Manic in Christmas River

Christmas River #6

by Meg Muldoon

“Murder isn’t exactly a regular customer in Christmas River. But it sure ain’t a foreigner, either.” –Cinnamon Peters It’s the Fourth of July weekend in Christmas River, and this year’s celebration promises to be more explosive than any other for pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters. In addition to juggling massive crowds at her booming pie shop this July, Cinnamon is also helping her beloved grandfather Warren realize his dream of opening a brewpub in the heart of Christmas River. But when a rival ends up dead on opening night, Cinnamon’s life is thrown into turmoil as the murder investigation takes a grim turn. To save her family, Cinnamon and her husband Sheriff Daniel Brightman must put aside everything to get to the bottom of the heinous crime. Because this July, a killer is walking the streets of Christmas River. And his maniacal plan has only just begun. Romance and mystery abound in the explosive sixth book in the Christmas River Cozy Mystery series.

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

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2015

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

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manic in Christmas River
Christmas River, Book 6

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: AudiblePlus
Dates Read: 3/25/24 - 3/27/24
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Randye Kaye

The Characters:

Cinnamon Brightman:
Daniel Brightman:
Warren (grandpa), Grandpa’s new bride and her grandson, Tobias and the other lady that works at the pie shop

The Story:

Cinnamon really went through it in this one. Multiple near death experiences, new mysteries popping up left, right and center. Thank goodness for her support system including her cutie pie doggos.

[Kathy Brackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute fun series!! Always a little mystery and pies 🙌🏻😀

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manic In Christmas River
Meg Muldoon
5 Stars

Synopsis:

“Murder isn’t exactly a regular customer in Christmas River.
But it sure ain’t a foreigner, either.”
–Cinnamon Peters

It’s the Fourth of July weekend in Christmas River, and this year’s celebration promises to be more explosive than any other for pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters.
In addition to juggling massive crowds at her booming pie shop this July, Cinnamon is also helping her beloved grandfather Warren realize his dream of opening a brewpub in the heart of Christmas River.
But when a rival ends up dead on opening night, Cinnamon’s life is thrown into turmoil as the murder investigation takes a grim turn. To save her family, Cinnamon and her husband Sheriff Daniel Brightman must put aside everything to get to the bottom of the heinous crime.
Because this July, a killer is walking the streets of Christmas River.
And his maniacal plan has only just begun.

Romance and mystery abound in the explosive sixth book in the Christmas River Cozy Mystery series. (Goodreads)

Review:

I really love this series and this book. To me, this book has all of the elements that a cozy book should have: likable characters, hometown setting, animals, and a mystery to solve. These are all woven together to make a very enjoyable read.

The characters continue to be well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. I was extremely happy when I saw how much warren was involved in this book, he is one of my favorite characters. I just love reading about the relationship between Cinnamon and him. You can just feel the love between the two of them while reading.

The hometown attitude is very much alive in Christmas River. Everybody wants to know everybody else's business and have their own opinions on everything, but in a time of need, they all band together. There is nothing they will not do to help their neighbor or friend.

The mystery does not happen until almost halfway through the book and this is perfectly alright with me. I was enjoying catching up on everybody’s life and it would not have mattered to me if there was no murder involved. Once the murder occurred, there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you are new to the series, start at the beginning of the series and read them all. You will be really happy that you did and the Christmas River Cozy Mystery series may become one of your favorites, like it is mine.

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beer, pie and lies

A good read going back to a real cozy mystery. Love the way the new characters are being intertwined into the existing ones to enhance them.
An early morning call out for Daniel has her nearly killed when the drunken driver rams their vehicle. Now things are settling down again. Her grandfather has come back home with his new bride and the two are in the process of setting up their brewery. Her pie shop is going great guns and they are constantly sold out before closing time. Just before the 4th of July opening of the brewery an old face returns to town. Not everyone's favourite but she tries to ignore it until his body is discovered at the opening of the brewery. Worse her grandfather is standing over the body with blood on his hands. Will the murder be pinned onto him? Multiple arrests and dozens of theories abound. Are any of them true? Will they find the real culprit before any more deaths? Is her dream of growing her business any closer to becoming true?

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

#6 Christmas River Mysteries

Cinnamon goes on a call with her husband, the sheriff, to stop a man from driving drunk and dangerous. But the man is going crazy and heads straight for the truck she is waiting in. When he is pulled from his vehicle he tries to bribe the sheriff with a new vehicle (since his truck was totaled by the man's driving) and then he insults Cinnamon. This causes the sheriff to attack the man, but he is pulled off and the man is kept in jail. While all this is happening, Cinnamon is being attacked by the man's family for his bad behavior. She feels the need to find out who murdered the man who was a competitor with her grandfather's brewing company since it was made to look like her grandfather had done this. She also helps her step-grandmother's grandson deal with what is bothering him and gives him a job in her pie shop.

I did enjoy this story. It is a nice continuation and I look forward to seeing what happens in book 7.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cozy mystery set in Christmas River with Daniel, Cinnamon and all the usual townspeople.

The 4th of July weekend is the setting for this book, with Warren and Aileen opening their brew pub in the town; Cinnamon is busy at the pie shop but she steps in to help her Grandfather and his new bride open their new venture. Little does everyone know, after the opening night, the pub won't be open for a while, and there's a danger Warren won't be around to see his success as a landlord when a local business rival is found, murdered on the premises.

Cinnamon cannot, and will not stand by and let her Grandfather be accused of murder, so she investigates, like she always does, but can she work her magic like always and find the murderer?

Easy to read cozy mysteries, ideally read in order to ensure continuity of the main characters who appear in all the books. I cannot stop reading these and am binge reading all those which are currently published. If you like small town cozy mysteries, then these are for you. Highly recommended!

[moxieBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manic in Christmas River (Christmas River #6) — Meg Muldoon; Narrator: Randye Kaye ( chapters) Jan. 11, 2023

Grandpa Warren’s finally back! On the 4th of July! Woot! Woot! I love this dude’der and I am so glad the author brought him back.

In this story, Cinnamon is helping Warren open a pub in town, but death at his brewery’s place puts everything on hold. To top it off, Warren is acting a little differently. Does he know something more than he is letting on?

And a relative has been sent to work in Cinnamon’s shop, but he has a past that might not be too nice.

There’s a lot that Cinnamon needs to uncover, but she’s up to the challenge with her friends in tow.

Another winner from this author, with excellent narrating (as always) from Randye Kaye.

Four stars.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cinnamon Peters finds herself in the middle of the biggest and most dangerous whodunit yet. She is one resilient woman, to both physically and emotionally survive all of the precarious close calls her investigative mind and caring heart place her. It is often comical to hear her express her thought patterns and speech through her fondness for similes; she must hold the record for both most used and most creative. It is refreshing to be introduced to new residents of Christmas River in each book of the series - I feel as though it adds greatly to the feel and flow of the story.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a busy time for Cinnamon. In addition to her pie shop, she is helping her grandpa get ready for his opening day at his new brewpub. But it doesn't go well, mostly because a rival brewer is found dead in the shed at Grandpa's establishment. Cinnamon and Daniel are determined to prove Grandpa is innocent, but that may mean putting someone else in harm's way. This series is quite good, with delightful characters and intriguing plots, and each installment is better than the previous one.

[Jo Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas River series never disappoints. Fabulous characters and good solid storylines. cinnamon and co are enjoying life. There is a heatwave as the fourth of July approaches and Cinnamon’s beloved grandfather has opened up his own brewery but a body is found in the first night threatens everything. Perfect holiday reading wherever you are. I love this series.

[Leslie Ferrari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read in this series. I appreciate not being able to figure out "who done it" in the first quarter of the book. The proof reader missed one glaring mistake, but otherwise, it is well written.

[ebsTx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written

And nothing that made me question the possibility of it actually happening as happens so often in cozies. The story moved along at a good pace. I will be picking up more by this author.

[Kitten Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

These are great little cozies. If you have not read these you are missing a great read. Start at the beginning so you can get to know Cinnamon Peters and her extended Christmas River famiky.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun filled read by MS. Muldoon!

I have such fun revisiting Christmas River! I would love to visit a sweet cozy town just like this! Love all the characters you get to know and hope to see again in future books!

[Zermeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this light and predictable mystery. The style of this book was a little folksy which I didn't appreciate. I loved all the pie baking and learning more about Warren and Aileen. Ian is a good addition to the cast of characters.

[Jessica Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love to try the pies!

The pies in this book sounded more delicious than ever! The mystery was so-so and I prefer Christmas River during the winter, but it's a solid cozy read.

[Nickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a let down

Meg Muldoon is an amazing writer. Every time I finish a book I can't wait to start her next one to see what is gonna happen next.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light and breezy. But, a little too easy of a mystery to solve.

[sl337litchair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great cozy mystery.

[stephanie huntington]

Excellent story

[Lawanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook performed by Randye Kaye

[Andra Fore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good one

It was another good one in the Christmas River series. The mystery was another good one with a solid twist at th he end.

[Lorna Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas River is beautifully brought to life in this murderous cozy mystery.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entire series set up during Christmas time with "small" murders being played out in each book. Who could do them and why? I loved the series.

[Kaye Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[KylieAtkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love coming back to Cinnamon Peters and her hometown of Christmas River. It's like catching up with family each time I read the next instalment.

This cozy mystery sees another murder take place, more suspects to work out and more new people to add to the town. As Cinnamon owns a pie shop, it's choc full of delicious sounding pies that I wish I could try. Add in a few family dramas (Will they have a baby soon? Should she expand her business? Will Grandpa Micro brewery be a hit?) and it's another warm and comforting read.

[Lori Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection. Cinnamon is a strong character. I love the relationship with her grandfater. She has hard times but also good ones. She's a sleuth that gets the mysteries solved.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such and fun series! Love the characters and story lines.

[Kay (Brigidsmomma) Compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. I enjoyed this one and all the twists and turns the plot had. Cinny's Grandpa is finally opening his own brewpub with his new Scottish wife, Aileen. Unfortunately, there are mysterious nasty notes left at the pub before it opens threatening him and then on opening night, a rival brewpub owner with a bad rep and nasty disposition is found shot to death in the brew house of Grandpa Warren's new place. Although at first suspected, it soon turns out that Grandpa isn't the killer, but what about the grandson of Warren's new wife? It's all a mess that needs straightening out, but Daniel and Cinny are left on the outside looking in because the local rich bad boy is also suing the Sheriff's office, supposedly for false arrest. It's good, and crazy and full of delicious pie. Read it, you'll love it too!

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the ending!

Cinnamon and Daniel continue their adventures in Christmas River, only this time crime hits close to home. Cinnamon's grandpa is found with blood on his hands, standing over a body in his new brew pub on opening night. How can this be? Daniel and Cinnamon intend to find out!
Although the story line and characters are excellent, the editing has gone down hill considerably from the rest of the series, (Even those needed improvement). I want to call up Ms. Muldoon and say in the strongest voice, "For crying out loud, you are a very good writer, get yourself an editor!!" Poor editing takes so much away from the whole experience. I could only give this book three stars because of it.