Mistletoe and Murder

by Lawrence Rotch

Ziggy Breener, the town eccentric, has pedaled his decrepit bicycle around Burnt Cove, Maine for nearly a decade, picking up empty cans and bottles for the deposit. In all that time, he has avoided talking about his previous life, being satisfied to live in a one-room shack amidst a rag-tag collection of junk and livestock. The fact is that few people notice Ziggy riding the roads, and those who do have little interest in where he came from. All that changes when “The Can Man” inherits a valuable piece of waterfront land on the prestigious Squirrel Point Road. Sadly, his newfound wealth brings with it newfound enemies, and worse, old enemies from his past as well. When Ziggy is nearly killed, amateur sleuths Sarah Cassidy and Oliver Wendell step in to help, but who is the real Ziggy Breener? He won’t give them a straight answer, and it turns out that unraveling their friend’s tortured past is a dangerous job, especially when powerful people are out to give Ziggy the gift of death for Christmas.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Holiday

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 20, 2013

Reviews

[Nola Arganbright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who's Who

A fun and intriguing mystery with questions of identity and murder. Quirky characters keep the story fresh and the reader entertained.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ziggy “The Can Man” is known for roaming about town, collecting cans for the deposit. When he inherits a substantial parcel of waterfront property and has to hire lawyers to fight for his rights, his case (and name) hits the papers...and attracts the attention of someone from his past. A decade ago around Christmas, he was a resident doctor in an ER, and one of his patients died. She happened to be the wife of the governor, so it was a pretty high-profile case, and the records for it can't be found in the hospital database. No autopsy always looks suspicious, but when Ziggy starts getting threats related to her death and his fault in it, his friends start looking into his past. Is he as loopy as he acts, or is it all just part of his ruse to lay low? Was he actually at-fault a decade ago, or was he a scapegoat? Complete with Russian mobsters and a mesh of nefarious plotting.

Neat story, set in Maine. I felt like maybe this wasn't the first in a series, but I didn't see any #s...just felt like there was some backstory to Sarah Cassidy and Oliver Wendell, and even more to Ziggy's story.

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique plot. I enjoyed the book. Several different threads running. Good length.
Looked like somebody proofread the first half. No errors. Sadly, the second half has a lot of them. I guess this is the new normal for Kindle books? I don’t remember the last one I read that didn’t have a bunch of errors. So frustrating.

[Marcia-Lee Finocchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mistletoe and Murder

Fantastic reading, about a young doctor who blames himself for the death of a woman, goes into hiding for many years, then for some unseen reason he is being hunted down by evil men. Many plots and characters in this story...Entertaining!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful tale!

I loved Ziggy! All the characters really stay in your head! Very original story with people I won't forget! You should read it!

[Nancy]

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 7 ratings · 1 review
Ziggy Breener, the town eccentric, has pedaled his decrepit bicycle around Burnt Cove, Maine for nearly a decade, picking up empty cans and bottles for the deposit. In all that time, he has avoided talking about his previous life, being satisfied to live in a one-room shack amidst a rag-tag collection of junk and livestock. The fact is that few people notice Ziggy riding the roads, and those who do have little interest in where he came from. All that changes when "The Can Man" inherits a valuable piece of waterfront land on the prestigious Squirrel Point Road. Sadly, his newfound wealth brings with it newfound enemies, and worse, old enemies from his past as well. When Ziggy is nearly killed, amateur sleuths Sarah Cassidy and Oliver Wendell step in to help, but who is the real Ziggy Breener? He won't give them a straight answer, and it turns out that unraveling their friend's tortured past is a dangerous job, especially when powerful people are out to give Ziggy the gift of death for Christmas.

Ziggy is actually a doctor. Can't remember anything more

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent entry in the cozy mystery category.The characters could carry it alone, especially the minor characters. The setting is in Midcoast Maine, home of the author, and very clearly painted. There are a few editing errors and I felt the denouement dragged on too long with what felt like a lot of repetition--perhaps it just was a lot of similar details. Because of this the book is a little longer than it needs to be. But the twists in the plot, occasional humor, and fascinating residents of Burnt Cove negate some of that.

[LLona Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Start with a brutal murder on Christmas Eve, then fast forward a decade to a group of characters that didn't seem to fit, but were so interesting they kept me reading. The characters stayed true all the way to the middle, and seemed to flounder a bit before the plot grabbed them and drove everything forward to a wonderfully surprising conclusion. I give it 4 stars even though I still think the characters 'talked around the issue' more than needed, because I liked it anyway.

[Deborah Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in Maine

I enjoy a Christmas mystery and this was a good one. The characters are real and the plot, while convoluted, is satisfying.

[Terry Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! What a good read. My favorite character was Ziggy. Very unusual, but quirky too. Will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

[Catherine Schramm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun way to relax with Christmas reading.

[Brian Merrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read with a Christmas theme that takes place in coastal Maine, near where I grew up. Well written and intriguing enough to keep my interest, even though this is not my usual genre.