The Murder Before Christmas

When I chose this book, I did not realize it is part of a series, however, even with that being the case, this story was easy to follow. A cozy mystery that I was able to read in a few hours. Perfect for a lazy, Saturday afternoon.

The story starts off simple enough, three weeks before Christmas. Courtney Fallon, a very pregnant woman comes into a tea shop in the hopes of acquiring a "love potion" to use on her husband, whom she believes has fallen out of love with her. The shop is owned and operated by Charlie Kingsley, who makes her own special blends of teas and tinctures. She informs Courtney that she does not do love potions. Courtney in turn asks about poisons instead. Shocked, Charlie say no, she doesn't do those either. Laughing it off as a joke, Courtney buys a seasonal tea and leaves. Charlie senses something but shrugs it off.

A few weeks go by and Charlie is surprised to read in the paper that a man has died, of poisoning, on Christmas Eve, and his pregnant wife if beside herself with grief. She cannot believe what she is reading and her heart drops when she sees the photo in the paper and realizes it the woman who came asking about love potions and poisons. So Charlie sets out to talk to her and discover if she indeed found a poison to off him, or was there another person who might have it out for him.

This story, although short, was full of twists and turns that I never saw coming. With each question Charlie asks and each person she speaks to, things become more complicated and go deeper than she can imagine. Can she uncover the truth and prevent the wrong person from being convicted?

I really enjoyed this story, as I often do with cozy mysteries. I love the small towns they take place in, the seemingly mundane jobs of the "detectives" and the way everything is always wrapped up so perfectly, sometimes happily, other times bittersweet. This one did not disappoint and I look forward to seeing more of what Charlie gets herself into. I received this book free from Booksirens for an honest review.