Deadly Decorations: A Christmas Shop Mystery

Christmas Shop Mystery #1

by Kathleen Suzette

Welcome to Christmas Village, where holiday cheer meets unexpected danger...

After her divorce, Charlotte Crandall seeks solace in the one place that always brought her joy as a child—Christmas Village. With its twinkling lights, festive atmosphere, and a new temp job at a charming Christmas shop, Charlotte hopes to rediscover the magic of the season. But on her very first day, her boss turns up dead, and suddenly, Charlotte finds herself at the center of a holiday murder mystery.

Now, with suspicion snowballing and everyone in town whispering about her, Charlotte enlists the help of her crime-solving cousins, Mia and Christy, from Pumpkin Hollow. Together, they must untangle the clues, navigate town gossip, and catch a killer before Charlotte’s holiday getaway turns into a permanent stay behind bars.

Christmas Village might be filled with seasonal magic, but it’s up to Charlotte to prove that her first day on the job wasn’t her last!

Genres: Mystery, Holiday, Cozy Mystery, Family, Christmas

170 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2024

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun cozy mystery. A Christmas Village. Great characters, all middle aged, Yay! Good writing. I’ll definitely continue with this new series.

[Sheila Penwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this cozy mystery. Charlotte, a cousin of Mia and Christy from Pumpkin Hollow, decided that since she was now divorced and her children were going skiing for Christmas that after spending Thanksgiving in Pumpkin Hollow she would go to Christmas Village.So off she went. She spent the first day visiting all the places she wanted. When she got to the Christmas Shop, she noticed a lot had changed plus they were no longer selling Christmas Trees in the lot. Sandra decided to hire her part-time until January if she was going to stay.The next day she went to work and met Delia at the door. Delia decided to go get them coffee and gave Charlotte the key to go on in. She noticed that the door was unlocked and when she went in she found Sandra lying behind a box. Detective Hayes was investigating and told Charlotte not to leave town as now she was a suspect. She called and talked to Mia and Christy. Charlotte is the amateur sleuth and the sleuthing begins. A VERY GOOD COZY MYSTERY.

[SpadesQueenTLF · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cousin Series to the Pumpkin Hollow Cozy Mystery Series by the same author!!

This is the cousin series to Pumpkin Hollow series. Instead of a town all about Halloween year round this tlbook is about a town called Christmas Village and you can guess what it is about all year long! lol
The protagonist here is the cousin to Mia and Christie our main characters in the Pumpkin Hollow Series. It's a great set of 3 books to add along with your reading of Pumpkin Hollow Series or to serve as a 3 book Christmas stand alone series on it's own. I love how the cousin's are kept in the loop in this book with out being allowed to overshadow the new main character or any of the supporting ones in this book. It's a great read and series. 3 books total to date.
Reading time about 2.5-3 hours with or without kindle assisted reader.

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlotte's children are grown and she's just gotten divorced. It's Christmas and she's wanting a little nostalgia. So, she goes to the Christmas Village that celebrates Christmas year round to get some holiday spirit. Since she's at loose ends, she takes a job at one of the stores. The very first day of her employment, she finds her new boss dead. Ooops. So, it's down to her to figure out who did it.

There's a lot of holiday atmosphere, but I have to say I found Charlotte a bit annoying and naive. She was walking around questioning people like she has a badge.

The mystery itself was pretty simple. Overall, it was just okay.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte was following in her cousins’ footsteps for real when she started investigating a murder in the shop she’d just been hired to work in. She was mainly wanting to clear her own name, but I think she enjoyed sleuthing with her cousins in the Pumpkin Hollow Candy Store series so much, that she wanted to see this investigation through to the end.

I already liked Charlotte’s character, and now I really like her new friends too and can’t wait to see what happens to the Christmas store in the next book.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love her cozy mysteries, so I was happy to see a Christmas-themed cozy series begin. I've already pre-ordered the next two installments. I loved this one, but I expected nothing less. I do highly recommend this author and her cozies to anyone who loves light cozies (especially the ones with a holiday theme)!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄 Deadly Decorations by Kathleen Suzette is a festive cozy mystery I devoured in one sitting! Charlotte returns to a Christmas town after her divorce, only to find her boss dead on day one at the shop. Fun, cute, and full of relatable middle aged characters—I’m already hooked on her story! 🕵️‍♀️❄️🎁

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. A fast read that definitely has the Christmas spirit. The mystery itself isn't that sophisticated but there are enough twists to keep it interesting.

[Ladi Jey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Pumpkin Hollow so much, I had to give The Christmas series a try. It's great and a must read.

[Amy Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off pretty good for Christmas murder hallmark book. The ending was way too rushed. It’s only 118 pages so I guess expect a rushed story