The Last Noel

Iris House B&B #4

by Jean Hager

No one is happy when an out-of-town drama professor is hired to direct the annual church Christmas pageant, but they had never expected that his arrival would trigger a murder, and now it is up to Tess to expose a sinful killer. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Cozy, Holiday

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

aka Leah Crane, Marlaine Kyle, Sara North, Jeanne Stephens and Amanda McAllister.

Jean Hager is the award-winning author of two acclaimed mystery series. One features the half-Cherokee police chief, Mitch Bushyhead. The other stars an investigator for the Cherokee Nation, Molly Bearpaw, and includes her two previous novels, Ravenmocker and . Winner of numerous awards, Jean Hager lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Series:
* Mitch Bushyhead
* Molly Bearpaw
* Iris House B&B

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's time to get ready for the annual Christmas pageant at the Community Church in Victoria Springs. Tess Darcy, owner of the Iris House Bed & Breakfast, is delegated to let the church's usual director, Claire Chandler, know that she's being repaced by an out-of-town drama professor. That's enough to make Claire furious, but it doesn't help that Sherwood Draper was recommended by her least favorite person in the world, Lily Brookside. It isn't long before the womanizing professor has most of the pageant personnel up in arms at the first meeting. His wife knows Lily wanted him to come direct the pageant so she could try to get her hooks into him and is giving them both the evil eye.. Denny Brookside isn't at all pleased at how his wife looks at this Noel Coward wannabe. The organist, Elizabeth Purcell, is incensed that she's being replaced by taped music; the children's director, Pam Yoder, can't believe he plans to ditch the children's portion of the program all together; and the choir director, Mike Tandy is so outraged that the choir has been reduced to three little Christmas songs that he gets up and leaves the sanctuary.

The afternoon session doesn't go any better. In fact, it gets worse when Draper gets caught a little too cozy with one of the ladies in the dressing room. Sometime later he's found in that same dressing room with a pair of shears sticking out his back. The local police chief is out of town and his eager stand-in thinks he's got it all sewn up when a witness claims to have seen Draper's wife with shears that afternoon. But Tess isn't convinced he has really investigated all the angles and she's determined to be sure it's truly the guilty behind bars.

This is the third Christmas-themed book I've read in a row--and the second to feature a Christmas a pageant (or it's rehearsals) as the venue for the crime. I have to say that I immediately spotted the primary reason Draper was killed--though I didn't see the way it shook out coming. I got completely confused about who could have been involved in the primary reason and then Hager shook the kaleidoscope a bit and changed the view of the pieces anyway. It also didn't help that life happened in the middle of my read and I may have lost my original train of thought. All told, it was an enjoyable holiday read and The Last Noel is my favorite Christmas mystery so far this season. ★★★ and 1/2. [rounded up here]

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Scott Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The investigation threads the likely and the outliers well. The development of the clues and assumptions was executed efficiently and I applaud the pace of evidence.

Boasting only one complaint - the reveal was appropriate ( while sad ) There was little to no explanation to support or rebuke the voluntary confession. I would have loved on more level of surprise.

[Suzanne Perryman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last Noel

I loved the story and was shocked by the ending. This series is really good. I just wish someone would read through them before they are released. There are a ton of spelling and grammar issues

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated. I wondered how the author would get the protagonist to realistically make the leap/connection that would begin to unravel the problem, and since I was watching for it, it was very neatly and believably done.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice easy read book. Very different from her book "Seven Black Stones".

[Susan Lorden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas romance

[Kshydog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of arguing for a Christian church plus a spineless minister. Hard to feel sorry for the death of such a womanizer personality as Sherwood Draper was. Did feel for his wife. Introduced quite a few characters in the beginning which made it confusing trying to figure out which would be important. There were several families that were less than ideal and so it was sad that what appeared to be a good family is the one so destroyed by the ending. Luke proposed to her.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Christmas mysteries, but this one was just okay, kind of slow and predictable. Plus, it had bratty teens which I really find annoying.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

sad end, xmas elements not too obnoxious

[Margaret]

An enjoyable story - I didn't guess the murderer. I did wonder how Tess managed to run a bed and breakfast during Christmas time while investigating a murder! :D

[Beth Harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

See blog entry at http://bethlikesbooks.blogspot.com/20...

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, interesting characters, sad ending. Kept the intrigue going throughout.