The Christmas Cookie Killer

Fresh-Baked Mystery #3

by Livia J. Washburn

It's Christmastime in Weatherford, Texas, and retired teacher-cum-amateur sleuth Phyllis Newsom is looking forward to finishing up what has been one unlucky year. But she won't be hanging up her apron quite yet, because this year's Christmas bake-off is going to be cutthroat.

Phyllis would like to think she's just entering the Christmas cookie contest for fun. But that's not exactly true. She's can't imagine anyone beating her delicate, snowflake-shaped lime sugar cookies--although her friend Carolyn's pecan shortbread, along with her neighbor Mrs. Simmons's gingerdoodles, might give her a run for her money.

Then, after her annual Christmas cookie exchange, Phyllis heads over to elderly Mrs. Simmons's home and finds the poor thing in a pile of lime sugar cookies, strangled by the belt of her own bathrobe. With a number of names on Santa's naughty list, this case is a cookie Phyllis means to crumble...

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

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Under the names Livia J. Washburn and L.J. Washburn, Livia Reasoner has been writing award-winning, critically acclaimed mystery, western, romance, and historical novels for more than thirty years. She began to write in collaboration with her husband, author James Reasoner, and soon branched out into telling her own stories. She received the Private Eye Writers of America award and the American Mystery award for her first mystery, WILD NIGHT, and was nominated for a Spur by the Western Writers of America for a novel she wrote with her husband, James Reasoner. Livia won the Peacemaker Award from Western Fictioneers for her story “Charlie’s Pie”.

Reviews

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recommended only for the most devoted fans of cosy mysteries. The usual tropes apply: small towns, old fashioned values, religious details, a very low key romantic element, lots of food description, plus a son involved in law enforcement. Most of the plot is paint-by-numbers, but the identity of the perpetrator surprised me mildly.

I picked this novel for its Christmas theme and so I don't feel like I can complain too much about the writing, but I found it to be quite boring. An awful lot of telling rather than showing, a really simple plot with no plausible red herrings, an easily resolved murder, figured out by an only mildly intelligent woman. Even her love interest is boring!

I guess I moved away from the small town for a reason! I don't live a wildly exciting life in the city either, but at least I have more to my existence than competing with a roommate over who bakes the best cookies. Thank the Goddess for small mercies!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in this series and I really loved it. The Christmas/festive theme definitely helped. I like Phyllis as a main character and Sam as her kind of side kick (along with her police office son Mike who absolutely dotes on her). I liked the cozy town and the Christmas planning and all the crazy secrets that Phyllis found out about her neighbors. I definitely guessed the murderer pretty quickly but I couldn't exactly guess that he was having an affair with someone. He just seemed to pop up everywhere and I just got suspicious of him and his "perfect" wife. It's so sad that they were the culprits, but I guess it just goes to show we are all human. I would like to start from the beginning so I can get some more background on all the recurring characters and an intro to the town/setting.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt a lot of good things about this book. None of them new things, but that's not a complaint, but it defines the experiences of a fan of cozy mysteries and defines the element of the genre. For once, I'd not like to focus on ratings, and I'd rather say that The Freshly Baked Mystery series are up to my taste. The writing is slightly pedantic and dry, but there's some character progression for some. The writer took great care to describe Sam. He does not walk, he ambles. He doesn't speak, but 'drawls'. The murderer was very satisfactorily found out. I'm at peace with the world and this book played its part in it.

[Pat Cray-Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome series.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas and mystery all wrapped up in one. Cute cozy mystery. I figured out the who done it but not all the nuances, but still a cute read to get caught up in.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Senior sleuth, Phyllis, is at it again. This time she falls into a murder right next door during the annual Christmas cookie swap! Her seemingly sweet little old lady neighbor, Agnes, is murdered while Phyllis runs home to grab cookie cutters!! And Phyllis gets knocked out in the process... Now she's on the case while trying to still save Christmas! Her housemates, Carolyn, Eve & Sam are all great helpers along with her son, deputy sheriff Mike. Very interesting & twisty -- I didn't figure it out till the end. Lots of Christmas cheer & some great sounding recipes, too.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable story with personable characters. What Phyllis finds out about her neighbors makes you wonder about your own neighbors and their activities and secrets. It was a quick fun holiday read. A murder occurs next door during the neighborhood cookie exchange. How the guilty party(ies) manage to complete the murder during the time of the event is not evidently clear but the reason is somewhat plausible. The recipes piqued my interest and I may have to try a couple of them.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful read this was! The first one in the series that one read and it won’t be the last! I’m so happy I picked this one up. I didn’t get a chance to read any Christmas-time books last December so I figured it would read this one now. I loved Phyllis and the other Characters in the book. I look forward to seeing what happens between Phyllis and Sam.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Through the front window, she saw a sheriff's department cruiser pull up at the curb in front of the house. A smile appeared on her face. Mike often stopped by on his way home after his shift was over. She saw him get out of the car, wearing his cream-colored Stetson and brown leather uniform jacket, looking like a cross between a modern policeman and an old-fashioned Western lawman. That was typical of Texas: the Old West was long since gone, the memories of it fading with each passing day of cable TV, broadband Internet access, and text messaging--all the technology that was doing its best to make every place like every other place-- but a few vestiges of the past remained. Phyllis hoped they always would, at least as long as she was alive."

But even sleepy small towns have carefully guarded secrets, hidden beneath the Southern charm. Imagine Phyllis's surprise when she goes to visit her elderly neighbor, and finds her dead--apparently strangled to death. Since this is a cozy mystery, she decides to investigate for herself.

Unfortunately Washburn is no Agatha Christie, and Phyllis is no Miss Marple. Adding to the mess of the plot are her roommates--all retired teachers like her. It feels like a very poorly done book version of the Golden Girls . Given 1.5 stars or a rating of Below Average. You could do worse picking a Christmas themed fluff novel....but you could do a lot better as well.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many little things annoyed me with the characters but I just loved this feel good, fun book! I can't help but still love it and give it 5 stars ✨ lol. I also enjoyed it taking place in Texas close to me. Clearly the author is a Texan, she nailed so much! I'll read more!

[Kristine Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent mystery couple of twists that were nice, one especially that made me giggle. But damn are these neighbors nosy as all get out! Lol

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

pure fluff, but enjoyable enough...with dinner, cookies and more recipes.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read that people compare the characters in this series to The Golden Girls. Now I can't get that or the damn theme song out of my head. 
But who is Sofia?
 
I guessed who dunnit at the beginning, but I didn't want to believe it. The author made it sound credible, but the issue for me is that the persons involved are people that have been mentioned, but who I just got to know in this book. There were personality traits about the person that I felt were only know to the other characters because of their history together in the neighborhood. Unless I was able to interact with them in the two previous books, I would have never guessed that they acted one way or another. 
 
Speaking of personality traits, Carolyn needs dial down on the negativity. Yikes!  I wonder if she wears rings? Those would hurt when she slaps you with one of her back-handed comments.
 
I wonder it Eve is going to threaten to move out because of what happened at the end of the book. Go Sam!

[Deborah Boerema · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm afraid I'm going to check out of this series. After reading the first three books, my affection for the main character, Phyllis Newsom, has continued to decline.

Although Phyllis's son is a deputy sheriff, she seems to have little respect for the work of law enforcement. She doesn't seem confident that local police will make the effort to find the killer, so she feels obligated to solve the crime herself. Phyllis apparently feels qualified to probe into criminal investigations because of her fine-tuned surveillance skills, which she aquired through years of work as a history teacher.

Phyllis's typical mode of investigation is to take food (in the case of this book, plates of cookies) to people and ask questions that are none of her business. She regularly suspects the most unlikely people for the most unlikely reasons. She often admits to herself that her suspicions are lame, but she continues to hold them rather than dismissing them.

I haven't really bonded with any of the other characters, either. There's just not enough to draw me back for book four.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUMMARY: Phyllis Newsom stands a good chance in the Christmas cookie contest with her snowflake-shaped lime sugar cookies. But Mrs. Simmons? gingerdoodles might give her a run for her money?until she?s found strangled in a pile of cookies. With many on Santa?s naughty suspect list, this case is a cookie Phyllis means to crumble?

REVIEW: This was a new-to-me cozy mystery author. I liked the distinctive personalities of each of the characters in the story. Retired teacher, Phyllis, was definitely an organized, analytical personality while her boarders were each unique as well: Eve the ever chasing romantic, Sam the sweet, widower, and Caroline the straight faced, judgmental, competitor. I found the middle part of the book rather slow and would have liked to have had more twists and turns in the plot line. The reveal though was well done. I will give some of the others in this series a try.

[Mamathorne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like I was sentenced and forced to watch an endless marathon of Murder She Wrote! I finally released myself for good behavior and tossed it. Sorry fans of MSW. I give this book a .1523 for effort. I dropped my rule of 50 pages or less (Needs to grab my attention in 50p) hopping this little cookie would get tastier, rather it fell flat. Knock on wood, but if my kids put me in a home and I am left by pimply face attendant at a window looking over a parking lot to drool in my lap. I will ask the attendant for the cookie and in my hallucinatory state wonder who killed my neighbor Agnes! Then I will know all those of you who finished the book will have the last laugh!

[☺Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hologram Mary mentioned The Golden Girls in her review below and I couldn't agree more. Phyllis is like Dorothy (the main character - a strong, opinionated, and somewhat pushy busybody), Carolyn is similar to Rose (a tad judgmental and a bit of a dim bulb), and Eve is like Blanche (always on the lookout for a new man).
The mystery kept me guessing and I was surprised at who ended up being the culprit. The Christmas Cookie Killer was a really quick and enjoyable read. The recipes at the end of the book were a nice bonus. I'm definitely going to try to whip up a batch of those Pecan Pie Cookies for our upcoming holiday dessert table - they sound 'scrumptious'!

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we go again. This Christmas season Phyllis goes next door to deliver cookies to her neighbor but finds the woman dead. When the neighbors grandson is charged with the murder Phyllis isn't convinced. While taking to neighbors Phyllis uncovers secrets (most she wished didn't want to know) and realizes she didn't know her neighbor as well as she thought. As Christmas gets closer, Phyllis starts to figure out the clues and after escaping another attack by the killer she receives the best Christmas present she's had in years.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book. The victim never got to eat her cookies and this drew me into the book like a magnet. The mystery was well constructed and as usual, the sleuth and her partners were up to their usual standards.

I did not sense the culprit and there was a twist at the ending. I am enjoying the progression of the characters and am looking forward to trying out the recipes. This is a 'keep' book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new way to get in and question people - bring them a plate of homemade Christmas cookies! I really like Phyllis' method here and she is such a likeable sleuth. This was a fun Christmas story with lots of good sounding recipes at the end. I really like the dynamic between Phyllis and Sam. The mystery was good although I did catch on to the clue to the murderer, even if I forgot some of the other details that would have led me to the motive.

[Carol Ann Hoyt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is well written for a "cookbook" novel. However, do not make the cookies from this book. My book club made all of them expecting to share with each other in our December meeting. The cookies were not worth sharing..in fact some of them were actually bad.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Christmas Cookie Killer by Livia J Washburn was pretty fluffy. The characters and plot were fine. I will probably not read more of the series, but reading it did make me want cookies. The recipes look yummy. 3 stars

[Julie Durnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining cozy mystery, but I did think the recipes at the end were good!

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style is very simplistic with extra details that don't add anything to the story line. Character personalities are a little sketchy also.

[Coralee Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every good cozy mystery series should include one set at Christmas. The contrast of the joy of the season with the darkness of a crime makes for an intriguing plot. Here the victim is Phyllis' elderly next door neighbor. Phyllis is in the middle of her annual cookie exchange when she decides to take a plate of cookies next door. She chats for a moment, then returns with some requested cookie cutters.
She enters the living room to find crushed and scattered Christmas cookies. Lying in the crumbs is her neighbor, strangled. Hoping to help her, she enters the kitchen, only to be attacked and left unconscious. What a strong opening this is.

As I read the book, one of the lyrics from Charlie Rich's Behind Closed Doors kept humming through my mind. Indeed, Phyllis had no idea of the variety of secrets that were kept by her neighbors. They range from the mildly salacious to life threatening. Any of the secret holders could be the perpetrator. A more plausible killer is the grandson who was hiding in the house. He is the one who is arrested. As in previous books in this series, Phyllis believes in his innocence. She convinces herself to to her own investigation.

The friendly cooking rivalry between Carolyn and Phyllis continues. Both submit cookie recipes to the newspaper's contest. One wins, one is honorable mention. Both recipes are included at the end of the book, along with some Southern Christmas specialties.

A nice read for the holiday. I look forward to book 4.

[Gloria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok. An elderly woman gets murdered next door while a neighborhood Christmas cookie exchange is going on. The sleuth, 60 something Phyllis, takes the reader on an examination of several neighbors, uncovering their secrets and eventually this leads to discovering the true murderer and eliminating the immediate suspect (who the police assumed was guilty because he was wanted for other crimes.) The problem with the book was I didn't really care too much about the characters. The fact that one neighbor is a cross dresser and another has killed before, the petty jealousy among the housemates....these things seemed irrelevant, even distracting. This is the third of the mystery books involving these characters and the first that I have read. Perhaps if I had read the first two I would like the characters and look forward to what was going on in this neighborhood. But as it was, the book did not enhance my enjoyment of the Christmas season (although I might actually try out some of the the cookie recipes. If that is the point, then I would say it was a satisfactory book.)

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phyllis Newsom is in the middle of hosting her annual Christmas cookie exchange when she decides to take a plate of cookies to her shut-in next door neighbor. Her neighbor is so thrilled with the snowflake cut-outs she asks to borrow the cutters. It take Phyllis longer than she thought to get the cutters and when she gets back she finds her neighbor murdered and is herself knocked out from behind. Upon her recovery she begins to ask questions and finds that her neighbors are not all as problem free as she had thought. There is more than one secret on her street. An interesting cozy but in order to get our heroine in the right place to further the plot she sometimes does things that are reckless.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas is a wonderful time of year but it can also be stressful. People try to make perfect holidays, some are lonely, some grieve. Phyllis and her friends keep old traditions going by holding their annual cookie exchange. Things are going well until a neighbor is killed and Phyllis bopped over the head when she finds the body. Of course this makes it personal and she's determined to find out what happened. But ... plenty of secrets come to light during her snooping and she has to figure out which one is worth killing for before the killer catches up with her.

I liked this one better than the previous one but wish she would beat Carolyn in baking contests every now and then since I'm tired of seeing Carolyn gloat and make her usual caustic comments.

[Pat Apel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phyllis is widowed and she rents out her extra rooms to two women and one gentleman. Every Christmas they have a cookie contest that is decided by the local newspaper, but they invite all the neighbors in to bring cookies and taste them. Phyllis has a knack for solving murders and wouldn't you know that during the cookie exchange, she brings a plate of cookies to an older neighbor, then forgets something and comes back a little later. Of course when she goes back she finds her neighbor dead and before you know it she is hit over the head. The story continues with the help of her roommates.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Won't read the other books in this series. The main character is an intolerant busy body who is written as a kind old lady, a previous teacher (so she must be a great person, right?) who just happens to solve murders in her retirement. The story takes place in Texas so I think that explains some of the stupid things that occur in this book. I can't promote anyone who has a 2-page diatribe about the "wrongfulness" of saying "Happy Holidays " vs "Merry Christmas ". *see pgs 106-107* I'm only giving it 2 stars because I am an old lady teacher and I like to be generous during the holidays.