A Crafty Christmas

A Cumberland Creek Mystery #4

by Mollie Cox Bryan

Christmas is just around the corner, and the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop are thrilled when Sheila wins the first place prize in a scrapbooking design contest: a ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean. Vera and Paige decide to tag along, which should pose the perfect opportunity to learn some new techniques, mingle with fellow croppers, and get in some rest and relaxation before the chaos of Christmas. But when Sheila finds a famous crafter dead, and investigators determine she was poisoned, the luxury cruise veers toward disaster as Sheila becomes the number one suspect--or was she really the intended victim? Just as the croppers begin un-wrapping the truth, a storm strands them at sea, and they'll find it's harder than ever to survive the holidays with a killer on deck.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Cozy, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I now have a new author to read. It is nicely written and the characters well defined.
Sheila is doing her daily run and stumbles over something and hurts herself. It turns out to be a dead body and Sheila is last person to see her. Sheila and friends from Cumberland Creek are on a Scrapbooking Cruise that she won. The story moves between those on the cruise and the town. There are several twists that keep the reader's attention. There are teasers for the next book. I was at a disadvantage not having read the early books. I will read her again.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

"A Crafty Christmas" by Mollie Cox Bryan was a disappointing mystery. There was no "detective" but rather a group of people who seemed to be vaguely "detecting." The initial murders take place on a cruise ship but the story kept jumping to characters living in a small town. I gather that this mystery series has a set of characters with subplots that span several novels. But, for me, I felt lost as I was reading this particular novel as a stand-alone. I also found that the author tended both to repeat a lot and to include a lot of digressive material. Way too much info that neither advanced the story nor provided decent red herrings. On top of it all, the murder(s) and the solution seemed all a bit far-fetched. I wouldn't recommend this.

[Franci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted a light, Christmas-themed mystery to read. This one was a bit of a disappointment. There were too many characters to keep track of, the Christmas theme barely caught hold at the end, the mystery was terribly easy to figure out early on, and there were far too many references to characters and plot lines from older books in the series. As a stand-alone book, it missed the mark. I have no desire to seek out the others in the series.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shelia has won first prize in a scrapbook design contest, a fabulous scrapbooking cruise in the Caribbean. Despite the fact that Christmas is only days away from their return, her friends Vera and Paige decide to join her. Ten days of scrapbooking, food and fun are ahead as the trio, also joined by Vera’s boyfriend Eric and Paige’s son Randy embark on their adventure. Shelia also hopes to turn this trip into the opportunity to find free-lance employment in the scrapbooking industry. Soon after their arrival Shelia trips over a famous crafter. The group begins a mini-investigation into the mysterious death of a woman who took interest in Shelia’s design work. When a second death occurs friends and family at home begin to worry since both deaths have been deemed murder. It is beginning to look like Sheila may be a target, or a suspect. When a sudden storm strands the cruise a sea the would be detectives find it even more challenging to investigate.

I have not read the first four books in this series. There were times I was left hanging because I wasn’t sure if characters were referring to people in one of the previous books. For the most part it was not a problem.
I enjoyed this book and have actually put the first book in the series on my “To read” list. The characters were interesting and I could tell I was missing out on their back story, however they were developed enough that I felt like I knew them. The main setting in was the cruise ship, but there was just as much action taking place back home in Cumberland Creek. I felt that the plot moved at a nice pace. There were no lulls in action. I would recommend this book to a cozy mystery loving friend.

[Leeanne Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of scrapbookers go on a cruise. One on them goes for a run around the ship and trips over a dead body. Chaos ensues..,
This is a series and I have not read any others. Lots of characters, skipping around from the cruise to “back home”, it was hard to keep track of who’s who.
I would suggest reading the others first.

[Nancy Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: A Crafty Christmas

Author: Mollie Cox Bryan

Series: Cumberland Creek Mystery #4

Synopsis (from amazon.com): Christmas is just around the corner, and the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop are thrilled when Sheila wins the first place prize in a scrapbooking design contest: a ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean. Vera and Paige decide to tag along, which should pose the perfect opportunity to learn some new techniques, mingle with fellow croppers, and get in some rest and relaxation before the chaos of Christmas. But when Sheila finds a famous crafter dead, and investigators determine she was poisoned, the luxury cruise veers toward disaster as Sheila becomes the number one suspect – or was she really the intended victim? Just as the croppers begin un-wrapping the truth, a storm strands them at sea, and they’ll find it’s harder than ever to survive the holidays with a killer on deck…



My thoughts: My second visit to the wonderful ladies of Cumberland Creek, and I’m glad I got the chance to go back. I was lucky enough to get the chance to be on the blog tour and provide a review for #3 in this series, “Death of an Irish Diva” so jumped on the chance to be a part of this tour as well. Thank you and yay!

I will be honest, this book started out a bit slow for me . . . but I believe part of it was because it had been a while since I had been into this series and needed to take some time to reacquaint myself with each of the characters. It took me a few chapters to get into the whole realization that some of the characters were on the scrapping cruise, while others (Annie, Bea) were back home just doing their things (this really should have been an easy concept, maybe I am just tired lately :)

After I was reacquainted and fully back in Cumberland Creek, I truly enjoyed this book. The characters continue to be their wonderful, unique, quirky selves. The location of a scrapbooking cruise was great I thought – I mean who wouldn’t dream of this experience. As someone who has never been on such an experience, I personally and selfishly wish the author would have spend a bit more time describing the specifics of the cruise, the crops, and let’s face it all the scrapbooking stuff that we love to read these cozies for! I know the point of the book is to tell the story not outline a scrapbooking cruise . . . but I want to live vicariously through my books :)

For a cozy mystery, I appreciate how the author really did a good job of having the characters experience seemingly realistic feelings and emotions to some pretty scary, traumatic events they encountered rather than simply blowing it off and being cheesy about it.

The last paragraph of the book provides a great, intriguing twist which of course will keep me on the lookout for book #5! I’m ready, bring it on!!!

Overall, a great book in a great cozy mystery series. If you are a scrapbooker or a cardmaker (like myself) you will not be disappointed.

Thanks for including me on this blog tour.

And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

[Andrea Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Crafty Christmas is book four in the Cumberland Creek Mystery series. Sheila wins a scrapbook design contest and is on a 10 day scrapbook cruise with her friends Vera and Paige.

This is the first book of this series that I've read, so it took a little while to get used to Mollie's writing style. There's a lot of shifts in POV between the different characters and that made it a little rough going, but once I got used to everyone, it was quite a fun read.

The mystery starts right from the get go, with Sheila tripping over the dead body of one of the other crafters. But that isn't the only body. Allie's boyfriend ends up dead too and to make matters worse there's another body found after the cruise too and things are looking like Sheila is the number one suspect.

I really liked getting to know all the characters that are part of Sheila's life. I really loved Annie, who is just as much a main character as Sheila, as well as Beatrice.

Mollie's characters are a lot different from the ones in other cozies that I've read. They feel more real and down to earth. Their problems are typical of most women too.

I loved how the clues are dropped as the book progressed, but when you got down to the end, the ending wasn't at all what I expected.

I definitely want to read the other books in this series now.

[Rosemary K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheila should be on top of the world. She won a prestigious crafting prize and a free Caribbean cruise. What she didn't expect was that she would fall over a dead body and be a murder suspect. As she and her friends struggle to find who the murderer is the suspense keeps building. Who wants to kill Sheila and why are her friends and family in Cumberland Creek in danger? What a great story! I loved this book. It's filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The list of suspects keeps growing. The characters are wonderfully written. They are humorous, heart warming and full of life. They don't miss a chance to do their sleuthing. The secondary characters are a feisty bunch. They add to the tension. The holiday season provides the perfect setting for this suspenseful mystery. I didn't know until the very end who committed the crimes. The story finished with a shocking surprise. I can't wait for Mollie Cox Bryan to release the next Cumberland Creek Mystery. A Crafty Christmas lived up to expectations.

[Lynn Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the Cumberland Creek Mystery series by Mollie Cox Bryan. The first book, “Scrapbook of Secrets” was nominated for the prestigious Agatha Award for Best First Novel and made my list of the Best Books for Book Clubs in 2013.

In “A Crafty Christmas” Sheila, the local scrapbook store owner, wins first place in a scrapbook design contest. The prize is a ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean. Vera with her new boyfriend, Eric and Paige with her son, Randy decide to accompany her. Unfortunately, Sheila stumbles over the dead body of a well-known scrapper and becomes a suspect. Of course Vera and Paige, two of the Cumberland Creek Scrappers along with their friends from home decide to help investigate.

For the rest of the review see: http://www.examiner.com/article/read-...

[Melina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept my attention from the time I picked it up till the time that I finished it. And let me tell you, at the end, it had me on the edge of my seat!! I really enjoyed reading about Sheila, Vera, and Paige getting to go on an exciting cruise. But, as always, the Cumberland Creek gang gets themselves into a mess, and Annie tries to figure out what is going on on the Jezebel from Cumberland Creek. I like this series because the characters seem so real and they seem like they are people you would really know. The ending of this book will leave you speechless, to say the least. Go out and grab a copy!





I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable Scrapbooking mystery. This one takes place mostly on a cruise ship. Sheila wins a free Scrapbooking cruise for herself and two friends. She chooses Vera and Paige. Vera brings along her boyfriend Eric and Paige brings along her son Randy. The mystery begins when Sheila trips over a dead body on her daily run. There were many twists and turns throughout the book, and an ending that could not be predicted! This book makes me want to find my own Scrapbooking cruise, minus the dead bodies!

[Shelley Giusti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! What better way to start the Christmas rush than with a ten days of nothing but scrap booking and friends. Well that is what Sheila thought when she won the trip and invited her friends Vera and Paige to join her.When Sheila is out for a morning run and trips over a dead body it puts a crimp in her vacation and a race to find out who the killer is before they strike again. Mollie Cox Bryan has done it again, Her characters are likeable and the story keeps you reading until the end. I couldn't put this book down.

[A Holland Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun cozy mystery series to read and I was not disappointed with this latest installment. I enjoy Mollie's writing style and how she puts twists and turns throughout the entire book. She keeps me guessing all the way to the end. I think if I would trip over a dead body I would die right along with it. I love each of the characters in this series. I recommend this book to all who like mysteries or like books with scrapbooking as the subject.

[Alexa Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love being surprised by a good book, and A Crafty Christmas surprised me. I didn't think I'd be into cozy mysteries; I grew up in a small town and am somewhat phobic of them. But I definitely got pulled into this light, engaging read. I recommend it to others looking for a gateway cozy. Oh -- you can jump into the series right here and not be lost at all. It'll just make you want to catch up once you've finished this installment. :)

[Pamela Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters caught my interest. The writing seemed better than most cozy mysteries, until the end. Then it took the bad horror movie turn. Yes I was just threatened by an unstable person, and yes my friend has just found two dead bodies, but I forgot my purse so I'll just go back to where the unstable person lives and get my purse. That said, I'm going to try another in this series.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s almost Christmas and The scrapbook crop club is thrilled that Sheila has won a scrapbook themed cruise. Things don’t go well on the cruise after Sheila trips over a dead body. They can’t tell if Sheila is the suspect or if she was supposed to be the victim. With help from her friends at home they solve the case.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice series, although I don't scrapbook. There is a glossary of scrapbooking terms in the back but it is not necessary. Most terms are evident in the context. Enough murders and suspense to keep you interested but not too much violence to be gory. Fun read.

[Shari Vassello · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun Christmas mystery.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

I have loved this series from the beginning! Can't put the books down, great reads!! The characters are such fun.

[Jamie Lindemulder]

Only read about 100 pages. It bored me so bad. I had to stop. There are too many characters in the book.

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a scrap-booker nor have I read any other books in the Cumberland Creek Mystery series. That being said, I still really enjoyed this story of murder, mystery, and a little bit of Christmas on the side.
Sheila wins the first place prize in a scrap-booking design contest and the prize is an amazing ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean! Her friends Vera and Paige go along to learn some new stuff and, well, it's a cruise in the Caribbean! Unfortunately things go south quickly when Sheila finds a dead body of a fellow crafter leaving her the prime suspect. However, soon there is another theory. Could she have been the intended victim? When a storm strands them all, things really get serious-ish. It's still got a lot of humor in it. Things happen later in the book that I can't tell you about because, well, spoilers.
This is a good book that will be especially enjoyed by crafty people but can also be enjoyed but the not so crafty such as myself. For a Christmas book it could have done with a tad more Christmas (more candy canes and trees or something silly like that) but all in all this is a good book. If you already read the series you'll definitely like this one.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An all expense paid cruise for the Scrapbooking Queen of Cumberland Creek, Virginia along with her friends is a dream come true for Sheila Rogers.
She doesn’t realize how competitive the industry is and looses her scrapbooking because it becomes evidence when someone is found dead on the ship from poisoning. Ship security questions everyone and no one is without suspicion.
A creepy man keeps staring at Sheila in her scrapbooking crops and it’s beginning to fray her nerves. He is also seen in the company of another distributor who tells Sheila that she doesn’t think her style is what they are looking for. Her feelings are hurt and her confidence begins to lag.
Another victim and the FBI are involved.
Her friends and family back home are worried and are watching the weather reports as a storm at sea could be disastrous. They fear for her safety.
An anonymous postcard was placed in her mailbox pieced together from magazines cutouts stating die, die, die scrapbook queen.
Who dislikes her enough to want to harm her?

[Betsy Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mollie Cox Bryan conveys the importance of friendship in a small Blue Ridge town. Another in the Cumberland Creek Mystery series, this one takes several friends from a scrapbook crop group on a cruise where one of their own is to be honored with a special prize.

Before we get far into the book, Sheila, the award winner, trips over something on her morning run around the deck. It turns out to be the body of a woman with whom she'd spoken the night before. Soon, a second body shows up. Shipboard security determines that both deaths are murder by poison.

Combine "Murder on the Orient Express" with "Grand Hotel" and you have the makings of a tense tale. Trapped on a cruise ship with a murderer, the group springs into action, as they have done in earlier novels, to identify the killer. Aided by friends back in Cumberland Creek who also help, the women work to solve the crime and keep Sheila alive.

A fun read, if murder can ever be fun.

[Poptartk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not much of a cozy mystery aficianada, but I like Mollie Cox Bryan's writing in general so I thought I'd try this seasonal offering. I found it quite engaging, although as another reviewer noted, you can figure out some of the key information about at least the initial murder within the first couple of chapters. The fun was in watching the story unfold. I also enjoyed the way the book hopped back and forth from the decks of the cruise ship to the core scrapping folks' hometown—it added interest for this reader. I still think the editing was a bit loose, but I know from experience how tough it is to hit the sweet spot for fiction as an editor, so I'll give that gripe a pass!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A change of scenery, with the action taking place on a cruise ship this time. Interesting set up, with part of the usual gang on the ship while the other half stayed home. This lead to trying to investigate the murder two different ways, which was interesting.

The overall mystery, however, was not a well done a prior books. The murderer was fairly obvious to pick out, especially with all the clues given. Still, a well written story and definitely falls in to the darker side of the cozy mystery genre. Don't let the cute cover fool you!

[Laura Aase · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sheila has won an award and a spot on a scrapbooking cruise. Some of her friends came along. On her first morning she was jogging and tripped over a dead body. Then another death happened on board. There is a murderer in their midsts. Meantime at home their friends are trying to get to the bottom of things and there is a tropical storm on the ocean... the plot was ok, the scrapping stuff was fun to read but I didn’t care much for the characters. I found them kind of obnoxious... probably won’t read another in this series!

[Lisa Beth Hutchins · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a decent story. I love the community of friends in Cumberland Creek; they were very believable. Also, it was nice having a character like Shelia--a middle class stay at home mom who is successful, but not employed. I'll admit, my distain for scrapbooking probably colors my view, but even for a murderer mystery, it was a little too formulaic. Gay son dad's having a hard time accepting him? Check. Jewish family having a hard time finding acceptance? Check. I probably won't read any more from Bryan, but I enjoyed the few hours I spent in Cumberland Creek alright.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good story. There were a lot of characters and the story would go back and forth between the characters on the cruise ship and the ones left back home. It was nice that they all were keeping in touch. I think this would have been a bit harder to read if one hadn't met the characters in previous books. But I enjoyed the coziness of knowing the characters and that the characters are friends. The storyline with the murder was different but I sure wouldn't have guessed who did it! And the way it ended, I may have to find the next in the series to see how things go from there!

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had everything I love in a Cozy mystery, cruising, Christmas, Scrapbooking. It is a book from the middle of a series but I still had a good time jumping into this world. I picked up from a local library since I am on Mat Leave and powering through a book every two days while I wait for our little one to be born.

The book made me nostalgic for cruising and also for my days of scrapbooking. It's been too long since I have done either one.