What do you think?
Rate this book
Sugar Creek Mystery #5
Death and Eggnog
A stolen spotlight. A shocking murder. A Christmas mystery Abby Hirsch never saw coming.
The town’s annual Christmas pageant is the highlight of the season, and Abby Hirsch is thrilled to be catering for the festivities. But when local star turned Broadway legend Katherine Kirby makes a dazzling return to Sugar Creek to headline the show, the holiday spirit turns frosty. Rehearsals unravel into chaos, old rivalries flare up, and just days before opening night… Katherine’s sister is found dead.
The suspect list is as long as Santa’s naughty list—jealous understudies, jilted lovers, and the ever-dramatic Drama Mamas all had a reason to want Katherine’s sister gone. But as Abby untangles the mystery, she realizes this case isn’t just about a stolen spotlight—it’s about long-buried secrets that someone is willing to kill to protect.
As the town buzzes with holiday cheer, Abby has enough on her plate—running her business, juggling her relationship with Sheriff Ryan Iverson, and trying to keep Sugar Creek’s most dramatic divas from turning Christmas into a crime scene.
With time running out and the holiday season at stake, Abby must crack the case before the killer cancels Christmas for good.
With festive charm, tantalizing treats, and a mystery that will keep you guessing, Death and Eggnog is the perfect holiday read for fans of Ellie Alexander and Maddie Day. Grab a cup of cocoa, curl up by the fire, and get lost in this deliciously cozy Christmas whodunit!
The town’s annual Christmas pageant is the highlight of the season, and Abby Hirsch is thrilled to be catering for the festivities. But when local star turned Broadway legend Katherine Kirby makes a dazzling return to Sugar Creek to headline the show, the holiday spirit turns frosty. Rehearsals unravel into chaos, old rivalries flare up, and just days before opening night… Katherine’s sister is found dead.
The suspect list is as long as Santa’s naughty list—jealous understudies, jilted lovers, and the ever-dramatic Drama Mamas all had a reason to want Katherine’s sister gone. But as Abby untangles the mystery, she realizes this case isn’t just about a stolen spotlight—it’s about long-buried secrets that someone is willing to kill to protect.
As the town buzzes with holiday cheer, Abby has enough on her plate—running her business, juggling her relationship with Sheriff Ryan Iverson, and trying to keep Sugar Creek’s most dramatic divas from turning Christmas into a crime scene.
With time running out and the holiday season at stake, Abby must crack the case before the killer cancels Christmas for good.
With festive charm, tantalizing treats, and a mystery that will keep you guessing, Death and Eggnog is the perfect holiday read for fans of Ellie Alexander and Maddie Day. Grab a cup of cocoa, curl up by the fire, and get lost in this deliciously cozy Christmas whodunit!
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
159 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Nova Walsh
23 books54 followersAuthor Nova Walsh writes culinary cozy mysteries full of humor, shenanigans, and friendships that last a lifetime. She mixes in a healthy dose of amateur sleuthing, some slow-burn romance, and a pinch of comedy in every book she writes.
Nova is a former chef/caterer who still loves to cook but loves to write even more. She’s an enthusiastic, if not totally successful gardener who loves travel, wine, and hanging out with friends.
Nova grew up in the southwest, and now lives in Galveston, Texas, with her husband, son, and dogs. When she isn’t writing, she’s often cooking, spending time with family, or reading a good book with a pup by her side.
Nova is a former chef/caterer who still loves to cook but loves to write even more. She’s an enthusiastic, if not totally successful gardener who loves travel, wine, and hanging out with friends.
Nova grew up in the southwest, and now lives in Galveston, Texas, with her husband, son, and dogs. When she isn’t writing, she’s often cooking, spending time with family, or reading a good book with a pup by her side.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 9, 2024
Katherine Kirby, hometown girl of Sugar Creek, Texas, now a recognized star on Broadway, and her sister Kelly are revisiting their troubled roots in order for Katherine to perform in the annual Christmas play. Is Katherine`s stalker real, or imaginecd? Kelly seems to think the latter, and Abby Hirsch, hired to cater the wrap party at the theater, detects a widening rift between the siblings. Tragedy strikes and the search is on to find motive, means, and a cold-blooded killer, hopefully before it overshadows Christmas day.
Nova Walsh serves up a suspenseful, delectable page-turner of a culinary cozy in the Sugar Creek Mystery series, Book 5, gives full value to the genre, literally leaving my mouth watering, and wishing Abby were my generous, gifted next-door neighbor. When will the snickerdoodles be out of the oven, uh, I mean, when will the next book be out? I`ll be there with bells on!
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy from the author through BookSirens for free, and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Nova Walsh serves up a suspenseful, delectable page-turner of a culinary cozy in the Sugar Creek Mystery series, Book 5, gives full value to the genre, literally leaving my mouth watering, and wishing Abby were my generous, gifted next-door neighbor. When will the snickerdoodles be out of the oven, uh, I mean, when will the next book be out? I`ll be there with bells on!
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy from the author through BookSirens for free, and am leaving a review voluntarily.
February 19, 2025
This is a lovely cozy mystery set at Christmas time with loads of Christmas vibes! The main character owns a catering company and she caters for the main event, that being the annual Christmas play and pageant! She cooks up cookies, breads, pastries etc. The star of the show is a former resident of the town (Sugar Creek) who returns especially to head up this year's show. Since leaving town she became a Broadway star and so there's big excitement when she returns. However not long after her arrival there is a murder and she was poisoned herself but survived. Darkness and intrigue surrounds the theatre crowd and our main character is keen to find out who the murderer is! A charming, warming read with as much Christmas troupe as the gorgeous festive cover!
This was an ARC I received and am leaving my honest review of my own free will.
This was an ARC I received and am leaving my honest review of my own free will.
November 17, 2024
Once again Abby and her friend Cassie get involved when a murder occurs during the annual Christmas play in Sugar Creek. It seems the homecoming of the main star who is a Broadway celebrity has caused chaos and of course Abby who is catering for the play's wrap party can't help but investigate.
This is a delightful easy read which will have you drooling with all the amazing baking that is happening throughout all the book. There's also a big enough list of suspects including a mysterious stalker to wade through. I really enjoy these books and the balance between the amateur sleuthing and normal daily lives is handled very well. I look forward to seeing what is next in store for Abby and Cassie.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a delightful easy read which will have you drooling with all the amazing baking that is happening throughout all the book. There's also a big enough list of suspects including a mysterious stalker to wade through. I really enjoy these books and the balance between the amateur sleuthing and normal daily lives is handled very well. I look forward to seeing what is next in store for Abby and Cassie.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 24, 2024
I enjoyed this light Christmasy cozy mystery. I absolutely loved it. It was very clean with a good plot and unexpected plot twist, lovely characters and a lot of Christmas spirit. Everything about Christmas is so well detailed the setting of the small town adds to the charm. All the characters are relatable and cute. Abby is really headstrong with her work and is 100% herself with Ryan and Cassie which is really well depicted. I loved the best friends angle. It's lovely to see how therapeutic cooking and baking is for Abby, she pours herself into her work which is delicious. Loved the recipes at the end. I didn't see that twist coming and loved everything about the book. Reading more from the series soon
January 8, 2025
Good Reaf
I enjoyed this story as I did not guess the culprit until about 3\4 of the way through. I liked the pace of the story, the characters, and the setting of the holiday. I gave the story 4 stars vs. 5 because the story seemed a bit unfinished. I wanted to know more about the background of why the culprit did the murders and how. Without giving away any of the story and giving a spoiler, I was just looking for more detail. I certainly can put my own spin on the story, but I wanted more from the author's viewpoint. Overall, I liked the story well enough that I will read more books in this series. The author certainly is good about adding everyday content to make the story real like info about the dog and buts of romance included.
I enjoyed this story as I did not guess the culprit until about 3\4 of the way through. I liked the pace of the story, the characters, and the setting of the holiday. I gave the story 4 stars vs. 5 because the story seemed a bit unfinished. I wanted to know more about the background of why the culprit did the murders and how. Without giving away any of the story and giving a spoiler, I was just looking for more detail. I certainly can put my own spin on the story, but I wanted more from the author's viewpoint. Overall, I liked the story well enough that I will read more books in this series. The author certainly is good about adding everyday content to make the story real like info about the dog and buts of romance included.
December 11, 2024
Death and Eggnog
Detective- Abby Hirsch (caterer)
Sidekick- Cassie (best friend)
Love Interest- Ryan Iverson (sheriff)
Mystery Category- Cozy
Cozy Type- Culinary
Romance Type- clean, slow burn
Crime: Murder
Victim: Kelly Kirby
Means: poison
Mewsings: this was a cute, clean mystery and I’d give it a 4/5. I felt that the killer was a little obvious and that their motives were not gone into well enough. But the characters were great, particularly their relationships and interactions with each other, and the setting was really well done. This book passes the Bechdel Test.
Detective- Abby Hirsch (caterer)
Sidekick- Cassie (best friend)
Love Interest- Ryan Iverson (sheriff)
Mystery Category- Cozy
Cozy Type- Culinary
Romance Type- clean, slow burn
Crime: Murder
Victim: Kelly Kirby
Means: poison
Mewsings: this was a cute, clean mystery and I’d give it a 4/5. I felt that the killer was a little obvious and that their motives were not gone into well enough. But the characters were great, particularly their relationships and interactions with each other, and the setting was really well done. This book passes the Bechdel Test.
December 22, 2024
A good cozy mystery!
The town’s home-grown Broadway star returns to star in Sugar Creek's annual Christmas play. Abby is busy with holiday catering, but not too busy to help her aunt at the Primrose Inn when the actress and her sister check in and want special treatment. A demanding diva, an overbearing director, and an entitled group of theater supporters bring stress and chaos to the production. When a murder occurs, Abby and Cassie have a menu full of suspects and motives to pick from in their search for the killer.
The story has plot twists that kept me guessing. I received a free copy but my review is honest and voluntary.
The town’s home-grown Broadway star returns to star in Sugar Creek's annual Christmas play. Abby is busy with holiday catering, but not too busy to help her aunt at the Primrose Inn when the actress and her sister check in and want special treatment. A demanding diva, an overbearing director, and an entitled group of theater supporters bring stress and chaos to the production. When a murder occurs, Abby and Cassie have a menu full of suspects and motives to pick from in their search for the killer.
The story has plot twists that kept me guessing. I received a free copy but my review is honest and voluntary.
March 22, 2025
Christmas is coming to Sugar Creek. For the annual Christmas show, a former resident and current Diva is going to be the star. She arrives with her sister, and immediately knows there is something wrong. Abby, becomes her driver, even with the holiday pressures of her fledgling catering business. Things go from stressful to horrifying when the siblings are poisoned. Who could be to blame? The understudy who has been pushed to the side, the manager who does not seem happy to have her there, the Drama Mamas who only care about the bottom line, or someone else. A great tale, and love the recipes at the end. Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC of this book.
October 31, 2024
It's time for the local annual Christmas play, but a big star and her sister come back home. The big sister takes the part a local was to have. There's talk of a stalker. Next thing you know there's a poisoning, and Abby starts sleuthing to find the culprit. I was surprised whodunit and why. It truly saddened me. It's such a festive time to let jealousy flare to that point. That aside, the recipes and food descriptions had my mouth watering, and will put you in a holiday mood. I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest opinion
March 8, 2025
This is the 2nd book I’ve read by Nova Walsh. This book had Abby and Cassie helping the sheriff, Ryan (also Abby’s boyfriend), solve two murders at the local theatre just before Christmas. A former Sugar Creek resident, Katherine, was in town to perform in the production the local theatre was putting on. Katherine was a Broadway star. I figured out who the murderer was about 2/3 of the way into the book. A good cozy mystery. I received an advance review copy of the book through Book Sirens. This is my review of the book
October 29, 2024
Pieces
The puzzle this time was a little drab in the beginning, picked up dramatically in chapter three and took off from there in a good old fashioned who is it. I still get a little annoyed with the main character (busy body to the extreme) . However I still enjoy putting the parts together to figure out the who did it, jump up and down when I figure it out, bummed when I find out it's a stupidly given reason for murder. Thanks for sharing.🕵🏽♀☕👩🏾💻
The puzzle this time was a little drab in the beginning, picked up dramatically in chapter three and took off from there in a good old fashioned who is it. I still get a little annoyed with the main character (busy body to the extreme) . However I still enjoy putting the parts together to figure out the who did it, jump up and down when I figure it out, bummed when I find out it's a stupidly given reason for murder. Thanks for sharing.🕵🏽♀☕👩🏾💻
November 3, 2024
Abby Hirsch and Cassie her friend are again involved in a murder investigation. Kelly Kirby the sister of the celebrity actress Katherine is murdered and Katherine poisoned then the murder of Charles Dunhill complicates matters. There was a lot going on than it seemed behind the chaos at the theater . An intriguing read with great characters. I received this ARC copy via Booksirens and leave a honest review. I recommend this book to other readers.
November 8, 2024
Death and Eggnog is Book 5 in the Sugar Creek Mysteries by Nova Walsh. Broadway star, Katherine, is coming home to act in a local play. This mystery was well written with characters I enjoyed reading about. Because this is the 5th book in the series, I get to read about the core characters. I found the resolution of the murder to be surprising and a little bit unexpected. I think this is a good book and series. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
November 14, 2024
A quick and cute holiday read. Unfortunately I couldn’t really get into it no matter how much I wanted to. I think the beginning was a bit too slow for me. I liked the ending, it was different and exciting.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 19, 2024
Good small town murder mystery set at Christmas time. Caterer Abby and her best friend Cassie investigate the murder of a woman at a local amateur theatrical show. Even though her sheriff boyfriend tells her not to.
Read
November 29, 2024A holiday whodunit that revolves around the Sugar Creek's annual Christmas play. Tragedy strikes and the search is on to find a cold-blooded killer. Abby and her friend Cassie can't help but investigate. The list of suspects includes a mysterious stalker. It's a captivating Christmas read.
November 11, 2024
A fun story but the main character was somewhat irritating in her second guessing everything.
December 28, 2025
Good read
Like the characters in this series. Nice to read.....It's a little predictable , but still good to read. Fun to guess the outcome and then see it through.
Like the characters in this series. Nice to read.....It's a little predictable , but still good to read. Fun to guess the outcome and then see it through.
November 9, 2024
A small town Christmas pageant. A Broadway diva’s emotional homecoming. A holiday whodunnit that will keep you guessing until the very end. Sugar Creek's annual Christmas play takes center stage. Abby prepares to cater for the festive production. This is a good mystery full of angst.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews