Mistletoe and Crime by Chris McDonald

Blog tour: 1 to 7 December 2021

Synopsis

It’s Christmas!

A year since their last case, and Adam and Colin are pulled out of semi-retirement when Stonebridge legend and regular town Santa, Gerald Agnew, is found dead in the snow.

The police believe his death to be a drunken accident, but evidence that our amateur detectives uncover points to something more sinister.

When DI Whitelaw dismisses their claims, Adam and Colin must navigate drug dealers, deception, and department store Santas to get to the truth.

Mistletoe and Crime is the fifth book in the Stonebridge Mysteries series of cosy crime novellas.

About the series

Stonebridge is a small town on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Most of its inhabitants are friendly, happy people. Most of them … Because bad things happen even in the happiest of places. It’s a good thing, then, that Adam Whyte and Colin McLaughlin call Stonebridge home.

Armed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of detective shows, a misplaced sense of confidence and a keen desire to see justice done, these two are the closest thing the town has to saviours. Which isn’t that reassuring …

My review

I love The Stonebridge Mysteries series and couldn’t wait to read this Christmas special novella! Set in the small Northern Irish town of Stonebridge, these short but perfectly formed cosy crime stories are great fun!

It’s been a year since Adam Whyte and Colin McLaughlin, childhood best friends and amateur sleuths, last investigated a murder case. They’ve matured since the first novella and established themselves in their jobs, bought property and, in Adam’s case, found a girlfriend!

When Gerald Agnew, a local homeless man, is found lying dead in the snow, police dismiss his death as a tragic accident, brought on by years of living on the streets and drinking alcohol.

Adam and Colin disagree and set out to find the truth. With rumours of drug deals in town and trouble concerning the Father Christmas at local department store, Baldwin’s, they’re going to have their work cut out solving this tricky case!

As usual, there were some good twists and turns and several potential suspects. I was suspicious of a few dodgy characters and had fun trying to guess who was responsible for Gerald’s murder!

I love the amusing chapter titles – they’re a brilliant device to give the reader a little insight into what’s to come!

Adam and Colin make a great amateur sleuthing duo and work well together to solve some puzzling murders, which the incompetent police always seem to dismiss as accidents. The twosome get rather a lot of luck along the way but that’s all part of the fun!

Mistletoe and Crime is another well-plotted and entertaining novella from the author and I’m a big fan of this fab series! The book is a quick read, at 100 pages, but it’s engaging, action packed and full of intrigue and suspense. The story develops satisfyingly and there are some witty lines.

I’m really enjoying this engaging, well-written crime mystery series and spending time with Adam and Colin and I’m hoping there’s going to be yet another instalment soon!

Buy the book

Mistletoe and Crime by Chris McDonald is released on 7 December and can be preordered from Amazon in hardback and paperback, or from Kobo or Google Books. Purchase the hardback, paperback and eBook directly from the Red Dog Press online shop.

About the author

Chris McDonald grew up in Northern Ireland before settling in Manchester via Lancaster and London.

He is the author the DI Erika Piper series: A Wash of Black, Whispers in the Dark and Roses for the Dead. He has also recently dabbled in writing cosy crimes, in the shape of The Stonebridge Mysteries, as a remedy for the darkness.

He is a full-time teacher, husband, father to two beautiful girls and a regular voice on The Blood Brothers Podcast. He is a fan of 5-a-side football, heavy metal and dogs.

Twitter: @cmacwritescrime
Facebook: @cmacwritescrime
Website: https://macsbookreview.wordpress.com
Instagram: @cmacwritescrime

Blog tour

Thanks to Sean Coleman at Red Dog Press for my digital copy of Mistletoe and Crime and for my place on the blog tour.

See the banner below for more stops on the #blogtour.