First of all, I realize this is the thirteenth book in the series, and although I know these are stand-alone books, I think reading in order is a good idea, especially with this series. I felt as though I had no real history or connection with the characters in the beginning, and it took a while to get into the story, but that is NOT the author's fault.
What I love about this book is that it is clean, cozy mystery that takes place during Christmas in Florida. Talk about the idea setting! It was an easy-to-read book, and I had no problem sitting down in an evening and reading it. There were moments when I found it a bit slow, but I think some of that relates to what I said earlier. If you are looking for a fun book to curl up with on a long, winter's night, this may be it. Maybe it's cold outside where you live, but the author takes you on an escape to the warmth and beauty of the Florida Keys.
In some ways, this book does feel a bit like a book that was written just for fun, and I'm not sure how much it developed the plot of the whole series, but to be honest, who cares? It's not often you can find a Christmas mystery that's clean and fun. I rate it a four, but I have to say it whets my appetite concerning the other books in the series.