Somebody is stealing Christmas gifts from the Bald Eagle Falls children.
At the rate that presents are disappearing, there soon won’t be a gift left in Whoville. Err, Bald Eagle Falls.
Gluten-free baker Erin Price and her friends are on the case to try to unmask the Grinch and bring him to justice, and toys to the children. But time is not on their side. Soon it will be Christmas Eve—will the … on their side. Soon it will be Christmas Eve—will the winner be the Grinch or Santa?
Prizewinning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman brings readers back to small town Bald Eagle Falls for another cozy mystery to be solved by gluten-free baker Erin Price and her friends.
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This is a nice continuation of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series and we are reunited with characters we’ve met before including Erin and her police officer boyfriend, Terry. There wasn’t as much depth to the characters or story line as some of the past books and the whodunnit was glossed over. The culprit of the burglaries was named but then not mentioned again until later in the story of who the guilty party was and it was a done deal. It was a letdown for me of how the guilty party was exposed and also some of the incidents that directly affected Erin weren’t really addressed.
It was nice once again being back in Bald Eagle Falls, Tennessee with its quirky characters, both human and animal, and Erin in the thick of everything once again, much to Terry’s chagrin. Her specialty bakery once again plays an important role. She and Terry have some heated moments that seemed unlike them and their friends seemed to take more of a backseat in this book. There were some twists and turns to the story and some surprises along the way as Christmas was front and center.
There was closure as well as some loose ends to bring us back again to the small town in Tennessee. There was a sneak peak of the first chapter of What the Cat Knew in the back of the book which is the first book in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series which is a spin-off from this series. I’ll have to give those books a try as well as read the books in this series that I’ve missed. The colorful cover was once again playful.
Ms. Workman is an author who writes mysteries and suspense and whose books I recently found. I have added some of her books to my always growing TBR pile.
Santa Shortbread (Auntie Clem’s Bakery Book 12), my seventeenth read from author P.D. Workman. Extremely well written, the characters well-developed building over the first eleven books in the series and now you’re so heavily invested in them. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make a reader get invested into the characters and thereby the book. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
A greedy grinch and his minions…
NO SPOILERS HERE. In this book, P. D. Workman offers the reader yet another captivating mystery featuring the characters that many have come to think of as friends. The community of Bald Eagle Falls is making their final preparations for Christmas when the town is plagued with a series of burglaries. Families are distraught at the loss of presents for their children and no one, including the police, are able to figure out who is responsible. The investigation seems to indicate that there are likely multiple perpetrators but in such a small and tight-knit community it is hard to imagine who this greedy grinch and his minions might be. Erin and Terry, as usual, are on the case and, of course, danger and mayhem ensue. Followers of this series will enjoy another installment in the whacky and adventure-filled lives of Erin and her friends as yet another mystery is solved. Newcomers to the series could absolutely enjoy this story as a standalone (but reading the previous books would definitely afford a greater appreciation for the on-going character development). If a clean and intriguing mystery with well-drawn diverse characters appeals to you, this book would be a great investment of your time and money. I shall eagerly await my next visit to Bald Eagle Falls to find out what the author has in store for these delightful characters.
I was provided with an advance copy of this book and I am voluntarily offering my honest and unbiased review.
Love this series! The small town of Bald Eagle Falls has its own real life Grinch, who is stealing toys intended for needy children. Ms. Workman delivers another great mystery with nice plot twists and charming characters. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to future installments. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
The Grinch is back and not from Whoville either. Christmas presents are being wrongly appropriated. Kids will not get Christmas as a result. Who would be so mean and why?
Although the Grinch Cookies sound yummy.
Peter, you are so smart!!!! You helped me figure it out. You did that with the Halloween mask also.
Orange Blossom, what happened? You okay now? Got quiet at the end there. No usual yowling. You be back to normal by next book.
This author is has a neat little trick of putting controversial topics in their books – sometimes very sneakily. They did it this time also. At least I think so. It pushed my buttons for sure. This time it is one that people do not readily recognize. If you do not catch it comment me and we can discuss it.
Fun, easy to read, easily a standalone.
This is my honest and freely given review. I did receive an ARC book.