This book gives me mixed feelings. It was an entertaining read but at times the story went off on a tangent. I felt the writing style was a little choppy and the ending was rushed. Slightly unfulfilling with what happened especially after who we found out who the killer is.

Cozy mysteries have been a new love of mine. I’m so glad I got the chance to read this book. It had everything I wanted in a holiday inspired cozy mystery and the ending definitely surprised me.

This is the third book in the Cass Peake series, which I didn't realize until I started reading this book. I think that is why it took me some time to learn the characters, although I never really got fully invested in them. It also had me a bit confused at times. I really like seasonal cozy mysteries, especially ones with a cat, but I felt like the holiday theme was just minimal. Still, it was a good, quick cozy mystery read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new series for me and it's always interesting to hop into a series once the characters have been established, but "A Corpse for Christmas" made me feel like I didn't miss a beat. I loved how the setting became one of the characters and added a lot to the story. The story is fast-paced and keeps the suspense coming. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading others in this series.

Kind of boring and lacked detail. Ended up not finishing it because I lost interest. I would not recommend this book

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I group read this with my two best friends and this is the perfect group read.

This was a fun little Christmas caper, and much more my speed this year, as I wasn’t in the mood for the typical Christmas romance. I picked up right off the bat that it was part of a series I hadn’t read - that usually annoys me, but it was a pretty contained story, so it didn’t.

The writing made for a quick, easy read, and though I guessed the “bad guy”, I didn’t mind! I loved Doris… she was a fun character, and made me wonder what other magical things exist in this universe. Plus I love stories with animal companions involved!

While the storyline and mystery themselves were fun, I did feel like there were a few too many characters running around. I also thought there were some odd tangents (like on how to cook vegetables).

Then, too, as much as I wasn’t looking for a romance, per se, the lack of romance between the romantic leads in this was a bit disappointing. He was worried and anxious all the time, and I couldn’t figure out if they were actually together… and then the end answered that, but I wished there’d been more actual chemistry.

I’d rate this a solid 3.5 stars - rounding up to 4 for review purposes, as I’m giving the benefit of doubt that part of my confusion with the romance was coming in mid-series. I’ll likely pick up the series to see what I missed in earlier adventures!

2 stars

This is a cozy mystery story from the perspective of Cass. It is the third book in the series.
It was a very fast-paced story with some Christmas vibes, hence the title, lots of family spirit and a gigantic cat named Thor. Cass is once again pulled into an investigation where she is at the wrong place at the wrong time, but she can’t seem to keep herself out of trouble. Especially, after she finds out her sweet elder neighbor might also be involved.
While I did enjoy the Da Vinci code type feel to this book with its secret society, it did not really work for me. The writing style was choppy. I felt very bounced around from one scene to another, because of this I never really got a sense of the characters. The small bit of romance that was in this story did not fit. I found it a bit unbelievable especially because most of the time the love interest seemed angry. Finally, there is a supernatural element to the story which I don’t understand why it's in there, other than convenience. Overall, this book was not for me.
Trigger warnings: gore, hostage.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Having only read 1 of the other 2 books in the series, found myself a bit lost for a while on the characters, though I suspect reading both before this would have helped! Pace was a bit choppy, but a light holiday read.

Well I was looking for a cozy murder mystery to read this winter & I stumbled upon this book. But to my dismay this is not the kind a enjoy.

The overall story was fine, my issue was with the random pace at which the story moved. Sometimes it introduced each character with care to make lasting impression and other times too many people just thrown upon a blank canvas. Had the sequencing and character development of main lead been more intense, it would have been more to my liking

Cass' job as a web designer is different from the many cooks and shop owners which tend to be the main characters in cozy series lately. That was a plus and it was a good way to get her out realistically and repeatedly to the crime scene.

I just didn't find the story or the characters that interesting. Cass has zero chemistry with George. Doris, the ghost, while providing one or two tidbits of info. wasn't really a integral part of the story. There were times that the story didn't flow well. Where did a certain person in a red suit come from that no one noticed??? Could not believe it was only 184 pages, it felt twice as long.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A Corpse for Christmas is the third installment of Rena Leith's Cass Peake Mystery Series. This novel opens with Cass and her business partners preparing to film a new promotional video for the local college while also preparing for the Christmas holidays. During the course of filming, the crew stumbles across murder victims that are related only in their association with a reunion taking place on campus but location and method of death in each case are different.

While I do not expect well developed characters and a detail oriented book, the characters were not described well at all. Marc was the only one that had any real detail, mostly about his height. There was a lot of throwinng out names without any real references to develope them as characters. I would have liked to know a little more about George, Mina, and even Gillian. They were probably the characters that were developed the most, but because I was provided so little, I wanted even more.

The protagonist became a bit of a self-proclaimed detective, which I understand the necessity, but her attempts were not realistic at all. Again, I was not expecting "A Corpse for Christmas" to be realistic, but atleast semi believable. When the characters gathered to decorate the home and eat after seeing dead bodies and a potential serial killer on campus I could not fathom obessessing about food and decorations.


While many of my comments above are not particularly positive, I did enjoy parts of this story. I felt it could have flowed a little smoother at a steadier pace without all of the added content. I also wish there had been some more information on Doris' past, as well as some more information on the constant references to a prior murder on campus many years before this story took place. I really liked Mina as a character, and even George grew on me. Gillian and Jack made me laugh with their light banter and Jack's inability to pick up cleaning supplies. The ending seemed short lived and wrapped up rather quickly. I appreciated the follow up details regarding the investigation, but there were a lot of unanswered questions. Doris was light and fun, but I wish she played a bigger role and I really wish we had more of her story. This was an ok-ish read for me, I kept going because I knew it was short, but I wasn't actively willing to pick it up every chance I had.

A Corpse for Christmas is the third in the Cass Peake series, but the first I’ve read. For me, it took a while to get all the characters straight, and I think if I had read the series in order, that wouldn’t have been an issue. I also would have felt like I knew at least Cass and the other recurring characters, including Doris the ghost, better.

Cass takes on the job of doing a new video for a local college and hires some young people to help her out. It’s the holidays so the campus is pretty empty, making it easier to film locations, but while working, Cass and her crew stumble onto a murder. Her obligatory cop boyfriend, George, doesn’t like her getting involved, but Cass of course can’t let it go, especially when a neighbor asks for her help.

There’s a lot going on here. We have the project for the local college; it’s Christmas so Cass’ brother and sister-in-law are staying with her; there’s the secret club and their reunion; and a ghost lives in her house. There were a couple of clues and lots of red herrings.

I did enjoy the book overall. It was fun and quirky, with good characters and an oceanside setting.

Princess Fuzzypants here: An author who lives with two Maine Coons and has a Maine Coon as one of the most important characters in her series is my kind of lady. Her books are pretty good too but I like having kitties of my purrsuasion portrayed as nobly as Thor. He is the vessel by which Cass’ ghost, Doris, gets around outside of the house. Together they form Thoris. I know. It is an interesting hook.

Cass has been hired by the local college to update their recruiting website. Since it is the Christmas holiday, the campus should be almost deserted, except for a reunion of a most unusual club. It started with 13 members from the 1970s and the survivors want to get together before it is too late. Turns out, the reunion is going to be “too late” for some of the participants. Somebody is murdering them one by one. Because they are on campus filming and because on of the club members happens to be Cass’ neighbour, they get drawn into the intrigue. I do confess I twigged pretty early to whom I thought the killer might be but the reason for the killings is unexpected and rather sad. There is also a bleak testimonial to the inequality of the justice system at the end.

The characters were interesting particularly the former students who helped Cass with the production. It was good light holiday reading. Four purrs and two paws up.

A Corpse for Christmas is the third installment of Rena Leith's Cass Peake Mystery Series. This novel opens with Cass and her business partners preparing to film a new promotional video for the local college while also preparing for the Christmas holidays. During the course of filming, the crew stumbles across murder victims that are related only in their association with a reunion taking place on campus but location and method of death in each case are different.

The author has done a good job with the creation and development of her characters for this series and has maintained excellent consistency within the focal group. As with the earlier Cass Peake books, the storyline is easily followed but there are enough plot twists and intricacies within the writing that while the reader is not necessarily led astray but the killer is also not readily identifiable until the conclusion. The author has also done a good job of bringing in a touch of intrigue and mysticism to the story with the secret society twist and the use of symbolism and coded writings that prepare the foundation for the reason behind the murders.

The author has also included enough background in this book so that it can be read as a stand alone but not so much as to cause spoilers if a reader goes back to read the earlier books later. I have enjoyed all books in this series to date and am looking forward to reading the next one when it is published.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A Corpse For Christmas by Rena Leith

This was a Christmas novel covering a college campus, a murder, and a ghost.

This was an enjoyable, light cosy mystery. It was a fast read. I liked it very much.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

A fun and ghostly cozy taking place in the SoCal region where the last thing you would ask for is a corpse, maybe a little snow, definitely not a corpse. Highly entertaining and not just because Doris the ghost if full of moxie and sass. This was my first time reading a Cass Peake Cozy, but it will not be my last. I am intrigued by the fact that people can see Doris, that she can inhabit small animals (namely Cass's cat), and by Cass' unusual and modern business. The story jumps right into the deep end with holiday havoc and the on campus reunion for the ultra-secretive group of thirteen. Plenty of suspects, at least 10 of them to begin with including campus security, my how we start looking at people differently when there is a murder to solve. I did feel that one little detail was not addressed with relation to two of the corpses but otherwise the story developed nicely and now I have a new recipe to try to make, if I can find myself a duck.

I began this book hoping for a holiday read. However, despite “Christmas” being in the title, there were minimal holiday scenes and interactions. Overall, I was disappointed with the plot. But, it was a quick read, and lived up to the mystery genre you’d expect.

An entertaining short sleuth mystery at Christmas on the local University. Two death on campus could freak people out in holiday time. Cass and her family, friend, live-in ghost Doris, and big black cat Thor want to help find the murderer.
This was a good read but, I was hoping there would be more about the ghost and Thor, this wasn't exactly like an ending!

Thanks to NetGalley and Backlit PR for giving me a chance to read A Corpse for Christmas (A Cass Peake Cozy Mystery #3) by Rena Leith, I have given my honest review.

This was an enjoyable read but I kind of guess what was going to happen before it happened, I enjoyed it and the story the characters as well but just didn't grip me like the read up did unfortunately