What do you think?
Rate this book
Literary Dining Mysteries #3
A Classic Case of Murder
Not yet published
Expected 27 Oct 26320 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 27, 2026
About the author
Daryl Wood Gerber
50 books2,493 followersAgatha Award-winning and nationally bestselling author Daryl Wood Gerber writes the Aroma Wellness Mysteries, Literary Dining Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mysteries, Cookbook Nook Mysteries, and French Bistro Mysteries. As Avery Aames, she pens the popular Cheese Shop Mysteries.
In addition, Daryl also writes suspense including the stand-alone novel, ACCIDENTAL MURDER, THE SON'S SECRET, the Aspen Adams novels of suspense, and two more stand-alone titles, DAY OF SECRETS and GIRL ON THE RUN.
She has recently delved into the realm of romance with her first Christmas romance, HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS and plans another in the near future.
Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!
click here to view Daryl’s website
In addition, Daryl also writes suspense including the stand-alone novel, ACCIDENTAL MURDER, THE SON'S SECRET, the Aspen Adams novels of suspense, and two more stand-alone titles, DAY OF SECRETS and GIRL ON THE RUN.
She has recently delved into the realm of romance with her first Christmas romance, HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS and plans another in the near future.
Fun tidbit: as an actress, Daryl appeared in “Murder, She Wrote.” She loves to cook, and she has a frisky Goldendoodle named Sparky who keeps her in line!
click here to view Daryl’s website
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I wanted to like this book more than I did.
A Classic Case of Murder is the third book in Daryl Wood Gerber’s Literary Dining Mystery series, and this was my first book by the author. Perhaps that is part of the problem. There are a lot of characters in this book, and while I appreciated the character list at the beginning (more books should do this!), I never really felt as though I got to know any of them well enough to care very much about what happened to them. And, I have to admit, some of the names were so unusual that I occasionally had to stop and remind myself who was who. (For some reason, the name Tegan just grated on me.)
The premise certainly has everything a cozy mystery ought to have going for it. The story takes place in the fictional North Carolina town of Bramblewood during the Christmas season, and the centerpiece is a literary-themed dinner party based on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. There is a rare first edition of the book, a murder, a stolen treasure, a suspicious collection of guests, a small-town inn, and enough Christmas atmosphere to keep the carolers busy.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the story simply lost me. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it. I just never became engaged. I could put the book down without wondering what was going to happen next, which is never a particularly good sign for a mystery. Eventually, I found myself reading less because I was enjoying the story and more because I was determined to finish it and move on to something that grabbed me a little more firmly. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of the writing; sometimes a book and a reader simply don’t click, and this one and I apparently missed our appointment.
The Christmas setting and the Dickens connection are also clever, and if you are looking for a traditional holiday cozy with a literary twist, this certainly fits the bill. It has all of the familiar ingredients: Christmas festivities, a picturesque setting, a murder, an assortment of suspects, and a heroine determined to figure out what happened.
And then there are the recipes. I may not have been completely captivated by the mystery, but I was considerably more interested when I got to the recipes at the end of the book. There are several I would like to try, particularly the Smoking Bishop. First of all, it sounds absolutely heavenly. Secondly, who could possibly resist a recipe called Smoking Bishop? I certainly can’t.
I also appreciated that some of the recipes for baked goods included gluten-free adaptations. I’m not gluten-free myself, but I know many readers are, and having an alternative version included is a thoughtful touch.
So, where does that leave me? I think A Classic Case of Murder will probably appeal to readers who enjoy a traditional Christmas cozy, particularly those who like literary themes, large casts of characters, and plenty of holiday atmosphere. The Dickens connection is interesting, the setting is charming, and there are some genuinely nice touches throughout.
For me, however, it fell rather flat. I never became invested in the characters, the mystery didn’t hold my attention as much as I would have liked, and I spent far too much of the book thinking about what I was going to read next. Perhaps I would have felt differently if I had started with the first two books in the series. That is always possible when stepping into an established cast of characters. But based solely on my experience with this one, I didn’t find myself eager to go back and catch up.
So, all in all, this is a perfectly pleasant holiday cozy mystery. It has an appealing setting, a literary theme, Christmas atmosphere, a large and unusual cast of characters, and some recipes that I actually intend to try. But for me, it just never caught fire. I wanted it to. I really did. I kept waiting for that moment when everything would click and I would become invested in Allie, the suspects, the murder, and the outcome. It never happened.
If you love traditional Christmas cozies, particularly those with literary themes and a strong holiday setting, this may be exactly the sort of book you are looking for. As for me, I’m afraid A Classic Case of Murder was one of those books where the recipes interested me considerably more than the mystery.
And when I’m more excited about the Smoking Bishop than the murder, well…we probably have a problem.
A Classic Case of Murder is the third book in Daryl Wood Gerber’s Literary Dining Mystery series, and this was my first book by the author. Perhaps that is part of the problem. There are a lot of characters in this book, and while I appreciated the character list at the beginning (more books should do this!), I never really felt as though I got to know any of them well enough to care very much about what happened to them. And, I have to admit, some of the names were so unusual that I occasionally had to stop and remind myself who was who. (For some reason, the name Tegan just grated on me.)
The premise certainly has everything a cozy mystery ought to have going for it. The story takes place in the fictional North Carolina town of Bramblewood during the Christmas season, and the centerpiece is a literary-themed dinner party based on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. There is a rare first edition of the book, a murder, a stolen treasure, a suspicious collection of guests, a small-town inn, and enough Christmas atmosphere to keep the carolers busy.
Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the story simply lost me. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with it. I just never became engaged. I could put the book down without wondering what was going to happen next, which is never a particularly good sign for a mystery. Eventually, I found myself reading less because I was enjoying the story and more because I was determined to finish it and move on to something that grabbed me a little more firmly. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of the writing; sometimes a book and a reader simply don’t click, and this one and I apparently missed our appointment.
The Christmas setting and the Dickens connection are also clever, and if you are looking for a traditional holiday cozy with a literary twist, this certainly fits the bill. It has all of the familiar ingredients: Christmas festivities, a picturesque setting, a murder, an assortment of suspects, and a heroine determined to figure out what happened.
And then there are the recipes. I may not have been completely captivated by the mystery, but I was considerably more interested when I got to the recipes at the end of the book. There are several I would like to try, particularly the Smoking Bishop. First of all, it sounds absolutely heavenly. Secondly, who could possibly resist a recipe called Smoking Bishop? I certainly can’t.
I also appreciated that some of the recipes for baked goods included gluten-free adaptations. I’m not gluten-free myself, but I know many readers are, and having an alternative version included is a thoughtful touch.
So, where does that leave me? I think A Classic Case of Murder will probably appeal to readers who enjoy a traditional Christmas cozy, particularly those who like literary themes, large casts of characters, and plenty of holiday atmosphere. The Dickens connection is interesting, the setting is charming, and there are some genuinely nice touches throughout.
For me, however, it fell rather flat. I never became invested in the characters, the mystery didn’t hold my attention as much as I would have liked, and I spent far too much of the book thinking about what I was going to read next. Perhaps I would have felt differently if I had started with the first two books in the series. That is always possible when stepping into an established cast of characters. But based solely on my experience with this one, I didn’t find myself eager to go back and catch up.
So, all in all, this is a perfectly pleasant holiday cozy mystery. It has an appealing setting, a literary theme, Christmas atmosphere, a large and unusual cast of characters, and some recipes that I actually intend to try. But for me, it just never caught fire. I wanted it to. I really did. I kept waiting for that moment when everything would click and I would become invested in Allie, the suspects, the murder, and the outcome. It never happened.
If you love traditional Christmas cozies, particularly those with literary themes and a strong holiday setting, this may be exactly the sort of book you are looking for. As for me, I’m afraid A Classic Case of Murder was one of those books where the recipes interested me considerably more than the mystery.
And when I’m more excited about the Smoking Bishop than the murder, well…we probably have a problem.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the 3rd installment of the Literary Dining Mystery series. Allie Catt is a caterer and part owner in a bookstore in her hometown of Bramblewood North Carolina. Allie’s getting ready for the next literary themed evening honoring Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol which will be at Tegan’s mother Noeline’s B&B the Amber Lantern. Noeline recently purchased the Amber Lantern and has just opened the B&B a week before the big event. As the first guests arrive, Allie and Tegan spend the night as the owner (Erwin Scroogie) of an original novella of A Christmas Carol has agreed to put the item on display for the quests and visitors for the upcoming event. The guests include Erwin’s two nephews Freddy and Ozzie along with an old friend of Freddy’s and an owner of a rare bookstore, book appraiser and scholar or Dickens. The first night clearly shows some issues between some of the guests but the initial dinner goes off without a hitch and everyone was excited to see the unveiling of the novella and with a guard in place to protect the novella 24/7 everyone heads off to sleep. The next morning as Allie is ready to leave for work, she hears a scream and rushes downstairs to find Helga (Noeline’s housekeeper) screaming as she has found the dead body of one of the guests. The security guard is sound asleep and Mr. Quackenbush is dead on the floor and the novella has been stolen. All the guests start to point fingers at each other. Allie and her friends all begin to try and sort everything out much to the dismay of Allie’s boyfriend detective Zach Armstrong. Allie, Tegan and Vanna all want this solved as it is harming Noeline’s business as everyone is cancelling their reservations. Then another murder happens and Vanna is trying to get her mother to sell the inn. This was once again an interesting and clever mystery that references the story of the literary work loosely and an interesting twist with respect to the name similarities of the novella owner. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Looking forward to the next in the series.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A Classic Case of Murder is a holiday themed cozy mystery. It is the third book in the Literary Dining Mystery series; I've read all three. It's a good book to read to get you in the Christmas spirit. Allie is the main character and she bakes, mostly desserts, for several town diners etc, She also does light catering. The mystery was a good one, with many suspects staying at her family friend's B&B. Overall, it's an easy, pleasant book to read. Of the three in the series so far, this was my favorite. I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews