Okay, okay, before you all yell at me that it's TOO EARLY FOR CHRISTMAS STUFF please hear me out: The Candy Cane Caper is worth me jingle belling it up in October. TRUST ME. (Or don't? It's fine!! More Christmas stuff for me?)


This Christmas, Sadie Hoffmiller Cunningham is making a list and checking it twice. For the first time since she and Pete married five years ago, their combined families are gathering for the holidays in Fort Collins, Colorado, for a party that would make Santa and Mrs. Claus proud.

She just has to bake the famous Cunningham Candy Cane Cake, make sure the looming snowstorm doesn't derail everyone's travel plans, and oh, yes, solve one teensy-tiny mystery before the big day.

At ninety-four and nearly blind, Mary, Sadie's friend and neighbor, knows this will be her last Christmas. When Sadie learns that someone has stolen antique Christmas ornaments from Mary's tree, she vows to find the thief, no matter what. The ornaments had been appraised at more than $40,000, but they were worth even more to Mary, who had intended to bequeath them to her great-granddaughter, Joy, as a final gift.

With Pete in Arizona wrapping up a case of his own, it's up to Sadie to question the residents of Nicholas House, where Mary lives, and deduce who had the means and the motive to steal heirloom ornaments during what should be the most wonderful time of the year.

When stories of other thefts surface, Sadie feels like she's creating a "naughty" list that could rival Santa's. Identifying the thief, recovering the ornaments, and restoring them to Mary's tree in time will take a Christmas miracle—and maybe a few extra-special cookies.

 


After reading Daisies and Devotion earlier this year by Josi S. Kilpack, I knew one thing and one thing only: I had to get my hands on more of her work! Fortunately for me, and by extension all of you, The Candy Cane Caper is headed our ways to bring us a little holiday and a whole lot of cozy mysteries. And this time of the year is perfect for a cozy mystery--especially when you are stuck in bed, ill, like me!

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. I love the lights and decorations; the crisp air, the snow the sky promises, the music, etc. So, anything that gets me into that spirit is something I'm going to have a fondness towards.

And if you add in the act that it's written by Josi S. Kilpack and it is a mystery?

And there's a lot of food/baking?

I'm so there. Obviously. I mean, let's be real: aren't you, too?

Fans of Kilpack will be instantly engrossed in this festive mystery. Although it is quite different from the historical fiction I've read of hers, and I've yet to read any o the prior novels with this particular main character, I still devoured it.

Solid mystery, fantastic characters, Christmas spirit and some delicious baking? How could anyone resist that? Answer: you can't. I'm only mildly enamored with Sadie and her sparkling sleuthing. If that wasn't obvious. This novel made me not only want to bake and hang up my holiday decorations far too earlier, but it also made want to go out and solve some mysteries myself.

Everything about The Candy Cane Caper screamed adorably cozy, wintry night, and had the energy I've come to know and love from Kilpack's other novels. I could practically see the setting, the foods, the mystery as it unfolds, and more. There was so much lively, colourful and wintry feelings to this mystery, that I can't even begin to do it justice.

Something about it embraces you warmly, sparks your mind and gives you a total sweet tooth. If you love cozy, culinary mysteries--you're going to adore the latest by Kilpack! The Candy Cane Caper is a definite must-read for the upcoming holiday season; whether you are new or old fans of Kilpack, I promise you--she is totally worth the read.