A Christmas Candy Killing by Christina Romeril
What would do if you were watching one of those “true crime” TV shows, only to discover that you recognized a killer still at large for a crime committed 10 years ago?
Author Christina Romeril gives us a plausible answer in her delectably delightful holiday cozy, A Christmas Candy Killing.
Identical twin sisters Alex and Hanna are the owners of a mystery bookshop that sells their famous poison-themed Killer Chocolates – chocolates like Morphine Mint, Arsenic Almond, Strychnine Strawberry, etc.
Christmas is quickly approaching and Alex and Hannah are busy filling holiday orders of books and Killer Chocolates. But in the midst of the holiday shopping madness, one of their neighbors, Jane, confides to Alex that she’s sure a quadruple murderer, still on the lamb, has been quietly hiding all these years in their peaceful little town.
Well, God bless little ‘ole Jane – an avid mystery buff and TV true crime addict. This isn’t the first time Jane’s suspected one of the locals of being a cold-blooded killer. Needless to say, none of her previous accusations ever panned out, so Alex isn’t overly concerned about Jane’s suspicions — after all, their sleepy little village of Harriston hasn’t had a murder in over a hundred years!
But then, out of the blue, one of the town’s residents is found murdered by a poisoned chocolate! The sheriff almost immediately shifts her focus directly on Alex. Not only does Alex sell chocolates at her bookshop, but she’s also in line for a hefty inheritance from the victim! You can bet your last piece of double dipped chocolate that Alex is not going to wait around for the sheriff to haul her off to jail before Christmas!
She and Hannah, along with their friend, Tom, start pursuing their own leads, hoping to discover the motive for the murder and the culprit. Could there really be a “true crime killer” in their midst? Or could this be a random act of murder? A burglary? Or was this tied into the local “shady” property developer – or the “sketchy” writer who recently blew into town? How about the handyman that knew where the victim’s house key was hidden? And there’s even more questionable characters – all harboring their fair share of secrets.
As Alex gets closer to weeding out the real killer in an overgrown garden of suspects, she wonders if she’ll even make it to Christmas. If the killer gets their Christmas wish, Alex will be put on ice – permanently!
There’s something extra special about Christmas cozy mysteries. They are usually set in quaint small towns brimming with seasonal gaiety and decadent sweet treats. A Christmas Candy Killing is the first in this brand new Killer Chocolate Mystery series by Christina Romeril. With it’s unique plot sporting plenty of twists, engaging characters and a conniving killer, it is the PERFECT Christmas cozy to kick off this holiday season!
Published by Crooked Lane Books, grab a copy for yourself along with a cup of hot tea and perhaps, a fine box of chocolates!
A copy of this book and photo were provided by the publisher.