partner and fiancé, Nate are getting ready for their wedding, being held in 1 week, just 5 days before Christmas. They are wrapping up all their current cases in preparation for the big day and their honeymoon. So of course, trouble shows up in the form of a dead body found by her good friend and bridesmaid Olivia. But when Liz gets to Olivia, the body is gone. Liz know has two big questions. A) Who was killed? B) Where did the body go? And she needs to get them answered before Olivia winds up as the prime suspect.

I had a lot of fun with this story. There wasn't as much danger as previous books, but there whodunit was much twistier. Colleen, Liz's childhood best friend and the guardian spirit of Stella Maris, was back. She is one of my favorite secondary characters and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. (Hint: due to the events at the end of this story.) I wouldn't advice reading this as a stand alone book, especially as Liz and Nate relationship has been steadily growing throughout the series.

If you like a bit of paranormal in your cozy, along side a heaping helping of charm and gentility mixed with southern eccentricities, you should definitely give this series a try. Another 4 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Henery Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.