Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC.
Another delightful book in this series sees Mira going home to her mother's for Christmas. She's dreading it because she doesn't have many happy memories of her youth.
There's a serial killer on the loose who's killed an.old friend of hers and when Mrs. Berns comes to visit, they can't help but scheme to find the killer.
They end up having several very scary moments, but the ending is so sweet and made Mira so much more real in my mind. Great read!

In this 8th book of the Murder by Month series, newly aspiring PI Mira James is shocked to learn that an old school friend has become the latest victim of a serial killer. The killer only strikes in December. Before killing his chosen victim, the murderer leaves a candy cane somewhere on their property. This gives him the name the Candy Cane Killer. Although Mira has a difficult relationship with her mother, due to her mother's enabling of her alcoholic father throughout her life, Mira goes home to attend PI classes and also attend the funeral of her old friend. Before long, Mira's best friend, 90-year-old Mrs. Berns also arrives in town. Naturally, the two of them can't help but to start investigating the murders and identifying possible suspects. Although the FBI agent on the case repeatedly warns them off, Mira soon finds herself in the position of catching the killer's eye.

I have only read one other book in this charming series and I really enjoy catching up with Mira and Mrs. Berns. The only slightly odd thing was that I was under the impression that these were new books. In this one, Mira is forever stopping at convenience stores to look up people in phone books and make calls using the pay phone. Later, she mentions she was in "the class of 1988" and she's in her late 20s, so apparently the books are set in the 1990s. I enjoyed the humor and even the slightly gruesome aspects of this book, which were surprising in an otherwise cozy mystery!

This was a fast-paced enjoyable whodunit mystery!

I'm definitely a fan of this author and always head into her novels expecting an atmospheric read that hooks my attention from start to finish and always keeps me guessing.

I thought the plot, pacing and characters in this storyline were really well done and I loved that this Mystery had a Christmas theme too it.

I'd definitely check this book out if you like a good whodunit thriller and as always I look forward to reading more from here in the future!

Thank you Jess Lourey, Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Fino a questo momento non avrei mai creduto che il genere Comedy e Mistery potessero fondersi così bene.
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La storia è ambientata nel periodo poco prima di Natale. Nella posta Mira James trova un biglietto con sopra una promozione su delle caramelle ("dodici bastoncini di zucchero gratis, se ti iscrivi a un anno di vacanze salutari"). Subito lo scarta, come farebbe chiunque. Mentre sta andando in biblioteca incontra una sua vecchia amica, anche lei ha ricevuto quel biglietto. Due giorni prima anche altre donne lo avevano ricevuto e una di loro era stata uccisa insieme al suo cane il giorno seguente. Oltre a lei altre donne sono state uccise in altre città.
Il Candy Cane Killer colpirà di nuovo, riuscirà Mira James a fermarlo?
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Questo libro mi ha molto sorpresa, non mi aspettavo che mi sarebbe piaciuto così tanto.
Lo humor della protagonista è perfetto e molto affine al mio. La scrittura è scorrevole e i capitoli sono mediamente brevi. Non sono riuscita ad indovinare il colpevole!
È una lettura perfetta da fare nel periodo invernale con una buona tazza di cioccolata calda tra le mani.

#DecemberDreadMurderbyMonthMystery #NetGalley

I don’t want this series to end. This instalment takes us away from Battle Lake but, thank goodness, not from delightful regulars such as Mrs Berns. It’s a great mystery with the usual humour, but there is also a bit more depth and personal growth in respect of the main character, Mira. We see more of her back story and watch as she struggles with the past and faces some long held fears. This adds up to a deeply touching ending.

Another great mystery in a fun series! Loved the humorous dialogue and characters.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.