Kiss Kringle

Search and Rescue Cozy Mysteries #8

by Patti Benning

Sometimes holiday celebrations…
Can be murder.

Ten days before Christmas, German Shepherd owner and amateur sleuth, Eve, attends a holiday party with Aidan at the Granite Pines Retreat and finally gets to see where he works.

Romance is in the air, and a run-in with some mistletoe leads to their first kiss.

Eve is bubbling over with happiness all evening…until they decide to look for Aidan’s work friend, Hector, who said he was going to grab something from his employee locker… an hour earlier.

When they discover that Hector has met a tragic end, Eve is positive that the culprit is someone who is attending the party.

Eve knows that she has to get to the bottom of not only what happened, and whodunit, but also…why?

Can she crack the case of the Christmas killer before they strike again?

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery

118 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 16, 2024

About the author

https://www.facebook.com/Patti-Bennin...

When Cozy Mystery author, Patti Benning, isn’t busy plotting the deaths of multiple fictitious characters, she loves to spend time hiking with her rescue dog, Max, who is her bestest writing buddy.

​Patti loves to cook and the food in her books has been tried and tested in her very own kitchen. She’s technologically shy, and stays away from social media a great deal, because it makes her feel more awkward and introverted than meeting someone face to face.

​Writing is the perfect job for her because in her books, she gets to explore all the topics she loves, food, animals, crafts and reading. She loves her readers dearly, and is thankful for the opportunity to share with them through her work.

Reviews

[Anna]

Format Audiobook

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️

BOOK 8 in the Search and Rescue cozy mystery series

Performed by Julie Mckay

Eve and Alice attended Aiden’s work Christmas Party at the Retreat.

During a tour of the staff lounge they came across Aidens work friend Hector.

Who killed Hector?

Loving these
Short stories

Thank you Blue Nose Audio for those ALC

[Rachel G]

This was an ALC
Eve goes to a Christmas party and she gets kissed and .all of a sudden things go very wrong and she has to help investigate what happens.

[Jeannie]

Enjoyable! Entertaining! Intriguing!

Another great read in this wonderful series. Eve is looking forward to the Christmas holidays, time away from work and a holiday party to attend with Aiden. Finally getting to see where he works and meet some of his co-workers, not to mention a new dress! But what starts out as a fun evening (with a kiss under the mistletoe) turns very tragic when Hector, a friend of Aiden's is found murdered in the employee lounge after a brief search for him.

This held my interest throughout as is always the case with books by this author. Fast paced, entertaining and I can read it in one sitting. Still more questions about this retreat, why so much mystery, what is the purpose of it? Rehab, a place for celebrities who need a break from the limelight, a treatment facility of some other kind? The possibilities swirling through my mind are endless, especially since it was revealed employees must sign a NDA. The great thing is, I know all will be revealed which means more enjoyable reading to come. And romance in the air for Eve!

Kudos Ms. Benning! 🎉🎉👏👏🌟🌟🌟📚📚

[Melanie]

Kiss Kringle delivers another cozy mystery from Patti Benning, this time set against the backdrop of a secluded retreat where Aidan is working. The setting itself adds an extra layer of intrigue, and as always, Patti knows how to build atmosphere and keep the mystery moving.

While I still very much enjoyed the story, the motive behind the murder felt a little weaker to me than in previous installments. That said, it didn’t pull me out of the book. The pacing remained strong throughout, and the plot unfolded smoothly enough that I stayed invested, even when the “why” didn’t quite land as solidly as the “who.”

Julie McKay once again deserves high praise. Her narration absolutely carried this story for me. She keeps the tension balanced with warmth, maintains excellent momentum, and brings clarity and distinction to a wide cast of characters. Her performance makes these books such an easy, comforting listen.

Overall, Kiss Kringle is still a solid and enjoyable entry in the series. It may not be my favorite mystery in terms of motive, but it’s cozy, well paced, and exactly the kind of audiobook I reach for when I want something engaging without being heavy.

[Toni]

Betrayal, secrets…..

Unsure if she was going on a date, Eve attends as Aidan’s guest to his work Christmas Party at Granite Pines Retreat. A night meant for them to relax, have fun, and meet with friends, takes an unexpected turn! A work colleague of Aidan’s is found murdered!

The premise of the story kept me turning the pages. A lot of ground is covered within this shorter format, easy to follow and kept me guessing throughout. Willow and Atlas, Eve’s search and rescue dogs didn’t feature as much in this book. I don’t dislike this variation within the series. Not every mystery will require her search and rescue services.

The performance from Julie McKay is outstanding. The transition between character voices male and female is top tier. Is this a solo or multicast performance, who can tell. Completely engrossed in Julie’s performance.

Thank you Patti for another intriguing instalment in the Search and Rescue Cozy Mysteries series.

Thank you Blue Nose Audio for an entertaining advanced listener copy.

[Mayra]

Kiss Kringle, & Bone Cold by Patti Benning!!
Book 8in the Search & Rescue Cozy Mysteries series
Performed in solo narration by Julie McKay

This was a good one. Here Aiden invites Eve to his works Christmas party and let’s just say things weren’t as jolly as expected, quite the opposite actually. Between Eve and Aiden they are on the hunt for answers to solve the questions that affect them a lot more personally than in any of the prior stories. this one hits close to home and they want to find out who was responsible!! This had me hooked and I really enjoyed the guessing factor with the clues she throws out.

Now let’s talk narration, Julie McKay is fantastic, I can’t stress enough how amazing she is in her transitions between male and female characters, love her!!
Don’t miss out on. This series it’s really great!

[Jessica Stueber]

Adorable cozy mystery series with the added bonus of furry friends! This series is a bunch of short and sweet novellas about Evelyn Foster and her two search dogs. Great series! I cant wait to read more about Evelyn Foster!

Book 5: Kiss Kringle
Eve and Aidan are attending his work Christmas party! Eve is so excited as they get their first kiss under the mistletoe. As Aidan gives her a tour of his workplace, they discover his good friend Hector murdered. Aidan is devastated. Can Eve help him solve this crime?

Huge thank you to Blue Nose Audio for this free ALC audiobook in exchange for my candid review.

[Brenda Ploegstra]

Good cozy reading

I've enjoyed reading this series. The books are not very long but tell the stories completely. I like reading about the training sessions with the dogs, especially about Atlas. I've read a lot of stories with cadaver dogs but never thought of what goes into training them. As these are cozy mysteries there isn't anything distressing but it is interesting.
Eve is a pretty smart lady and has a knack for figuring things out. I hope to read more about her and the rest of the characters in the future.

[Tari]

Wow, poor Aidan losing a coworker at the Christmas party, but that made him determined to help Eve figure out who it was. Along with that was another type thing the killer was also doing which was probably gonna guarantee a nice, long time in prison for that person. I knew Tiana would have a comment about all of it since she always teased Aidan that he works at a cult place when it’s really just a retreat center. The main thing was all the friends were planning to have a nice, peaceful Christmas with the people they loved.

[Barbara Kelley]

A Murder At The Creepy Resort!

"Kiss Kringle is Book 8 of Patti Benning's Search and Rescue Cozy Mystery series. This episode has Eve and Aidan attending a Christmas party at Aidan's place of work: the creepy resort. However, what starts off as a memorable Christmas, winds up as a mystery when one of Aidan's friends turns up murdered. Who killed Aidan's friend? With a resort full of possible suspects, will Aidan and Eve find out who the killer is before another person dies? I gave this book 5 stars.

[Kate - BookyGal]

The mysterious Granite Pines Retreat Center has been casually mentioned thoughtout the series as this weird place that Aidan works. Now it is front and center and the location of the latest murder, as well as Aidan and Eve's first kiss. As the story unravels, we meet many of Aidan's coworkers and party guests, of course the potential murders. Patti creates a detailed group of characters without giving away too much. Julie McKay's performance is brilliant as always, finding a unique voice for each character.

[William]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This kindle novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account book eight of eight

More to come?

They are getting ready for the holiday season when a dead body is found. The resort closes for the season but strange things are happening.

I would recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of romantic family and friends relationships mystery novels 👍🔰. 2024 👒😤

[Kaye H Brock]

Same old story outline

Eve stumbles onto a murder every few weeks, feels obligated to solve it despite being asked not to. Convinces herself it's the right thing to do, sticks her nose into everyone else's business and eventually helps solve the case. Next book, repeat.
I was between good books and thought I'd start a new series. This isn't it. After 8 books of this I quit.

[Marissa]

Holiday season and parties are in the air. Things get romantic as Eve and her date share their first kiss but soon it will be tainted with murder in the air. Her friend Aidan looks for another friend attending the ball and finds them dead. Nothing says holiday spirit in the air like a murder. Eve will have to figure out the case before the season is ruined.

[E]

Holiday party turns deadly

Eve is excited & nervous to attend Aiden’s company’s holiday party. She begins to relax and during a tour they make an awful discovery. Really good story set at my favorite time of the year.

[Vicki robles]

Missed Atlas and Willow

Another head scratcher murder. Granite is not a safe place to live! Lol. This was another great read by Patti
Benning, but I have to admit I missed the dogs being involved. I have totally fallen in love with Atlas and Willow!

[Shannon Binegar-Foster]

Another great mystery where we finally get a look into the mysterious retreat where Aiden works. Lots of secrets are revealed in this one. Loved it.


I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher.

[Skadams9038 Adams]

A Better plot, but the dogs weren't in this book

This plot was better, but I missed the dogs being central in the solution. Dogs love Christmas too. Or at least my dogs do. It's nice Eve has friend and a possible love interest.

[Jane]

great read

This story didn’t include the dogs very much, but it was really good. Sometimes when a writer writes some books in on series, each one takes on a lot of similarities. This book was a nice break from the first few books and a quick read.

[Tali]

Another great installment of a cozy mystery. This store had less of the dog aspects of finding missing persons but still had the fun “who dunnit” aspects. I listened to the audio and Julie is amazing doing all the voices.

[Samantha]

It's winter time in the Search and Rescue Series and I am enjoying every second of this cozy mystery. Kiss Kringle has the all the mystery and small town coziness I've come accustomed to in this cozy mystery series. The audiobook was a joy and Julie McKay was amazing.

[Linda Langford]

Great cozy mystery featuring German shepherd search and rescue dogs and their owner/trainer. Short stories.

[Anne G. Kasaba]

This series just keeps getting better. The characters are likable, the story well written and the mystery well plotted. An entertaining addition to a series that keeps getting better.

[Patricia H. Phelps]

Search and Rescue

I love stories with animals, especially dogs. This series is exceptionally good. These dogs are amazing and Eve solves mysteries, too!

[Lisa]

3.5

Just too simplistic. However it was certainly an easy and quick read. I will probably read more as a break between those long and heavy series.

[Susan Clair Holt]

Kiss Kringle

Eve and Aiden solve the mystery of a friend's murder, this time without the help of the dogs but instead friends. Great murder mystery short stories.

[Courtney]

Got to listen to the audiobook! Love this it's cute, loving the characters and I'm looking forward to the next one!