Malice in Christmas River

Christmas River #4

by Meg Muldoon

Autumn has arrived in Christmas River, but frustration levels are at an all-time high for the small town’s residents as an unseasonable heatwave plagues the central Oregon Cascades.
Somehow, pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters has managed to stay above it all. Recently married, Cinnamon’s been happily working hard at her pie shop all summer to help pay for her and Sheriff Daniel Brightman’s upcoming honeymoon to Hawaii. All that stands between them and paradise is the upcoming Christmas River Rodeo. Then it’s nothing but blue skies, tropical waters, and Mai Tai cocktails.
But when a terrible accident occurs at the Rodeo, Cinnamon realizes that getting to the honeymoon won’t be so easy.
Something sinister is going on in Christmas River.
And Cinnamon soon discovers that it threatens to destroy everything she has.
Malice in Christmas River is the fourth book in the Christmas Cozy Mystery series.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Cozy, Fiction, Holiday, Audiobook

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2014

About the author

For a very limited time receive a FREE cozy mystery and recipe book when you sign up for Meg Muldoon's mailing list! Sign-up here: http://eepurl.com/zcGr1

Meg Muldoon is the author of over 20 feel-good mysteries, including the bestselling Christmas River Cozy Mysteries and The Dog Town USA Cozy Mysteries. A former small town news reporter, Meg has always had a special place in her heart for lost dogs, homeless cats, and feisty old locals. She enjoys Marionberry pie, red cowboy boots, and craft glue guns. Meg specializes in writing stories filled with humor and heart, and her books have been featured in the Amazon Kindle Top-100.

Meg lives in Central Oregon with two Great Pyrenees, a cattle dog named Huckleberry, and a rascal cat named Frank.

Reading Order:

THE CHRISTMAS RIVER COZY MYSTERY SERIES
Murder in Christmas River – Book 1
Mayhem in Christmas River – Book 2
Madness in Christmas River – Book 3
Malice in Christmas River – Book 4
Mischief in Christmas River – Book 5
Manic in Christmas River – Book 6
Magic in Christmas River – Book 7
Menace in Christmas River – Book 8
Missing in Christmas River – Book 9
Meltdown in Christmas River – Book 10
Midnight in Christmas River – Book 11
Mistake in Christmas River – Book 12
Matrimony in Christmas River - Book 13
Malarkey in Christmas River - Book 14 (Coming Spring 2025!)

THE CHRISTMAS RIVER COZY MYSTERY NOVELLA SERIES
Roasted in Christmas River – Novella 1
Cinnamon Peters & the Rabbit Bandit – Novella 2
Caught in Christmas River – Novella 3
Crushed in Christmas River – Novella 4
Hounded in Christmas River – Novella 5
Framed in Christmas River – Novella 6
Trapped in Christmas River - Novella 7
Merriment in Christmas River - Novella 8

THE HOLLY HOPEWELL COZY MYSTERY SERIES
The Silence of the Elves – Book 1
Elf Confidential - Book 2

THE DOG TOWN USA COZY MYSTERY SERIES
Mutts & Murder – Book 1
Bulldogs & Bullets – Book 2
Corgis & Conspiracy - Book 3
Pyrenees & Poison - Book 4 (Coming Soon)

THE COZY MATCHMAKER MYSTERY SERIES
Burned in Broken Hearts Junction – Book 1
Busted in Broken Hearts Junction – Book 2

THE WITCHES OF BROOMFIELD BAY MYSTERY SERIES (with Jools Sinclair)
Ginger of the West – Book 1

Reviews

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this 3.5 stars.

Meg Muldoon writes smoothly without slowing her pace. I don’t seem to lose interest with her stories, like I sometimes do with other authors.

But near the end, she had some wildly unbelievable events occur.

Not my favorite dress in her closet, but I heard Christmas River #4.5 was pretty good.

[Jeffrey Greek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. Well, well, well. I'll be damned if this series isn't starting to grow on me. Ms. Muldoon actually nailed the cozy in the last 10% of this book. Just a tidal wave of wholesomeness smashing you in the teeth.

[Kathy Brackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better and better!! The rodeo, The Sandman 😃

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinnamon and her Sheriff are married and trying to get through the week so they can leave on their honeymoon. She is working as an instructor, teaching how to make pies, running her pie shop and is going to have a booth at the rodeo. He is working on all the things that are happening around town. During one of her classes, there is a reporter and two women, whose husbands are running for office and have a huge animosity towards each other. When one woman starts acting up during the class, the other finally has enough and calls her out. When the battle reaches its highest point, they fight and pie filling is thrown. During the first night of the rodeo, her husband is attacked and almost killed, the officer who takes over is the same sheriff who tried to arrest her for a murder she didn't commit and doesn't think there is anything to the attack and blows her off. She feels that in order to keep her husband safe, she must go out and find who really did it.

I am really enjoying these stories and they may be able to be read out of order as the author does put a good deal of necessary back info into it, but not enough to ruin the story.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this because it had the name Christmas in it and I like to theme read for some months. The thing is as much as I like the new mystery that comes with every book I still like to read them for the holiday because it actually gives me something to look forward to each year knowing that I am about to take my annual trip to this small town and visit with some extremely quirky though in some cases maladjusted people. Suffice to say I think the characters are all fantastic and give me a thrill as realize some new nugget about their psyche. The town is almost too ideal which seems to be why so much happens there that involved law enforcement.

Autumn has come to Christmas River but the frustration levels are at an all-time high for the residents as an unseasonable heatwave plagues the Cascades. Cinnamon has managed to stay above it all, happily working away at her pie shop to help pay for her honeymoon with Sherriff Daniel Brightman, her new husband. All they have to do is get through the annual Christmas River Rodeo. But the best-laid plans and all that as an accident happens and it brings sinister vibes that may sideline their plans.

The stories are almost too sweet, but at least when they get to the mystery it is usually a good one that takes some deduction. Randy Kaye does the narration for the audiobook and does a good job of bringing both the characters and the situations around them to life. The only thing that annoyed me was the fact that there are so many super short chapters which always bugs me.

This was a quick but enjoyable read that just makes me glad I have another to enjoy next year.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malice in Christmas River
Christmas River, Book 4

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: AudiblePlus
Dates Read: 2/3/24 - 2/5/24
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Randye Kaye

The Characters:

Cinnamon Peters (Brghtman)
Daniel Brightman
Warren, Jenna, Other residents of Christmas River

The Story:

The thing I like about this series is that every mystery is different. Daniel’s past and his accident take center stage in this story but all is not what it seems. (is it ever?) This is a great addition to the series and I can not wait to see what Cinnamon gets up to next.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is so much fun.... very quick read.... great characters!

[Liz Terek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment in the series has definitely a hodge podge of events. Of the three main events, any of them could be its own plot. It was nice to see the character development of Kara. She's been the Robin to Cinnamon's Batman & we knew very little about her. Now, it seems she'll take a more active role in upcoming books.
Once again, we see the inept police department having to be helped along by the Sheriff's wife. Daniel is portrayed as, essentially, a one man police force. It concerns me any time I read of our law enforcement community being portrayed as bumpkins. They may not all be roses but they get enough bad press. I don't know of any officer who'd jump every time his boss's wife said to jump.
The storyline with the mayoral candidates' wives was good. In all honesty, it would've been the only 'mystery' in this book. It really spoke to the 'malice' in the title. Both sides were believable & made up a substantial portion of the plot. All in all, it was a decent read with less mystery than simply fiction. It's a 3 star rating from me.

[Sara Kreps · Rating 2 out of 5]

While a good enough story, the mystery was more of an afterthought than the main plot piece, even more so than the first book in the series. Towards the end, the chapters were barely a page long, which got distracting as it interrupted the flow of the story. Apropos of nothing, I also noticed the author isn't trying to keep the location of "Christmas River" quite so anonymous. In book 2 she referred to the town of Farewell, which most people not living in central Oregon wouldn't recognize as Bend; this book she uses the real names of Redmond, terrebonne, and other land marks

[Cheryl (Collier) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sit down with a cup of hot chocolate and settle in for a great cozy read. This is the fourth time I've put down an emotionally exhausting book to relax with a story by one of the best cozy mystery writers around. I hope you take the time to meet Cinnamon, Daniel, Warren and the myriad characters who live in and visit Christmas River. Others can expound upon all the reasons why Meg's books are so enjoyable. For me, it is enough that they are.

[Nola Arganbright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinnamon and Dan are planning to get away for their long awaited honeymoon when Daniel is hurt. Cinnamon puts on her detective hat to find the culprit. As always in Christmas River there are several mysteries happening. The citizens have plenty of stories to keep us guessing.
I really enjoy this series and the occupants of the Cozy little town. A must for Cozy Mystery lovers.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a little slow but had a good ending. Cinnamon and Daniel are looking forward to their honeymoon after the rodeo but it seems that it is not meant to be when Daniel ends up in the hospital after being trampled by a horse. What at first seemed to be an accident turned out to be intentional but because of the concussion, Daniel is having a hard time remembering anything. He finally admits that he saw his old partner there. Tex recently got out of prison after serving 15 years for robbing banks to pay for his wife's cancer treatments. Tex thinks that Daniel was the one to turn him in but Daniel says that he didn't have the nerve and that he doesn't know who was responsible. Is Tex responsible for Daniel's accident? Cinnamon does some digging of her own and figures out that the wives of the two mayoral candidates who had a fight at her most recent pie baking class might have some information since Daniel had visited both houses about animal cruelty in the weeks before his injury. It turns out that their children had been dating and when the boy broke up with her, Ashley broke the leg of his horse, leading to its death. But she has a scholarship to Stanford that cannot be jeopardized so she arranged for the horse to trample Daniel to keep him from arresting her. There was also drama with Cinnamon's best friend, Kara, who might have been cheating on her boyfriend, John. It turns out that she wasn't cheating but meeting with a decorator for help with the nursery that she and John will need soon. Also, Cinnamon's grandfather, Warren, who went to Scotland at the end of the last book will probably stay there longer than intended because he now has a girlfriend across the pond.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping the lines of communication open

A great read. Although this is a mystery, it differs from the rest of the books in that we know quite early on who the culprit is. Loved the way the lives of the characters is evolving and unfolding with each subsequent book.
Her pie class got of to a flying start (flying pie filling that is) and the write up in the press was ticking her off. However it did end with her becoming friends with a rich rancher's wife and meeting her college bound daughter. Now with the Rodeo in town things are hectic and she's just glad to get home and rest. Rest until she gets a phone call that Daniel has been trampled by a horse and is in hospital. As they struggle to find out what actually happened a man from Daniel's past causes them to loose sleep. With this and the worry about her BFF (her boyfriend thinks she is having an affair) she has a lot on her mind. That is until she is told something that makes sense of the whole thing. Will they find the person who spooked the horse into trampling Daniel? Will she find out what her BFF is really up too?

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malice in Christmas River (Christmas River #4) — Meg Muldoon; Narrator: Randye Kaye (72 chapters) Jan. 8, 2023

Wow… this was the turnaround book for me. The one that took it to the next level and in turn I was happy to add another start to the series.

Things are rolling along with Cinnamon taking extra work to have money for her and Daniel’s honeymoon to Hawai’i. It’s unseasonably hot out in the mountains and tempers seem to be running high. As Cinnamon is conducting a teaching class on pie, two wives of rival mayor candidates have a meltdown in her class with the local newspaper reporter present.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s past comes up to him, and makes him worried that other threats loom. While the news angers Cinnamon, she has bigger things to worry about when the Christmas Rodeo turns tragic, putting the honeymoon and everything else in jeopardy.

Excellent storyline makes this cozy feel like so much more.

Four stars.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Malice in Christmas River," the fourth in the Christmas Rivers series by Meg Muldoon, is a good, very readable cozy mystery set in the little town of Christmas River, Oregon. It is an enjoyable series with characters that you like, and of course, a few who you do not like as well. The main character is Cinnamon Peters, who runs a pie shop; in this story, she has plenty going on beyond running her pie shop. Cinnamon is planning her upcoming honeymoon to Hawaii after the local annual rodeo. As expected, trouble rears its ugly head, and her husband, the town’s sheriff, is severely injured by a runaway horse one night. Was it an accident? Well, you know. However, if you are looking for a nice, relaxing series with an interesting - and realistic - main character, then this may be for you!

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 1st 3 books sometime ago, but now I have a kindle unlimited subscription I decided to read some more of these easy to read cozy mysteries.

It wasn't long before I remembered the characters in the books and got engrossed in the goings on in Christmas River again.

I really enjoy these books and as they're only a couple of each to read, I get through them quite quickly.

In this book, Cinnamon and Daniel are off on their honeymoon, just the rodeo to get through 1st. However, as with everything, things don't go smoothly! Will they get their honeymoon?

I'm looking forward to the next installment of Cinnamon and Daniel's story. If you like small town based cozy mysteries then these are a must read, best read in order.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems as though the small town of Christmas River is not as safe as the residents think it is as each book divulges an additional conundrum that ransacks Cinnamon Peters, Sheriff Daniel Brightman and a host of other characters. This one focuses on poor Sheriff Brightman. Even though there are few "a-ha" moments, and the mysteries' resolution are subtlely disclosed along the way, I do enjoy listening to these books, discovering more details about Cinnamon and her friends, her delicious pie combinations, and the general good, small town feeling that resonates from the pages.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s rodeo time in Christmas River, and when it’s over, Cinnamon and Daniel are heading for Hawaii for their delayed honeymoon. But a freak accident badly injures Daniel and cancels their trip, and Cinnamon isn’t so sure it was an accident. There is plenty of action in this cozy, and enough clues to help readers try to solve the mystery right along with Cinnamon. This series has intriguing mysteries, but even more enjoyable are the lives of the continuing characters. Read the series from the beginning to get the full benefit of watching how things play out in this small community.

[KylieAtkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grab a cup of hot chocolate, a few snickerdoodle cookies and sit back to enjoy a great read. I love this cozy series, the main characters and the idea of the small town. This one was a slow burn for the mystery which was nearly half way the before it kicked off. But in the meantime, I still love reading about what’s happening in everyone’s lives. They’re like your extended family. And of course I love hearing about all of Cinnamons delicious sounding pies. And the pumpkin cheesecake thick shake! I REALLY want to try that! 🤤

I look forward to reading these every Christmas season.

[Toni Perreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent series so far with a mostly likable main character who is, not surprisingly, a baker. In the cozy mystery arena, this is a lot of cozy and not a lot of mystery. It’s a quick listen (I am reviewing the audiobook) at just about 6 hours and there is no hint of a mystery just over halfway through. The narrator is good and the story is interesting enough but for me, takes too long to get to the mystery part.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun adventure in Christmas River! I really enjoyed getting to know the character of Kara a bit better in this book and looking forward to reading more about how her life goes! Now I'm craving some pie! The pies in Meg's books always sound so interesting and yummy! Looking forward to reading on in the series!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few days before newlyweds Cinnamon Peters and Sheriff Daniel Brightman are planning to leave for their honeymoon in Hawaii, Daniel is trampled by a horse at the Christmas River Rodeo.

Daniel thinks he knows who's responsible: a former friend holding a grudge. But Cinnamon suspects someone more malicious...

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. The mystery kept me guessing and the romance between Cinnamon and Daniel was a sweet second chance romance with lots of angst. I enjoyed all the main characters. The interactions between Cinnamon and her grandpa are fun and also sweet. There’s some humor and suspense as well as romance. Cinnamon and her best friend have some great moments as well. A five star story.

[Felicia Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a doozy as well. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, bam a curve ball! This has to be the best mystery series that I have read in a while. I wish they were in paperback though so that I could add them to my favorite author's book shelf.

[Nickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg amazing

Meg Muldoon is amazing. This story touches on a lot, I lost my mom some years ago and in her stories she reminds me that I am not alone in that. Makes me sad, but reassures me at the same time. Thank you for making me not feel alone.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series raises the bar for the lower prices books. There are so many free books and deals that I am becoming more selective the larger my collection gets. I will keep acquiring the Christmas River books.

[Jo Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinnamon has started teaching a pie making class but soon two of the towns people are slinging Insults and pie mix as a long standing rivalry heats up. However things are as usual not what they seem and cinnamon’s sherif husband is injured in an accident. Another fine Christmas river outing.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was available when I was looking for an audiobook so I took a chance on t. Cute enough to read another in the series.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas river

What a fantastic read. This was dark and twisted and I liked it more like this please. Keep up the good work.

[Loretta Edgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Another good sweet romance mystery. There are new pies, some unusual bad guys that are unexpected. A well told story with continued surprises