Don't Toy With Me: A Christmas Cozy Mystery

by Diane Kelly

When Ciara relocates to a quaint North Carolina mountain town shortly before Christmas and takes a job in a classic toy shop, the last thing she expects is to end up investigating a robbery. But when someone steals the rent her attractive boss Nick owes to the landlord, the two are determined to work together to bring the culprit to justice. Can they solve the crime, or will only Santa know who's stolen the money and ended up on his naughty list?

Genres: Holiday, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Cozy Romance

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 25, 2024

About the author

Award-winning author Diane Kelly writes romance and romantic mysteries featuring feisty heroines, quirky sidekicks, and sexy leading men, with humor that leaves readers laughing out loud.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun Christmas mystery

Ciara has lost her job in the city when the store went out of business. She decided to move out to the rural mountain town of Berwick Valley and start over. She quickly finds a nice small place to rent and went job hunting. She gets a job at the new toy store in town and the mystery begins. Things are going well when someone breaks in one night and steals the rent money out of the safe. The story moves quickly along. A fun read.

[Kandi A. Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like a short story

The short story or novella is one of my favorites to read. I often do not have time to read for a long period of time, so a short story is great. This one was quick and pretty interesting, along with about an hour to read the whole thing. I noticed a couple typos but other than that, the story flowed well to a satisfying conclusion.

[E'Who'Reads'a'Thousand'Mysteries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slice of life in a toy story

This little slice of life drama follows starting over in a small town toy store. The plot is not very in depth but it is a nice relaxing read when the snow is falling.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short but interesting mystery with just a hint of romance. It's refreshing to have a mystery that doesn't involve a murder. I hope this is the start of a new series. I liked the characters and hope to get to know them better.

[Hunter Camp · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really wasn’t that bad! It’s what you would expect, and there’s loads of typos and the like, but it was a nice, silly little small town mystery of who stole something. I actually look at this fondly.

[Moondance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resumes in hand and comfortable walking shoes on my feet, I trotted down the front steps of the charming wood-frame house I'd leased the preceding week.

A charming cozy mystery with no murder victim set in the lovely NC mountains. A quick read at lunch that made me happy.

[Marsha Asquith]

This was a sweet short story. A toy store needed help and Ciara needed a job. Money goes missing and Nick and Ciara try to figure out who did it and how it was done.
Don't Toy with Me, Toy maker, cutest line in the story.

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming cozy mystery. Short story.

[cherril easley · Rating 5 out of 5]

really cute Christmas short

I loved it! A “who done it “ in a small town toy store at Christmas time! Fabulous believable characters and happy ending, who could want more?

[Jeanne Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute fun read.

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Toy With Me

A short cozy mystery! Will Ciara and Nick figure out who stole money from Nick's safe? Who would steal from a toy store?

[caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5*
I solved this mystery after they introduced the perpetrator.. not very fun for me and it wasn't that christmas-y

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little mystery set around Christmas. I wish it had been longer, though. I would enjoy more of Ciara and Nick in the future.

[Nana Fields · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!!!

[Amy Brannock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute cozy mystery! I enjoyed it. Some typos but the story flowed and I didn’t see any plot holes.

[Cindyloo84 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Jan Fall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane’s books are just the right mix of mystery and romance. I love them all.