PLANES, CANDY CANES, AND HEARSES by Catherine Bruns
Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Christmas Short Story
5*****
Blurb: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Sally Muccio. The part-time sleuth and full-time baker is up to her elbows in sugar and a puzzling mystery that threatens to ruin her jolly holiday… As Sal and her good friend Josie prepare to close their bakery to enjoy Christmas Eve, as well as Sal’s daughter’s birthday, a last-minute sojourn to the airport interferes. Sal mistakenly thinks this will be a quick outing to pick up her father from a business trip. But with the weather outside frightful, and her delightful father nowhere to be found, her fears quickly begin to escalate. Where is Domenic Muccio, and why isn’t he answering his phone? And who is the mysterious companion he was seen leaving the airport with? If Sal doesn’t find her father soon, no one will be rocking around the Christmas tree. Includes a delicious recipe for candy cane cookies!
Thoughts: What a cute holiday book! This is part of the “Cookies & Chance” mystery series and is a fun addition to the series. In this one, Sally Muccio – part-time sleuth, full-time baker – has to go to the airport to pick up her father and take him home for the family holiday festivities. In addition, she’s eight months pregnant… and it’s snowing. So her friend Josie takes her to the airport, where they find Sal’s father’s luggage, but not him. They spend hours trying to find him – then get strange messages that he was seen driving his hearse (he’s an undertaker) but has disappeared again. The story goes through all the craziness they go through trying to find Dominic. But the ending – pure holiday joy and magic.
Definitely recommended for a quick, sweet magical holiday read. Oh, and I loved the cookie recipe!
Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
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