Gingerdead Man is the 7th book in Maya Corrigan's Five-Ingredient Mystery series, but it is the first that I have read. That may have affected my response to the book, as I never really became invested in the characters.

The book is well-written and well-edited. The mystery is complicated and interesting, with misdirection aplenty. The culprit only became obvious very late in the story, keeping the reader guessing. So those are all good qualities in a cozy mystery, but overall the book just seemed kind of flat. Yes, I came late to the series, but the main, recurring characters did not have enough spark (either by themselves or in their interactions) to make me want to find out more. I am not drawn to read the earlier books in the series to see how these folks all got here, nor do I expect to continue in the series.

It was an OK book. Ten thousand times better than anything I could write. Just not entertaining enough to have me coming back for more.

I had so much fun reading Gingerdead Man! Val and Granddad are delightful characters and their relationship is adorable. Granddad is such a hoot - he's whipsmart, hilarious and a great sleuth. The mystery was very interesting and the stakes were high. Overall this cozy is well written and the premise of the series is super cute.

GINGERDEAD MAN is the seventh book in the Five-Ingredient Mysteries by Maya Corrigan and is every bit as tasty as the previous books in the series. From the adorable holiday-themed cover to entice a reader, to the Dickens-themed holiday festival, to all the trimmings Christmas has to offer, Ms. Corrigan captured my attention. With vivid scenes described on the pages, I felt like I was there, experiencing the action right alongside the protagonist, Val Deniston. Val is a delightful character and I adore her relationship with her grandfather. Besides being family, they’re also roommates and work together to solve crimes. Granddad is one of my favorite characters in the series. Despite his age, he’s feisty and a go-getter. Not content to sit back and enjoy his golden years, Granddad snagged himself a newspaper column as The Codger Cook, despite not knowing how to cook. He’s also obtained his private investigator’s license and usually volunteers to play Santa for the annual holiday festival. Except that this year he’s been booted out from the Santa position and demoted to playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. Despite his bah humbug attitude, Granddad still manages to imbue the role with some humor as he spouts off quotes from A Christmas Carol to fit a variety of situations.

When the new Santa is murdered right in front of Ebenezer Scrooge and Mrs. Clause, who’s more of a vixen than a grandmotherly type, Val and Granddad know they’ll have to sort out the clues. Ms. Corrigan sets the stage for a straightforward murder mystery but then throws in twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Granddad loves to spout off his theories, usually based on Hitchcock films, which added some humor and added to the enjoyment of watching the story unfold. There are clues to keep the sharp-eyed reader on track but, to be honest, this is one of those books I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the story. And enjoy it I did! I finished the book with a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to the next installment in this charming series!

Granddad’s Codger Cook newspaper column touts his five-ingredient recipes. While he didn’t know much about cooking when he started, Granddad has increased his knowledge and skill instead of relying on Val. As usual, Ms. Corrigan includes several five-ingredient recipes at the back of the book and they all sound fantastic.

Nothing ruins a holiday party more than a poisoned Santa. When Val's grandfather is replaced as Santa at Bayport's annual Victorian Holiday event, he is understandably miffed. But did he poison the new Santa with one of Val's gingerbread cookies? A mysterious costumed reveler stands out when he breezes through Val's holiday party for the volunteers and hands out gift bags. When Santa falls dead after eating something from the bag, Val knows she needs to clear her name.

The story opens with the town's annual Dickens Festival where events turn to murder at the volunteers' after party.

It's not too long before Val, who provided the catering for the party, and her granddad play amateur detectives, drawing on their love of Alfred Hitchcock movies, past "sleuthing success" and their own inquisitive nature, to find out who and why the Santa was killed.

Along the way we meet other volunteers, who are added to Val and Don's list of suspects, whose pasts are uncovered to reveal potential motives for killing Santa.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and quickly got caught up with Val and Don, her granddad, in finding out who killed Santa?!

If you're looking for a light-hearted Christmas-themed mystery then "Gingerdead Man" takes the biscuit! This was the first book I read by Maya Corrigan and I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this Christmas mystery eARC.

Release Date: September 29th 2020

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Val and Grandad are participating in the towns Dickens festival, though Grandad is not happy about it since someone stole his prized Santa role and now he has to be Ebeneezer Scrooge. When Santa goes down after eating a mysterious gingerdead man, Val and Grandad are on the case but when one of their own gets poisoned, can they stop the killer before it’s too late?

This is the seventh in the #fiveingredientmystery series. This book is missing the character development that would have come had I read books 1-6. Grandad is a hoot and a half. Because I didn’t care about the characters enough, I had a harder time getting through it. The plot was great and I enjoyed the mystery but I wouldn’t recommending unless you’ve read the series or are planning on going in order.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#gingerdeadman #fiveingredientmystery #bookstagram #cozymysteryseries #netgalleyreads

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Gingerdead Man was an excellent book, and a great continuation of the Five-Ingredient Mystery series. It was great to have Val and Grandad solve another murder, this time during the Holidays. The Dickens Holiday Festival provides a good settings for the events to happen. The storyline may seem straightforward at first, but as I kept on reading, I was pleased to see that it was evolving into a multilayered, complex story. There were some nice plot twists, and I found the story to be creative, as Maya Corrigan adds inventive touches to the poisoning storyline. This book is perfect for both fans of the series and newcomers as the author lets the reader understand early enough who the characters are, and there are no spoilers concerning previous books. I'm already looking forward to the next book!

Fantastic cozy in every way! I just found a new author and can't wait to read more from her! Loved this easy read with a great story filled with a great mystery and great characters! I highly recommend this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

An entertaining and well written cozy mystery. A good addition to the series. Mystery fans will love this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

In exchange for an honest review, I received an early release copy from Netgalley. Gingerdead Man by Maya Corrigan was an interesting murder mystery/cooking book. A young woman who lives with her grandfather helps solve the murders of a group of people in the cooking world. She is a cook, her grandfather believes he is a private detective, and in the course of solving the crimes, they firm a stronger bond. I loved the dynamic between them and how she helped him deal with the death of his wife.

This is my first Five-Ingredient Mystery, although it's the seventh in the series. I'm an absolute sucker for cozies written around a holiday theme and the cover for Gingerdead Man just drew me in. This has all of the classic culinary cozy mystery ingredients - a small town with quirky residents, amateur sleuth, Val and her trusty sidekick or in this case, grandad investigating a murder. I enjoyed this and will be checking out the earlier books in the series.

First I would like to thank Kensington Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this story.

I have loved the adventures of Val and Granddad since the first book, and I will admit I have tried several of the 5 ingredient recipes at the end of the books as well.
In this story death strikes at a Dickens festival, the Ghost of Christmas Presents delivers a poisoned Gingerdead Man, then poisoned chocolates start showing up on doorsteps. The murders appear to be unrelated, but Val and Granddad sort out what's up and help to catch a killer.

I really enjoyed reading this story and eagerly await more adventures!

This was such a fun read. Anything Christmas related when it comes to cozies, makes the top of my list. You will enjoy the line up of characters and the witty and mysterious story.

Gingerdead Man is my first Five-Ingredient Mystery, and now I'm eager to go back for more. Maya Corrigan has put together all the right ingredients for a cozy mystery: characters you'll love to spend time with, a cozy town, an intriguing mystery, yummy-sounding food, and Christmas!

Val Deniston and her grandfather make a clever team, putting all the clues together, piece by piece to solve an intricate puzzle. Though there are plenty of red herrings to occasionally pull them astray, their combined intelligence and common sense always gets them back on track.

A full deck of fun and interesting characters and situations keeps the action flowing with never a dull moment. I recommend Gingerdead Man to anyone looking for a well-done, highly satisfying mystery

I found this book incredibly hard to get in to and difficult to follow. I am sorry to say that I do not recommend it at all.

This book wasn't for me, though I liked the set-up. I only got 19% in, because the characters just felt so wooden. I couldn't begin to tell you what Val's personality is like, because she doesn't seem to have one. And even though someone has already died (in quite dramatic fashion), it feels like I'm reading a list of events more than a gripping story, where one event/scene leads smoothly into the next. Wanted to like it more than I did.

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publications for an ARC of this book. The review and comments are my honest opinion.
Val and Grandad are enjoying the Dicken’s Festival in the town of Bayport....well Grandad not so much.
An interloper was chosen to play the part of Santa Claus this year instead of him. To make it even worse the only part that was left for Grandad to play was Ebenezer Scrooge.
Things only get worse when later Santa falls ill and dies.
True to their amature detective ways Val and her grandfather are pulled into investigating his strange death. Then another death occurs and there is an all out rush to find the killer before more are targeted.
An enjoyable book and if you like reading seasonal books in the summer heat that offer not only a mystery with several suspects and some 5 ingredient recipes then “Gingerdead Man’ is a good book to try.

I enjoyed this book in the series. Granddad is great, the other characters are good also. I liked the mystery. .The recipes in the back look interesting (5 ingredients in my kind of recipe).

The contention that was in previous books has been replaced by Val and Grandpa working as a team, and that is comforting. All of the characters in Maya Corrigan's A Five Ingredient Mystery Series are likable and the mystery in 'Gingerdead Man' was crisp and intriguing. I loved how old Hitchcock movies were interspersed into the plot. I'm enjoying the relationship between Val and Bram, and look forward to more fun with this series. I'd highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review and entirely my own.

This is the first book I have read in this series. This is book number 7 in the series.
Val and her grandfather make a great detective team. When during a Dickens themed festival a volunteer Santa dies, questions start being asked.
Val is determined to find the killer as the death and another death are effecting her catering business.
A fun holiday murder mystery with some food that definitely had me getting hungry.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.