A MYSTERIOUS CHRISTMAS COLLECTION:
A Charlie Kingsley / Redemption Detective Agency Crossover Christmas Cozy Mystery Anthology
by Michele Pariza Wacek
Cozy Mystery / Culinary Mystery / Companion Stories
Publisher: Love-Based Publishing
Publication date: November 19, 2025
Number of Pages: 150
SCROLL DOWN FOR A GIVEAWAY!
------- 🕮 -------
About A Mysterious Christmas Collection
In this charming Christmas cozy mystery collection, you get not one but TWO Christmas mysteries--one from the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series (Secret Santa Murder) and one from The Redemption Detective Agency (The Mysterious Case of the Dead Elf).
Even better, the characters in both series will make a crossover appearance in the other mystery. Here's a peek of each story:
Secret Santa Murder: A Secret Santa party goes off the rails when a guest is murdered after opening their gift. Can Charlie get to the bottom of who did it in this locked door mystery?
The Mysterious Case of the Dead Elf: Emily and the gang take on a case to help a young mother get over her childhood Christmas trauma. Can they go back in time and solve the mystery of a dead elf to save Christmas before it's too late?
Includes TWO Christmas cookie family recipes!
------- 🕮 -------
BOOK REVIEW
I don't spend time on plot summary, so please read the synopses above.
HALL WAYS REVIEW: Putting the murders aside, no reading escape could get any more Christmas-y than Michele Pariza Wacek's A MYSTERIOUS CHRISTMAS. From the merry book cover, to the festive bright sweaters that adorn every character (pets included), to the heaps of holiday cookies, this pairing of two cozy mystery short stories is sure to please readers looking for quick-hit seasonal reading with a dash of whodunit.
Each of the two short mysteries is a companion story to the author's The Redemption Detective Agency and Charlie Kingsley Mysteries series. Given that both series share the same town as the setting, there is a lot of cross-over with characters from each. This makes reading A MYSTERIOUS CHRISTMAS COLLECTION especially fun for those who are already familiar with the series.
Readers unfamiliar with either series will likely be a bit overwhelmed by the number of characters to keep up with. It takes a minute to separate the regular, core characters from the peripherals, and about the time it's worked out, the story is over. As such, this set of stories is probably most satisfying for those readers who have some background from previous stories, but there's plenty to love for the rest of us. (Including two cookie recipes and samples of two series books!)
The author has a gift for writing rich descriptions of scenes and adding perfect details to convey character traits: the hint of a blush on a cheek; the drop of sweat at the hairline; the shifting eyes. Wacek's style is engaging, and she manages to present and solve two distinct mysteries, with plenty of bells and whistles, within just a few limited pages, which is no easy feat. She clearly cares about the end product because the book was really cleanly edited, which seals the deal that her other books are worth exploring.
For readers looking for respite from the chaos as we count down to Christmas, A MYSTERIOUS CHRISTMAS COLLECTION is a great solution for tamping down any Grinch-like inclinations and ramping up the holiday spirit.
------- 🕮 -------
About Michele Pariza Wacek
A USA Today bestselling, award-winning author, Michele Pariza Wacek taught herself to read at three years old because she wanted to write stories so badly. It took some time (and some detours) but she does spend much of her time writing stories now. Mystery stories, to be exact. They're clean and twisty and range from psychological thrillers to cozies, with a dash of romance and supernatural thrown into the mix. If that wasn't enough, she posts lots of fun things on her blog, including short stories, puzzles, recipes and more.
Michele grew up in Wisconsin, (hence why all her books take place there), and still visits regularly, but she herself escaped the cold and now lives in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona with her husband and southern squirrel hunter Cassie.
When she's not writing, she's usually reading, hanging out with her dog, or watching the Food Network and imagining she's an awesome cook. (Spoiler alert, she's not. Luckily for the whole family, Mr. PW is in charge of the cooking.)
------- 🕮 -------
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Two Winners each receive autographed copies
of A Mysterious Christmas Collection!
(U.S. only; ends midnight 12/22/25)
------- 🕮 -------
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
December 8 – Boys' Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
December 9 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – Jody's Bookish Haven - SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – Angel's Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Christy's Cozy Corners - AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 11 – Books1987 - SPOTLIGHT
December 12 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – RECIPE
December 13 – Sarandipity's – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 13 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
December 15 – Bibliophile Foodie – REVIEW
December 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
December 16 – Hall Ways Blog – REVIEW
December 17 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
December 17 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
December 18 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
December 20 – FUONLYKNEW - SPOTLIGHT
December 21 – Salty Inspirations – REVIEW
December 21 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
No comments:
Post a Comment