Missing in Christmas River

Christmas River #9

by Meg Muldoon

Book 9 in the Amazon Bestselling Christmas River Cozy Mystery Series tells the tale of a missing fortune, obsession, jealousy, and the lengths that some will go because of greed…

What happened to Search & Rescue volunteer Wes Dulany?
That’s the question on everyone’s mind this fall in the small town of Christmas River, Oregon. And it’s especially on the mind of pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters, who returns home after spending the summer working in Portland to find that one of the town’s most beloved citizens has gone missing while looking for legendary treasure in The Christmas River National Forest.
But when Cinnamon and her husband Sheriff Daniel Brightman come across a small piece of the legendary treasure in town, and become a target of violence shortly after, it’s clear that Wes Dulany’s disappearance isn’t nearly as cut and dry as it seems.
Because a dangerous game is afoot in Christmas River this autumn.
And the stakes are higher than anybody ever imagined.

If you enjoy a clever mystery with heart-pounding twists and sweet romance, then you will love Missing in Christmas River. Download your copy of the newest Christmas River book today!

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

218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 29, 2016

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

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great series!

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Missing In Christmas River
Christmas River, Book #9
Meg Muldoon
5 Stars

Synopsis:

Book 9 in the Amazon Bestselling Christmas River Cozy Mystery Series tells the tale of a missing fortune, obsession, jealousy, and the lengths that some will go because of greed…

What happened to Search & Rescue volunteer Wes Dulany?
That’s the question on everyone’s mind this fall in the small town of Christmas River, Oregon. And it’s especially on the mind of pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon Peters, who returns home after spending the summer working in Portland to find that one of the town’s most beloved citizens has gone missing while looking for legendary treasure in The Christmas River National Forest.
But when Cinnamon and her husband Sheriff Daniel Brightman come across a small piece of the legendary treasure in town, and become a target of violence shortly after, it’s clear that Wes Dulany’s disappearance isn’t nearly as cut and dry as it seems.
Because a dangerous game is afoot in Christmas River this autumn.
And the stakes are higher than anybody ever imagined.

If you enjoy a clever mystery with heart-pounding twists and sweet romance, then you will love Missing in Christmas River. Download your copy of the newest Christmas River book today! (Goodreads)


Review:

I think one thing that you may not know about me is that I love all of this author’s books. But the Christmas River series is my favorite. From book one, I fell in love with the characters and the setting and I think the books are as good now as the first book I read. I think this would be a difficult thing for the author to do, keeping so many books fresh and entertaining, but this author does it perfectly.

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I really enjoy spending time with Cinnamon and her husband Daniel, who happens to be the sheriff of Christmas River. The reader gets a little more insight into their history and the loss of a loved one that each has suffer. This just made them seem more realistic to me. And the relationship between Cinnamon and her grandpa, Warren, is just so special and heartwarming. There was one theme that kept showing up in the book and that was love and I thought that was great.

The mystery was well plotted and carried on throughout the entire book. I really found it refreshing that Cinnamon did not stumble across a dead body. In so many of the cozies that I read, that is exactly what happens and sometimes it feels a little unrealistic. I mean, how many dead bodies have you stumbled upon? Instead, this mystery revolved around finding two missing people. There was still plenty of suspension and tension and I still found myself swiping pages as fast as I could to see what would happen.

I would recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys a feel good cozy with great characters and a well thought out mystery. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I love all of meg Muldoon's books if you haven't read them yet you should. You'll laugh, cry and feel good. I can't wait till the next book

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing in Christmas River
Christmas River, Book 9

I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: AudiblePlus
Dates Read: 4/30/24 - 5/2/24
Rating: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Randy Kaye

The Characters:

Cinnamon Peters - Brightman:
Sheriff Daniel Brightman:
There are a lot of characters in this one.

The Story:
This was another excellent edition in the series. I was really on the edge of my seat regarding the mystery. I couldn’t call the twists at all. This is the last audiobook that has been produced and IDK if I can go on without Randye Kaye.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

How imaginative. If only life was this unrealistic. Lol

[Edwina Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful story. I enjoyed it so much. It isa cozy mystery. It is fun, scary in parts. It does have light violence in it.

[Alisha Carderella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Kristina Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one! The storyline was a lot more intriguing and I love the way she pulls in seemingly minor details.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, this book was … not good. It was not a clever mystery. There were no heart-pounding twists. There was an overabundance of sweet romance.

For heaven's sake, she loves her husband, he loves her, they love each other, ain't love grand. How many times do we need to hear it? We get it!

Continuing on the love theme, other couples in the story are challenged by obsession, fear, and losing a partner too young, but everyone still loves everyone. Tra la! The sappiness was too much for me. YMMV

Only a small portion of the story is devoted to mystery. All the waxing poetic about love and endless descriptions of the scenery and weather leave little time for it.

The author also likes to end a chapter on the verge of a plot development and then jump ahead in time at the start of the next chapter with no explanation. I imagine this is intended to heighten suspense, but really it's just disorienting and becomes increasingly tiresome with each occurrence.

Another minor peeve: Why does Cinnamon so often call her husband by his first and last names, sometimes multiple times in the same conversation? Occasionally, for emphasis, I get, but it happened frequently enough that it pulled me out of the story to wonder why.

Add all of that to several instances of using the almost-but-not-quite-right word, and this book left me disappointed and slightly annoyed.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the moral of this story is................

A good read. Really didn't have any clue as to who the 'baddie' was - completely blind sided me. A story with a strong moral to it.
She is on her way home, the food truck she has bought is now up and running, when she breaks down. A good samaritan stays with her until her husband and tow truck arrive. Just in time to make the party being held for the participants of Search and Rescue. Now most of them are taking well earned breaks. One couple are off to see if they can find the treasure said to be buried with a bank robbery over 80 years ago. Things seem fine until they fail to check in. Now they are the reason for Search and Rescue to be called out. Time seems to be running out when the badly injured wife is found. Will she survive? Is her husband still alive? Is the treasure still there? How was the wife injured? Meanwhile her two bakery assistants have suddenly called off the wedding. Will she get to the reason why? Will the wedding still go ahead?

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful cozy mystery stories, all set in Christmas River, Oregon. They're really enjoyable stories which take a couple of hours to read, easy to get through, clean and not gory even though they deal with murders.

In this book, its after the Summer and one of the local search and rescue team is obsessed with the missing treasure supposedly hidden in the area nearby. Wes and his wife go on a hike for a few days with Wes hoping to find the treasure, but when they don't return things turn nasty. Can they be found before something horrible happens?

Standalone stories but best read in order for continuity of the characters who appear in each book. Well written stories with great characters. Well worth a read. I bought a kindle unlimited subscription so I'm working my way through these wonderful books!

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cin is coming back home but about an hour from Christmas River, her car goes out. An older man stops to help her but can't get it going. He asks her if he can give her a ride to town but she declines. The "Good Samaritan" has a satellite phone and calls a tow truck and lets her call her husband, Daniel, Sheriff of Christmas River. When help comes, the good samaritan leaves abruptly. A few days later Cin and Daniels good friends hike into the mountains to find a treasure and disappear.

I really enjoyed this book, and catching up with some characters. I had read some earlier books and this one was out of order for me but I didn't feel like I'd missed anything.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the folklore element in this one, though the overall story line seemed a bit choppy and incoherent at parts, as sudden shifts from recent past to present became confusing and jagged. Sometimes, I wish a little more time would be spent further developing the characters, especially those new to the series. As far as Cinnamon is concerned, I hope she harbors no plans of leaving Christmas River for Portland, since I cannot imagine how the town will ever survive without her. For a small business/pie baker, she certainly wears many hats.

[Mayda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinnamon is home after a summer of working away in Portland. Daniel’s friend Wes and his wife are off hiking in the mountains, looking for a treasure that was supposedly lost decades before. When they go missing, search and rescue as well as Daniel and Cinnamon help search. The wife is found badly injured, but there is no trace of Wes. It’s an exciting tale, one that will keep readers interested. The author is very good at writing interesting characters, and showing growth and change within the series.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good entry in the series

Like others in the Christmas River series, Missing gives you a few hours with interesting characters, a decent mystery well told, a satisfying ending and a story complete. Rated G and this story shows that one doesn't need a murder to have a good cozy mystery. I figured out the who's and what's long before the end but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. Meg Muldoon has several good series for those who like cozy mysteries and quick reading.

[Samantha herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mouth watering good

When I first started reading this book I thought it was going to be about people's perfect lives. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it but that all quickly changed and I found myself unable to put the book down. I wanted so many questions answered especially I needed to know what had happened to Wes and who was the limping good Samaritan. My questions were answered but mainly I wanted the bank robbers body found and the mystery solved. Great book with lots of juicy pies. My mouth was watering.

[Arow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this series after a 3 year break and I was not disappointed. I forgot how much I loved Cinnamon and Daniel and the town of Christmas River. Happy to see that there are at least 3 more for me to read next!

Meg Muldoon has a lovely style of writing which draws the reader in and makes us fall in love with the story and the world she has created. I enjoyed that this installment is around a mystery of years past and not a murder. A nice break from the traditional cozy.

[Leslie Ferrari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been enjoying this cozy series, but this is my favorite. The reason is that I started reading it while flying to Oregon and completed it while staying in Hood River. Being in the area in which the books are set brings my enjoyment to another level. Every restaurant advertised homemade pie! Looking forward to the next installment.

[marcia mccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

I've enjoyed all that I've read of this author's books, but this was extra special. Maybe it was because the mystery was based on something that happened many years earlier, or that it wasn't the typical cozy mystery . It was almost as if the reader could figure out the puzzle and put all the pieces together. I loved the characters, even the bad ones!

[Chanover55 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The legend of Christmas Flynn had been flying around for years but mist people thought it was just that; legend. What happens when someone in Christmas River thinks it's more than legend and does off to the wilderness to look? An engaging mystery! For me, a bit slow to get into the mystery and a bit slow to the the loose ends together at the end, but, all in all, a goid read.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun read!

This is a great series! The main characters are like able and engaging. I am a mystery lover. Many of the books I enjoy are full of suspense but in between those there is nothing better than a mystery full of fun and a bit of romance. These stories have it all. Can't wait to start the next one!

[Christina M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The True Meaning of Love

I love, love, LOVE these books! The adventures, the friendship and the love between the characters, this book did not disappoint! As the story progresses, you learn why love really is all that is worth anything in this world!

[darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I enjoyed every page of this book. I will be recommending this book to all my friends. It's a good thing that I am retired. I couldn't put this book down so I could go to sleep at a decent hour

[Barbara George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done

Mystery and lost treasure are the backdrop to this small town of lovely characters. Thoughtful advice on the important things in life that really matter and finding your own hidden treasures that are often right where you didn't even see.

[betty copley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet ending!

First I loved all the characters, the pies sound delicious, and the hunt for hidden treasure, I believe, is something most of us have thought about more than once. See what you think about the thing many of the characters learned.

[Evette Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love is what matters

I was caught up in the mysteries and relationships in Christmas River.
Everything was resolved nicely by the end which felt satisfying.
It emphasized the precious nature of love in our lives.

[Mairi Krausse · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does a book about lost friends turn into a great feel-good book?

This story was a surprise that left me with a feel-good vibe after finishing it. Friends lost in the Oregon mountain wilderness turns out to have a happy ending, with awesome quotes about love and happiness.

[Diana Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

leaves a warm glow, like a pie, fresh from the oven I’ll re

I’ll recommend this cozy to my book club. It has the obsessions, the love, and wisdom a good cozy mystery should have. Only thing missing, no pie recipes!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new author to me

I really enjoyed reading my first Meg Muldoon book. She got my attention tight from the first chapter, introducing some potential menace, and characters with mystery. I'm looking forward to reading my next book by this author.

[Joanne Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing in Christmas River

Good read overall with engaging characters. . I enjoyed the book but thought there were too many storylines so it took longer than needed to rap things up. All in all good plot and was worth a read.