Murder in Christmas River: A Christmas Cozy Mystery

Christmas River #1

by Meg Muldoon

Cinnamon Peters is one tough cookie.

Every year at Christmas River’s annual Gingerbread Junction Competition, pie baker extraordinaire Cinnamon aims to win, taking down any competitor who gets in her way. But when she finds a dead body in the woods behind her pie shop just days before the big competition, Cinnamon realizes that there’s much more to worry about than cookies, frosting, and gumdrops.

Someone’s out to bring Cinnamon down. And they’re playing dirty.
Only Cinnamon and a mysterious stranger who walks into her life one snowy evening can figure out the mystery.
But can they solve it before Cinnamon’s chances of gingerbread competition glory crumble?

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

223 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2012

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

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your typical cozy mystery set in small town America.
There is a pastry shop, a small town, a dog and a murder, all with the backdrop of the town's annual Ginger Bread competition.
It's nothing all that original but it's entertaining enough.

[Jake Justen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because of the podcast 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back. For being a mystery, there's not really any mystery in the story. The mystery is introduced around a quarter of the way through the book (at least according to the progress tracker on Kindle). It's wrapped up quickly and in an anticlimactic manner. The mystery wasn't the main plot, it wasn't a subplot; it just kind of took place in the background. There is no explanation for the sheriff's suspicion, except because the sheriff is a dumbass and the plot(?) required it. The main focus was on the main character's ex-husband and his cheating with her employee. It was so prevalent I have to wonder if the author was working through something by writing this book.

[beachbum bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

for my thoughts on this book and other cozy mysteries subscribe to my YouTube channel @:https://t.co/Jx58B4KNW5?amp=1 ...more ...more

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so I had to acknowledge that this is a romance with a just splash of mystery, not the other way around. I liked Cinnamon at first, then I got tired of her pity party. In such a short book, it sure did take forever to find the body. There is a whole lot of (self)talk and not a lot of action here. And a lot of description of wind. Maybe this is a new theme: self-help cozy?

Oh, and thought I would try the seamless "read-and-listen-Kindle" as the Audible narration came along for the ride for free with Kindle Unlimited. Don't do it - the Audible narration is atrocious - unlistenable ... Listened to a page and couldn't bear anymore.

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this heart warming mystery with a little bit of romance added. Good characters and and a lovely setting.

[Patricia Mansker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like a good mystery, and Meg Muldoon has created a series of them that make me VERY happy.

What do you get when you have a crusty grandfather, a stubborn woman who cooks the best pies in town and a sheriff who loves them both? The Christmas River book series.

From the first to the last, these books are full of fun. Cinnamon is a great female character who stands on her own two feet but is not afraid to cry if she needs to. Strong, stubborn and a great cook, Cinnamon takes life as it comes and gives back more than she gets. With her grandfather, Walter, aboard as moral support, Cinnamon bakes pies and runs her pie shop in this little town while helping to solve the mysteries that come her way. In this book, that mystery include Daniel, the old boyfriend who ran away when she was young and is now back in town. It also includes her ex-husband, who ran away with one of her best friends.

The mystery part is fascinating, but not as fascinating as the interaction between characters, which is real and bumpy as real life gets. There is no hiding behind characters that are a little too good to be true, these characters dance across the pages making you want more. And the only problem for me is, I have now bought all of her books and have to wait...I don't know if I have the patience for that!

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and especially the ending was heart-warming!

I liked the setting: small town with people who knew each other. It was super cozy even though there were conflicts as well.

[Louise Corrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Need more books from the dogs POV

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book for 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back.

This was at least a mercifully quick read, but there was no plot, no characters worth caring about (including an incredibly unlikable protagonist named Cinnamon Peters, atrocious pacing, abysmal grammar, and just so many factual inaccuracies.

As fodder for a podcast about bad books: A+

As an actual book intended to entertain and be taken seriously as a story: F

This is NOT a murder mystery. The protagonist is only involved in the murder insofar as she is the one who discovers the frozen corpse in the woods and then is later framed for the murder. She has literally zero impact on the plot. She does not investigate it, there are no clues laid out for the reader. It is essentially a really, really bad romance novel with a murder investigation going on in the background.

There is also zero complication from being framed. She answers police questions (standard if you found a body) and is then released. When she is finally "arrested" (why did the sheriff wait until mid-competition to do this? what?) the "tension" is dissipated before it even forms by having the fucking DOG solve the murder by attacking the actual culprit.

Side note: This dog is basically sentient and just can't talk. It's ludicrously stupid.

The murder "plot" is also resolved with a good 20% of the book left to go. I'll also note I called the murderer's identity in the second chapter, despite there being zero actual clues in the entire book (it's just the most obvious cliche). Really, no one uncovered anything hinting at the affair that is apparently the motivation for the murder? Literally zero information to the reader beyond the initial chapter with the dog witnessing it and telling us it was a woman whose leg he bit.

Overall, a complete waste of words, but has renewed my writing motivation. I'm seriously tempted to write a cozy series revolving around quail, at the behest of several Jackals, because if this was successful, sure I can probably crap out a 10 book series at this quality level in my sleep.

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a Christmas novella that's more than a handful of pages. Meg Muldoon has written a  lot of books but this is the first one of hers I've read. I really enjoyed it. It's short, at 166 pages but still gives the reader plenty to start off the series as we get a good background for Cinnamon and a bit of a smaller one for love interest Daniel. The judge for the annual gingerbread making competition is murdered and it looks like Cinnamon is being set up as the killer. I read it as one of my Christmas books for this year and it is set in the run up to Christmas but doesn't really focus on it much, the competition is more prominent but I didn't mind. It's a really enjoyable cosy crime and I would happily go back and read the rest

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel decidedly cheated by this book.

It purports to be a murder mystery, but it seems to me that it's actually a romance novel with a murder investigation going on in the background.

Now it's true that many murder mysteries have a romance element in them, but in this one the mystery is most definitely in the back seat.

I have nothing against romance novels per se, mind, but I do object to being lied to.

Sorry Ms Muldoon, but I shan't be reading any more of your books.

[Emmeline Webb · Rating 1 out of 5]

Girlies, goulies, and ghosties I must say. The author has never worked in a bakery or restaurant. Also this managed to be not about Christmas, pies, or the murder. Not even breathtakingly romantic, i mean come on

[Jeffrey Greek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as cozy as I'd hoped.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎄🎄🎄

🎄 Gingerbread Competition
❄️ One Sad Lonely Pup
🎄 Murder Mystery
❄️ A Few Someone's Come To Town
🎄 Pie Bakery
❄️ Small Town


✨️ 🎧 AUDIO 🎧 REVIEW ✨️

🎙Narrator: Randye Kaye 🎙

There is nothing I love more than diving head first into a Christmas Cozy Mystery! This was the perfect little audiobook to listen to when I needed a little more than some cozy Christmas mystery with lots of love. This had some love, but just the right amount for a murder mystery!

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I am so excited to listen to more! This was perfecftly paced with plenty of surprises, along with even sweeter characters! I have a love for grandparents and Cinnamon's  grandfather was a true joy! Yes, he may be a little rough around the edges, but that didn't matter. His heart was bigger than the rough edges.

Cinnamon was such a delight! Little did I realize her actual age until much later in the book. I got alll the middle age woman vibes from the book the whole time. So when I heard her real age I was a bit surprised to say the least! 

I enjoyed the play by play and all of the characters that had shown up within the story! Not to mention the ones who seemed to cause the most raucus! I loved seeing how each character had their own impact on Cinnamon. Some good, some not so fantastic!

But I really enjoyed the whole story from beginning to end, although I wish there would have been more about the competition included.

The only thing I would have loved to see in the book was a pie recipe!


✨️ All opinions are my own, honest, and voluntary✨️.

[Wulfwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I had it on my TBR for awhile and had forgotten it. Then I read Silence of the Elves for Christmas in July. I went to buy it when I rediscovered it in my tbr pile. I think I have been missing a really good series! Fortunately, I have a few of the series in my pile.
I like Cinnamon, Kara, Daniel and absolutely adore Huckleberry. The mystery was good. I almost guessed it. Lol. I love how it used gingerbread, which I totally associate with Christmas, in the plot. I was totally caught up in the relationship of Cinnamon and Daniel. There was quite a bit of sweating in that area. I was worried about Cinnamon getting lost there. I’m excited to see how things go for Cinnamon, Kara and their decisions. I even, perhaps evilly, am looking forward to seeing what happens with a certain couple.
I would call this book a cozy mystery romance mix, (cozy rom? Cozy mystic? ), as it was fairly even in being about both. I enjoyed it from both genres. Maybe because I could relate to so much of it. They were both well done. And Huckleberry just melted my heart so much. I’m definitely on to book 2. If you enjoy Christmas, cozy mystery, and romance this book is calling your name. Answer it.

[Sammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This claimed to be a cozy mystery. It isn't.

[Bleachedblackcat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a mystery

There is a murder. And other mystery type things that happen in the book. But they are all solved super quick and instead we walk around with our hero in a love triangle (square?) and hear her thoughts about how much her life sucks and has sucked since high school. As she and everyone else in town is hung up on that one guy who went to California after his brother was murdered but did not have the time to call and cancel his planned first date with her.

Seriously we get more on that then the actual crimes committed in this book.

Also I am really worried about the dogs in this town. They get fed a lot of pie which cannot be good for them with all the things that can go into pies and make the dogs sick.

Also a lot of grammatical errors that take me out of the story from time to time. “He was found murdered close to you business” should not be in there unless you want me laughing loudly at the line. However it is not the worst or offensive book I have read and gave me something to read before bed. So two stars

[Traugott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another listener of the 372 Pages We'll Never Get Back podcast here.

To be honest, I really don't get the cozyverse. Isn't "cozy" be meant to be something nice? But murder, cheating, alcoholism, alzheimer and overall unpleasant people really aren't cozy in my book.

As for the book itself: Well... it's a quick read, I give it that. So far the characters we have met are a walking chliché, but at least they aren't acting overly stupid (I am at the halfway point of this book right now, so this might change). They just are not very interesting to read about. At least I know that Cinnamon Peters runs a bakery and that the doctor (already forgot his name) doesn't like rhubarb and yet he still orders a slice of rhubarb pie every single day.

All I can say right now is: This book doesn't physically hurt me when I read it, which isn't something I can say for every book read on the podcast. For that fact alone I'll rate it 3 stars for now.

EDIT: Finished the book and my judgement still stands. It's not really a great read, but it's good enough to kill a few hours. The ending dragged on for a bit too long, though. And worst of all: Cinnamon did absolutely nothing to solve the crime. She's just concerned about making a gingerbread house and tries to figure out which guy she should date. This book feels like this should be part of the backstory that a writer has in mind for their universe, but it shouldn't necessarily be published as the first book of a series.

What I really do like is the cover art. It's very distinct and it makes the series stand out. Just based on the cover I would totally buy this on a whim in a book store.

[Damian Penny]

Compared to most 372 Pages subjects - unhinged fever dreams like 64 Squares and Modelland, or dull slogs like Irene Iddlesleigh and Modelland - this one is at least readable. But it's a neat trick for a "cozy mystery" to feature a heroine who makes absolutely no attempt to solve the murder.

[John Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in Christmas River
Christmas River, Book 1

I Picked Up This Book Because: Random pick from browsing AudiblePlus catalog

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: AudiblePlus
Dates Read: 12/23/23 - 12/24/23
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Randye Kaye

The Characters:

Cinnamon Peters

The Story:

This was a random selection and I’m glad I made it. It was a cute cozy mystery with tons of chemistry between the main characters. In fact, our heroine is quite in demand. I can’t wait to explore this town more.

The Random Thoughts:

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I've had this in my TBR pile for quite some time now. After reading it, I wish I would have read sooner. The female protagonist grows strong throughout the book and feisty which I really enjoyed. There is also some romance. The book does contain mild language. If that bothers you I would avoid.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first in the series. Cinnamon is a baker and is entering a gingerbread competition. A dead body is found, and it looks like someone is trying to frame Cinnamon.
I liked the characters in this book and the setting. The mystery was good and kept me guessing and I liked the side stories of a homeless dog and a man from her past, plus the whole gingerbread competition.
I will continue on with this series.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder in Christmas River by Meg Muldoon is the first book in the Christmas River series. Pie baker Cinnamon is preparing for the annual gingerbread competition when a stray dog leads her to a dead body in the woods. A nice start to the series. An interesting mystery with likeable characters especially Huckleberry the dog who plays a big part in bringing down the killer. Not really much of an investigation but still enjoyable. A typical, light cozy mystery.

[Meonicorn (The Bookish Land) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good cozy mystery, read as an audio book, good to listen when you are in a reading slump :)

[Kathy Brackin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet!! Loved the little town of Christmas River ❤️

[Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Old” divorcee (she references her age a lot, for someone who’s 33) and pie-maker Cinnamon (yes, that’s seriously her name) Peters is gearing up for her town’s annual gingerbread competition when she discovers a body behind her pie shop. With the help of a high school crush who disappeared unexpectedly 16 years ago but has suddenly returned to their small town, she tries to prove her innocence while also entering the gingerbread house competition, and also fighting off the interests of two other men. What’s a girl to do?

I hope you could hear the eye roll as I wrote that. The plot of this book was cheesy at best, and absolutely predictable. I figured the mystery would be the focus (based on the name and the book’s actual description), but it played a minor role in the story, with the main focus being Cinnamon’s love/personal life. Disappointing.

I was looking for something fun and festive, and I guess this book did entertain/distract me while I was doing other things, occasionally referencing Christmas so… it gets two stars for that (I’m feeling generous, and in the Christmas spirit). But, just a hint to the author, maybe don’t do a prologue where the victim is murdered, use the pronoun “she” when referencing the killer, and then only have 4 female characters, one of whom was the main character of the series (unless you’re going to make it a series where she’s actually a serial killer who owns a pie shop and tries to get away with murder in her small town by framing other locals…now that could be interesting!).

[Star ☔️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this wintery, Christmassy tale. It was a delight to read. I enjoyed hearing about the gingerbread contest. I loved the cold, icy, winter setting. I loved that the main character's name was Cinnamon, since she does live in Christmas River and she has a pretty spicy personality. Just when I was beginning to think oh no, another love triangle, it became a love square and I thought that was pretty unique and interesting. I almost think of this more of a love story than a mystery. It was the romance that I was most invested in, the mystery was secondary. Though, I did want to know who the killer was. I really loved the short chapters. I was very pleased with the ending. Looking forward to discussing this book at my book club meeting. I would recommend this book to someone that likes romantic mysteries.

[Staci Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this book. First off, I read a lot of cozy mysteries and often wonder why the main character doesn’t burst into tears because of all the pressures like any normal human being would. So I started this book and what a surprise, the MC cried. And cried. And cried some more. Then whined. Note to self: careful what you wish for.

In all fairness to the author, I did listen to this on audiobook. I’m sure that had a lot to do with it. But the story seemed much more like a high school romance than a cozy mystery. On a positive note, it was set in Central Oregon! Yay! Love the Cascades as my family is from a town in the foothills.

Hoping good things for this author.

[Tari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book that's one of the longest time books on my TBR. Christmas time, cozy gingerbread houses and a competition...along with a dead body that someone was trying to frame Cinnamon Peters for to either distract her or keep her out of the yearly competition.

I right away guessed the killer but have to admit I had a couple of doubts along the way. Cinnamon had a sweet reunion with someone from her past, and I loved how the book ended. I'm definitely going to read on in the series!