Mistletoe, Merriment, and Murder

A Mom Zone Mystery #7

by Sara Rosett

Super organizer Ellie Avery could really use some Christmas cheer when Gabrielle Matheson, a grinchy professional rival, sets up shop in the same small Georgia town. But before the halls are even halfway decked with holly, someone uses Ellie's terrifically tasteless white elephant swap gift as. . .a murder weapon!

Ellie's now a suspect. Besides playing Mrs. Santa for her Air Force pilot husband and their two kids, shielding her eyes from the garishly over-decorated house down the street, and helping a client who's a hardcore hoarder, Ellie also has to solve this ho-ho-homicide. . .and find a killer who wishes her a very deadly Christmas.

Don't miss Ellie Avery's great tips for a relaxed and stress-free holiday season!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Holiday

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2011

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett writes lighthearted mysteries for readers who enjoy atmospheric settings, fun characters, and puzzling whodunits.

She is the author of the High Society Lady Detective historical mystery series as well as three contemporary cozy series, the Murder on Location series, the On the Run series, and the Ellie Avery series. Sara also teaches an online course, How to Outline A Cozy Mystery.

Publishers Weekly called Sara's books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.” Sara loves to get new stamps in her passport and considers dark chocolate a daily requirement. Find out more at SaraRosett.com.

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful holiday mystery! There's no right or wrong time to read a Christmas mystery. This was very well-written, and I certainly had no clue who the killer was.

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Super organizer Ellie Avery could really use some Christmas cheer when Gabrielle Matheson, a grinchy professional rival, sets up shop in the same small Georgia town. But before the halls are even halfway decked with holly, someone uses Ellie's terrifically tasteless white elephant swap gift as. . .a murder weapon!

Ellie's now a suspect. Besides playing Mrs. Santa for her Air Force pilot husband and their two kids, shielding her eyes from the garishly over-decorated house down the street, and helping a client who's a hardcore hoarder, Ellie also has to solve this ho-ho-homicide. . .and find a killer who wishes her a very deadly Christmas.

REVIEW: Pleasant, quick, easy-to-read cozy mystery. This is the first in this series that I have read. I found it complex with lots of red herrings and a nice variety of characters. Rosett balanced the mystery with a glimpse into military life and its constant moving and deployments. I loved Ellie's work with Marie and couldn't begin to imagine how a professional organizer would work with someone who dealt with hoarding issues. Good sub-theme and well handled. Ellie was an engaging amateur sleuth and her Christmas organizing tips at the end of the chapter were a nice addition. I liked the fact that Ellie was a family person with husband, kids, a dog, carpool responsibilities and active in a church. So many women sleuths are widowed old ladies or single/divorced women so that was definitely a nice change of pace. I will definitely be reading more of this cozy mystery series.

FAVORITE QUOTES: "It wouldn't be the end of the world if my Christmas cards arrived late and I knew I'd find wonderful presents for the kids. We were together, everyone was healthy and happy--those were the important things."

[Sharon Chance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Sara Rosett and her cozy mystery series that features Air Force wife Ellie Avery, and her latest book, "Mistletoe, Merriment and Murder," is one of her best works to date - which is saying a lot because all of her books in the "Ellie Avery Mystery" series are such a delight.

I loved the holiday theme of this story, and loved the sub-plot that is woven throughout the main suspensful tale. I also love that Sara sets her series in the South, and adds in all the flavor and nuances that are particularly Southern without being too heavy-handed. The cast of characters, headed by the smart and lively Ellie Avery are so interesting and personable - I especially appreciate the character of Ellie's husband Mitch, the quiet but supportative Air Force pilot who always has Ellie's back. And the addition of helpful holiday hints that Sara includes at the end of each chapter are the icing on the cake!

If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you'll love this book! If you are looking for a fun holiday read - you'll love this book. If you are looking for a great book to spend sometime enjoying - you'll love this book! (Can you tell I kinda liked this book?)

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 7 in the Ellie Avery: Mom Zone Mystery series by Sara Rosett is a great read! Ellie is an organizer extraordinaire and who doesn't need more help organizing! I love all the tips included in this series...lots of great ideas. Plus you get a great mystery thrown in as well.

Christmas is coming...but not a lot of goodwill is in the air with recent neighbour and competitor organizer Gabrielle Matheson coming to town and trying to steal Ellie's clients! When Gabrielle's sister Jean is murdered, Ellie is the prime suspect.

Mirroring Sara Rosett's life, this series revolves around Ellie's life as a military wife. Great insights into a world many of never see!

Great story and another winner from novelist Sara Rosett!

[Melodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first in this series that I've read and I probably won't read anymore. I couldn't drum up much feeling for Ellie, one way or another. The book only held my attention for short spans at a time, so it was difficult to get through. Picked this one up because of the holiday theme and a cute cover. But books that don't hold my interest like this one will definitely keep me from reading further in a series.

[Kat · Rating 1 out of 5]

woman orginaser whos husband is in the military living in a military community. she has 2 kids

she had another orginaser move into the area and start stealing her clients
they got into a verbal fight at a meeting

she went to meet her at the other organizers sisters house to talk aobut it and found the sister dead

the cops think she did it, got a search warrant and took her clothes

theres way too much meaningless details to fill the book in

now her and the orgainser are together trying to figure out who did it

the husband did it so the son could go to a good college

[Canuck Mom of Three · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an exceptionally well plotted cozy, and the action was actually quite suspenseful. The series also stands out among cozies because it is very unique - the protagonist is a young mother with two kids aged 5 and 8 (very refreshing to see a mother starring in a cozy!), and she is a professional organizer (rather than a baker, coffee shop owner, librarian or book store owner - all of which are often seen in cozies). She also lives on a military base. What a different take!

Overall the book was well done, but there was still something missing here - a certain "je ne sais quoi" that would draw me in and make me enjoy this book more deeply. Basically, I did not connect with the main character, despite the fact that she is a mom like me. Even though the book was written in the first person, I feel like I didn't really get to know the protagonist on a deeper level. Although she did a lot of things, her personality never came through. I didn't learn about her take on the world, there was no humour, and her children were almost completely absent from the book (always at school or being babysat by others). So despite all the pluses of this book, I am not eager to read another book in this series.

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosett's books are fluff reads for me. They're light, they don't require much to process, and they're great to read after reading a book with substance. That being said, the quality of the last several books has been disappointing, in comparison to the first few in the series. So many people in the reviews for this book say they were so surprised at the killer and they never could have guessed who it was...well, the reason is because there's not enough detail given to allow the reader to be able to sleuth along with the mystery. The lack of detail is very obvious in several scenes, including the (being deliberately vague to try to prevent spoilers) trash bag sequence, the (first) porch sequence, the closet sequence, and other similar considerations. Things are thrown in to bridge the gaps present, but those things are ultimately meaningless to the story. I enjoy the series as my "fluff" reads, but truthfully, I'm going to keep buying them used, not new, until I start to see a shift back toward the quality that was present in the original three books in the series.

[Micki Hughes-zitar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie is trying to get ready for the holidays while continuing to build up her organizing business. But things have hit a snag…the sister of her friend also has an organizing business. And Ellie discovers that she is trying to steal any new clients and even some of her regular clients from her!! Ellie’s friend is then found murdered! And now ellie and her business stealing sister have to come together to try and solve it.

This series is super cute! Very easy reading! Nothing is overly graphic with the murders. And the author includes organizing tips! In this book she has tips to help keep the holidays organized. I love Ellie! She’s very down to earth. She knows her strengths and weaknesses. And she usually has chocolate on her at all times to help keep her energy up!! In this book, I was not expecting the murder victim to be Ellie’s friend! I totally expected it to be the business stealing sister! So that through me off. I was also expecting the reason was just a case of mistaken identity. This one definitely kept me on my toes which I always enjoy!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professional organizer, wife and mom to two young children, Ellie Avery is busy preparing for the Christmas season, while also trying to build up her business. Unfortunately, another professional organizer, Gabrielle, has recently moved to town and is intentionally stealing clients from Ellie. When Ellie and Gabrielle come face to face over a dead body, the tension between them escalates even more. Not only is Ellie now involved in another murder investigation, there are also a string of burglaries occurring at the homes of her military friends when their husbands have been deployed overseas, and Ellie's husband, Mitch, an Air Force pilot, is scheduled to be deployed himself, soon after the holidays.

I've really enjoyed this series so far. Ellie is a likable character and easy to relate to, as she tries to juggle her different aspects of life, including murder investigations!

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fun Christmas mystery. Ellie Avery lives with her husband and two young children in North Carolina, where her husband is in the military. She is a professional organizer, and as Christmas approaches, she suddenly has to deal with how to help a hoarder, as well as a new woman in town who is stealing her clients. Then, another of the military wives is murdered, and Ellie is the prime suspect.

I enjoyed this. It was interesting enough to keep me wondering, and I liked Ellie well enough.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun holiday read! I will say, I found myself skimming paragraphs alot as I felt the writing was quite unnecessarily wordy. Details were written in that didn’t add to the story, deepen the plot or set the mood and it would actually distract me from what was happening. I did suspect who the killer was from get go but the way things panned out at the end did have me anxiously reading to find out what happened next. I wanted to read something to set the Christmas mood and this didn’t necessarily do the trick. 6/10 from me.

[Karol L. Hosking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging series

I have just finished this Christmas themed episode in the life of Mitch & Ellie. I started at the beginning Book 1 and just kept going....Two well developed characters I could truly relate to and look forward to with more great storytelling! No matter how many you read don't miss a real life family with plot twists and good clean fun besides the murder mytery! KLH

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie's adventure is getting better and better.

I also love the between chapter organizing advises.

Ellie's family is just so cute. I love the way she interact with her daughter, the one scene where the daughter demand to stay with the girls instead of going out with her father and brother to have pizza dinner while her mother, Ellie host an adult party, her reasoning made me laugh out loud!

That is so precious. Trying to be an adult.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery--White elephant gifts are exchanged and there is quite a shock + surprise that someone uses her swap gift as a murder weapon. Ellie is now the suspect besides being Mrs. Santa for her Air force husband and her kids....She now has to solve the murder and find the killer. She needs to beware of the murderer who is out to find her.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mistloe, merriment & murder

Loves chocolate gotta be a good book. Terrific mystery, good amount of heart, with believable characters /humor that keeps you interested/guessing who done it till the end. Really liked the military spouse action gives a good twist and information from their perspective.

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The 2nd I’m reading un a series. I am still not finding the main character really the most likeable... Nor are any of the other characters... Except perhaps Max, and he hardly appears on this story. 😟

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Organizer Ellie has a run in with the new organizer in town, who is stealing her customers. When a gift at the Christmas swap is used as a murder weapon and Ellie is there things get worse when the victim is the sister of the new organizer.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly the ending got a little more graphic than I expected from a cozy mystery. Th organizing tips, especially their placement at the end of chapters, really detracted from the pacing of the story. That said, overall, I enjoyed the story.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this 3.5 stars. Ellie has a rival for organization jobs. The rival is the sister of the most recent dead body Ellie finds. A sister who looks similar to Ellie's new rival. When it is found out that Ellie handled the murder weapon, she is the prime suspect. Can Ellie solve this mystery?

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah for a new series! It's like finding money!

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, a baffling murder and a cozy read.

[Janet Sketchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good mystery with plenty to keep readers guessing. I liked the added dimension Ellie's husband and children brought to the story, plus the military spouse aspect.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lessons we can all learn.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and plan to read more from the series. I always like books set around Christmas time and like “organizing”and cozy mysteries. This book had a little bit of everything for me.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one. Nice to read a Christmas themed book when it's hot. I followed Ellie's adventures. I had no clue of the guilty person. Lots of other things happening too. A fun read.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new, edgy characters breathed new life into this light series.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the series but not the worst.