Somewhere in the Night: A Country Club Murder Thanksgiving novella

The Country Club Murders #18.5

by Julie Mulhern

Thanksgiving night in Kansas City means the Plaza Lighting Ceremony.

When Ellison Jones and her family go to her great-aunt's apartment to see the lights come on, she doesn't anticipate a murder (she never does). But when a shirt-tail relative falls from a seventeenth-floor balcony, she and Anarchy are drawn into the investigation.

Can they catch a killer before anyone else dies?

Genres: Mystery, Novella, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Mystery Thriller

71 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2024

About the author

Julie Mulhern is the USA Today bestselling author of The Country Club Murders and the Poppy Fields Adventures.

She is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean--and she's got an active imagination. Truth is--she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

How wonderful to have a new story so quickly after a full-length release to cut the wait time for the next one. Despite its short length, this is a complete story, full of the same wonderful characters, witty banter, trademark humor, and mystery to solve. Highly recommended but, as with all series, start at the beginning to get the full character development.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like novellas work well for me in this series? The stories don't need a TON of page time at this point.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Thanksgiving mystery. Now to wait for the next full length one in the series!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little closed door mystery! It also made me want pie.

[Sara Santiago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this little Thanksgiving novella from my favorite cozy mystery series. Julie Mulhern can do no wrong when it comes the this series - only wish is for it to be full length!

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is Thanksgiving – which should be a happy time: lots of good food, city lights … But maybe not so much if you have to spend it with the less appealing members of your extended family, and particularly not if Ellison is there. Corpses just miraculously appear whenever she is in the vicinity. She is never responsible for their demise, but does usually discover the murderer.
Lots of family antagonism and blame, money and ill-judged marriage. Julie Mulhern never disappoints. As always, highly recommended

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy a closed room mystery!

[Hilary Gallion · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Thanksgiving murder mystery set in KC that includes my absolute favorite holiday tradition- the Plaza lights?! Happy to have found the short and festive gem of a story!

[Stephanie Hobrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

She Just Keeps Doing It!

I don’t know how she does it,but Ms. Mulhern can pack three days of suspense into seven chapters and leave you wanting more, more, more. Can’t wait for her next work.

[Elaine C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The annual lighting of the City Square is a tradition that nobody really wants to attend. But Ellison's great-aunt insists that everyone show up on Thanksgiving night. But when a relative falls off a balcony, Anarchy and Ellison are drawn into the case to solve the murder! Did someone at the festivities push the deceased? Or was he just too clumsy for his own good. This short story was a fun and easy read.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun short story. Don't really have a ton to say about it, but I enjoyed reading it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy Thanksgiving mystery novella set in 1970s Kansas City. Part of the Country Club Murders series. Love the characters.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellison and Anarchy are so good together. This was a quick easy mystery with all the charm of the longer novels. Mr.Coffee and the dogs were all there as well.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Wish it had been longer! Intriguing plot and ending!!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm never going to pass up an opportunity to hang out with this crew and this was nicely timed coming out around Thanksgiving. Mother was at her worst and it was fun to get a peak at how Beau is starting to fit into the family. As with most novellas, it went quick but I still have the latest in the series to look forward to!

[Micky Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding novella to tide us over until we can get the next book in the series! Ellison is spending Thanksgiving with family when of course she finds a body! Only this time, it seems one of her family members is most likely the prime suspect! Ellison and Anarchy need to move fast before things spiral out of control and Ellison's mother has a conniption fit! If you haven't started this series, you absolutely have to start with book one and read your way through as you'll get a better connection to all the characters as well as a better feel for Kansas City! This series is set in the 70's near the plaza in Kansas City, MO. I was a kid in the 70's and going shopping on the plaza was a treat for us so all the landmarks that are mentioned in the books mean something to me and bring back lots of happy memories! The author has a gift for creative witty banter, delightful plots and intriguing murders and I can't wait for the next book to come out! FYI: The audiobook version of this series is a must listen for me! The narration is outstanding!

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all about the location! This novella benefits from being set on the Kansas City Plaza. The time is right, too. One of the most exciting nights in the city is the Plaza Lighting Ceremony on Thanksgiving night. Julie Mulhern has written us a new story that is set in 1975 on Thanksgiving night on the Plaza.

Even though we travelled out of town for Thanksgiving this year, I could read this novella on my Kindle. It was all the things we love about the series. Ellison and Anarchy are the cutest newlyweds ever. The supporting cast is consistently good. No sign of BFF Libba or sister Marjorie in this one, but there is a plethora of shirt-tail relatives who got a bit confusing. And why does Ellison have to talk to her Mr. Coffee so much?

Check this one out for some local flavor. You will get the best reading experience if you are already familar with the series.

[Loretta TheMoodyRedhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Anarchy is 💯 and so handsome.

Do you like coffee? Well, Ellis sure does! She has such a wonderful relationship with Mr. Coffee that the two have full on conversations that Ellis is sometimes caught in the middle of while responding to “him.” The lady loves her bean juice!

This has a great ending with a bit of a twist. Justice was served and we discover Anarchy doesn’t always see things as only black or white. Sometimes there’s gray.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

Now for a Carolyn Brown book. I love every book I’ve read by her. I choose “The Sometimes Sisters”.

See you in my next review.
Deuces to your cabooses!
~ themoodyredhead ✨♥️✨

[Rose Mcclarin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Thanksgiving dinner Ellison and family along with her parents drive downtown to her aunt
Tilly's to watch the holiday lights being lit. It all starts with awkward family moments and some of the teens taking something that resulted in his being rushed to the hospital, the Ellison discovered that one relative either fell or was pushed over the balcony and fell 17 stories to his death. Then Frances calls Ellison to tell her Aunty Tilly is in the hospital, she visits and get information that is crucial to the case. After a complicated investigation Anarchy is ready to reveal the killer.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellison, Anarchy, Grace and parents all gather at their great-aunt’s home to see the first lighting of the town on Thanksgiving. High brows low brows and a murderer.
Ellison’s nephew over doses on pot, bourbon and Valium.
While they wait for the ambulance, Ellison notices that Earl has gone over the balcony. He is the new husband of the niece. Seems he wants his wife to inherit before great and is ready. He tries to push her off the balcony, but her butler of 35 years saves her and tosses Earl.
Since great aunt is dying of cancer she saves her butler and says she is the culprit.

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellison and Anarchy are spending their first Thanksgiving together as man and wife. After dinner, Great-aunt Tilly is hosting a watch-the-Christmas-lights-come-on-in-the-square party at her 17th floor apartment. While one of the teenagers overdoses on marijuana plus Valium plus bourbon, the new husband of the teenage victim's grandmother is found dead (by Ellison, of course). And Anarchy makes a Herculean attempt to bond with Ellison's family.

[Lori McMullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a little drama. Or in this case a murder.

I always throw on my mink when I step out onto the balcony to watch the tree lighting ceremony…don’t you?

Lavish light displays. Cocktails. Money. Greed. Family. Love. A mystery to solve. What more could you ask for when saddled with a house full of family?





More thoughts on books and stuff at mytossiecup.blogspot.com

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read even though I figured out who did it. I love that it was published so quickly after the last book. I listened to it prior to Thanksgiving and it reminded me how difficult some families have dealing with other. Just be cordial or don’t go.

Love the chat with Mr. Coffee.

I also love the lights in the Plaza. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen them in person but this just put the picture of them in my mind.

Highly recommend this Thanksgiving cozy novella.

[Mum · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you lived in Kansas City, you would appreciate the hysterical madness that comes with flipping a switch to turn on The Plaza Lights. The book brought back so many memories of the chaos. The author’s ability to capture the humor and irony had me laughing so hard, I had to put the book down. I personally loved it and would recommend to anyone missing the Plaza lights. The cozy mystery pieces made a a superior read.

[Robin Matheny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. I live in the KC area, so as a child it was tradition for the start of the Christmas season to begin when the plaza lights are switched on. Although, I didn't get to go see them live, we would all huddle around the TV and watch them be flipped. It's a pretty big deal here for a lot of people. My only "complaint" is that I wished it was longer. I would have liked to have learned more about the family characters. A very nice cozy holiday read.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankful to read this - it was included in the book "Back in Black." A very interesting story because we see Anarchy allow Hudson, the houseman of Ellison's Aunt Tilly, to be ignored as a suspect in a self-defense murder (Earl attacking Aunt Tilly for her money) so that Hudson is not put through troubles from other family members.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaos in lights

What a treat to have more of Ellison and Anarchy this Thanksgiving! Francis is not pleased when a body turns up amid the family crisis during the light show. Ellison has a crazy knack for locating corpses. Sweet,funny,and charming moments that blend well into a holiday read anyone can appreciate ---representative of Julie Mulhern's unique style.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanksgiving night in Kansas City means the Plaza Lighting Ceremony.

When Ellison Jones and her family go to her great-aunt's apartment to see the lights come on, she doesn't anticipate a murder (she never does). But when a shirt-tail relative falls from a seventeenth-floor balcony, she and Anarchy are drawn into the investigation.

Can they catch a killer before anyone else dies?

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ellison and her family. This is a short story about Ellison's Aunt Tilly. Her VERY wealthy and quite old Aunt Tilly. It takes place at Thanksgiving and has a wonderful new tradition for all of our families. Enjoy!

[KDinSC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent country club series novella

I always love it when a new country club murder book comes out! We meet more of Ellison's family in this one, as well as a new body. Lots of twists and turns for a novella. Can't wait to see what happens next!