I liked all three short stories. The Hannah Swensen story was my favorite, only because I knew all of the characters already. I would gladly read more of the books in Leslie Meier and Laura Levine's mystery series. ( )

read the one joanne fluke.. might read the other ones near the holiday later this year! ( )

read the one joanne fluke.. might read the other ones near the holiday later this year! ( )

2.5***

Three short novels make up this anthology. Candy Cane Murder (Fluke), The Dangers of Candy Canes (Levine) and Candy Canes of Christmas Past (Meier).

The first is a typical Hannah Swenson cozy. Her sisters and mother help her investigate the murder while her two boyfriends, dentist Norman and policeman Mike either help or warn her to stay out of the investigation. I have to wonder how this woman makes any money when she’s always giving cookies away. The story comes with some tasty recipes, though.

Levine’s entry comes next, and it was the weakest of the trio. Freelance writer Jaine Austen is asked to check into an “accidental” death; seems a suburban neighborhood’s holiday decorating contest has turned deadly. I didn’t like the heroine, I didn’t like the plot.

Candy Canes of Christmas Past revolves around Lucy Stone, her husband and son, who have left the high-stakes world of New York City finance to move to Tinker’s Cove, Maine. But things aren’t going well with the renovations of their farmhouse, and money’s tight. When she spots a sign for a yard sale, Lucy takes a chance and finds a unique artifact – a glass cane. Trying to find out more about it, she heads to the library and uncovers a family mystery. The story was pretty light on the mystery, but was a sweet and charming holiday tale. ( )

Joanne Fluke is one of my favorite cozy mystery writers for a reason and this hilarious tale of Hannah at Christmastime was a real treat that I thoroughly enjoyed. We start off with a hilarious scene of Hannah dressing up as Santa’s elf, which of course would come with a horrendous costume and Hannah despairing over her weight. Who can’t relate? Joanne Fluke just has such a knack for humor. As she flings candy canes to the crowd gathered at the Lake Eden Inn, all are merry, but soon, there’s a murder to solve… I really enjoyed this one!

Leslie Meier’s was a trip back in time to Lucy, Bill and Toby’s first days in Tinker’s Cover, when their farmhouse was falling apart and Bill wasn’t sure he was going to succeed as a carpenter. This was a fun one as Lucy Stone works to solve a mystery from decades ago, and we see how she originally met some of her longtime friends in her Maine small town. And I loved the candy cane connection in all three books!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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