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Old School Diner #6

The Candy Cane Killer

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***This book was part of a Christmas Box Set Collection, Mistletoe & Murder***

It's the holiday season and the Old School Diner gang is ready to celebrate. But right before Christmas a news anchor visiting the town is murdered. His assailant leaves his signature...a candy cane, only it is quite different from the regular version. What significance does the murder weapon have?

There's also magic in the air as Mercy and Junior stumble upon a workshop far from town.

***Don't miss this Christmas story full of intrigue and wonder***

107 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

35 people are currently reading
50 people want to read

About the author

Constance Barker

461 books205 followers
Constance Barker lives in the Midwest with her husband and two Akitas where she can look out from her screened porch onto a wooded area brimming with activity. Since she was a young girl she read mysteries, often given to her by her grandmother. She loved figuring out who the culprit was and sometimes she was right and other times startled at who the author picked as the assailant. Now she enjoys writing mysteries herself. When she isn't writing stories, she can be found in her favorite vacation spot, Las Vegas or shopping for bargains.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
52 (44%)
4 stars
34 (29%)
3 stars
21 (17%)
2 stars
6 (5%)
1 star
4 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Wulfwyn .
1,172 reviews108 followers
July 27, 2021
This was my first time reading from the Old School Diner Series. I want to read more. It was a quick but fun mystery that was all about Christmas. I loved it. I enjoyed the setting and liked the characters. There is a recipe include at the end. If you are looking for something light but Christmassy try this one.
Profile Image for Lorraine.
1,582 reviews41 followers
December 12, 2025
1.5 Stars

Oh my, what to say in my review????
I never like to put down an author's labor of love but this was a disaster from page one.
Too many other great novels to read for the holidays, this is a skip.
Profile Image for Barbara Hackel.
2,845 reviews47 followers
March 9, 2019
As the gang is all set to celebrate Christmas in the community with the Winter Solstice Festival in the town square. Complete with Christmas decorations, music, Santa and Elves, there is even a Christmas Market for food and gifts. What should have been a jolly time right before Christmas turns tragic when a murder is discovered. It is the start of a sad Christmas mystery that Marcie has to jump in and help her Sheriff, Brody, solve. Along the way she helps Junior find a Santa suit for his big debut as Santa in this year's festival.

Despite the gruesome depiction of Santa on the cover of this book, it is a good mystery and the book leaves you with magical feelings about Christmas and friendship. All of the diner workers and regular customers are showcased in their part of the festival and solving the mystery. The author achieved a great balance between murder and holiday happiness. You won't want to miss this enjoyable book---no matter what season it happens to be.
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
April 14, 2019
Just a dream?

A good red but I have read this before although not sure which collection it's in. A nice plot slightly reminiscent of Groundhog Day.
The Christmas village is all set to go and the team leave Smokey to run the diner whilst they could and make sure that the booth and Santa are all set up and ready for action. The booth is fine but Santa is in red pyjamas as he couldn't find a suitable costume. However a stranger tells her to take the card and pick up a suit at the shop. Strange - she thought it was just swamp there. Then a murder - a candy cane thrust through the body of a news anchor. A suit, more murders, a sleigh, a parade and finally an arrest! However she suddenly finds herself in a hospital room. Apparently she fainted and the murderer is still at large. At least until she announces the killer. What happened?
117 reviews1 follower
June 22, 2019
Loved the book

It's Christmas time and Mercy and the crew are gearing up to make it one of the most successful ever, with a murder called the Candy Cane killer on the loose will things get worse before it gets better.
161 reviews1 follower
July 16, 2020
Mercy and friends

I really enjoyed this book along with all the other ones before it. Characters are hilarious and the story in each book is so different, I just cannot put it down.
2,874 reviews11 followers
March 11, 2021
Great Christmas story with a bit of murder and mayhem.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Great world building. Page-turner. Romantic. Tear-jerker. Tragic. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.

Part of "Candy Canes and Corpses" borrowed via Kindle Unlimited on  November 20, 2018.
Profile Image for Phthon.
2,324 reviews7 followers
March 24, 2019
A strange dream, a small miracle, and a candy cane killer make an interesting and memorable Christmas mystery! I loved this! Very imaginative!
80 reviews
April 19, 2020
Fantastic

All books Constance Barker writes are fantastic. Only problem is, I cannot seem to put it down until I have read the whole book. Love them!
Profile Image for Angela Griffin.
1,687 reviews5 followers
January 28, 2021
Magical

"The Candy Cane Killer" is actually a surprisingly charming holiday treat. It's a lot of Christmas magic added to a bit of "The Wizard of Oz." Enjoy!
Profile Image for Haley.
77 reviews
December 11, 2025
Decent continuation of the story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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