Clues, Christmas Trees and Corpses: A Limited Edition Cozy Mystery Anthology

Aye Alba Anthologies

by R.B. Marshall, Hillary Avis, Mary B. Barbee

From a sparkling selection of amazing authors, including USA Today and Wall Street Journal best sellers, comes this wonderful collection of 20 festive cozy mysteries.

Featuring poisonous poinsettias, corpses on Christmas trees and toxic tinsel, these fabulous stories--including 15 brand new and exclusive tales--will keep you entertained until Santa arrives:
A Corpse Wrapped in Tinsel by Benedict Brown
Cards, Capers and Christmas Miracles by Emily Selby
Christmas is Canceled by Carly Winter
Christmas in Cherry Hills by Paige Sleuth
Claus of Death by Moira Bates
Deck The Halls and Murder by Patti Larsen
Ho, Ho, Homicide! by MP Smith
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder by Wendy Meadows
Jingle Bones by Rosie Meleady
Let it Sew, Let it Sew, Let it Sew by Babs Emodi
Malbec and Mistletoe by Daisy Linh
Marry Christmas by Joann Keder
Peppermint Twist by Mary B. Barbee
Poison and Poinsettias by Aubrey Elle
Rebel Without a Claus by Ava Mallory
Sleigh Bells Wing by Hillary Avis
The Four Chickens of Christmas by Beth McElla
The Purloined Poinsettia by Cathy Tully
The Secret Santa Mystery by R.B. Marshall
The Toy Puzzle by Victoria LK Williams

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Anthologies

1474 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2021

About the author

Like her amateur sleuth, Izzy, USA Today Bestselling author R.B. (Roz) Marshall is a dressage-riding computer geek who loves coffee - but there the similarity ends. Izzy is far smarter, and a lot younger!

Pretty much all of Roz's books are set in her native Scotland. She writes clever, witty cozy mysteries as R.B. Marshall, fantasy and romantic women's fiction as Roz Marshall, and historical romance as Belle McInnes.

Reviews

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous collection of murder stories with the Christmas theme in common.

My personal favorite was the Izzy Palmer story by Benedict Brown. Izzy was brilliant in solving the death of an unpopular supervisor at a major departments store's Santa's Village. I loved the police presence and their attitude throughout the case. Silly fun, serious murder, and excellent sleuthing!

Another good one was by Cathy Tully and incorporated many of her Dr. Shine characters.
Many other favorite authors stories are also included. This is a collection that is a bargain that no cozy mystery lover should miss!

[Victoria Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great group of Christmas Mysteries. Each is different, and each is a delightful way to start your holiday reading! This book is available only from Nov 1- Jan!

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful read with a nice variety of stories to put you in the holiday spirit. It was an enjoyable compilation of different authors.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Carly Winter]

I'm so excited for this anthology to come out November 1! What a great group of stories from some amazing authors.
Don't forget - it's .99 for now... but the price goes up November 8.

20 Christmas cozies mysteries for .99. What more could you want to get you into the holiday season?
Make sure to grab it at your favorite retailer: https://books2read.com/CluesCorpses

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't know where all the superior reviews came from. These stories are awful. Poorly written and constructed. Struggled mightily to finish.

[Kim Loomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't managed to read all the stories in this anthology as yet but I did read Sleigh Bells Wing by Hillary Avis. It was a touching and warm feeling Christmas story about the farmhouse that Ruth and her brother own and are about to sell and Ruth's brother really wants the family to spend one last Christmas together in this farmhouse before Ruth sells it. This is the farmhouse that Leona buys in the Farm Series. I thought it was a great read. Can't wait to read more in this anthology as I am certain there are many more stories just as good as this one.

[JACKIE K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology is filled with a wonderful variety of mysteries centered around the holiday season. Some will feature familiar characters and perhaps you will meet a new author you are eager to continue reading. I especially enjoyed Sleigh Bells Wing, the prequel to Hiliary Avis’ Clucks and Clue series (one of my favorite cozies), with the long-time residents of Honeytree involved in solving a murder. From heart-warming to hilarious, murderous to merry, I’m sure everyone will find a tale to awaken or enhance the seasonal spirit. Why not give yourself an early Christmas present and get a copy?

[Sylvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 books, 20 mysteries to solve

I really enjoyed reading these books, all themed around Christmas.  There were many new authors for me that are now part of my preferred author list.   Some books I read made me feel like I were jumping into a story where I already knew all the characters and that I had already read the previous books.  Well done!
I have to say, the one I preferred was by Hillary Avis!

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I picked up this anthology, I enjoyed reading the mysteries. The first one, had me guessing from the first chapter. Beautifully written, easy to read, the story keeps you guessing till the very end. Each new character could be the culprit, but the twist at the end shows how clever the author is.

All the stories I've read so far are different, but with a Christmas theme, and very easy and fun to read.
I thoroughly recommend this anthology.

[Rosie Meleady]

Full disclosure: A novella of mine (Jingle Bones) is in this anthology BUT it also includes so many other great stories by authors I hadn't read before. It has been a great way for me to find new cozy mystery authors to follow and to get into the cozy Christmas spirit. It's only available until February 2023 so if you like cozy mysteries and enjoy Christmas themed stories then this is a great anthology to dive into.

[David Berg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advance review copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review. If you like Christmas anthologies, you will love this book. I found some new authors and revisited some of my favorites. I really recommend this book. If you only buy one Christmas anthology, this should be the one you get.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story anthologies are always a mixed bag; not everything is for everybody. But there was more here to like than to dislike. With such a variety of stories, it's likely that a handful will make it worth the price. Plus, it's always nice to discover new-to-me writers to check out, and I definitely picked up a few books to add to my cozy mystery to-be-read pile.

[Jolie Castilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is some AWESOME cozy mysteries by 20 different authors. This way you don't have to pick a favorite one. There are great characters fantastic story's and mysteries to keep you guessing. I highly recommend this book.
I received this book free and this is an honest and voluntary review.

[Ilene G> · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection.

I enjoyed most of these stories. I did not like 7 out of the 20, but it is still worth the price. Not all the mysteries are murder mysteries. The stories I like have good plots and characters. Good mysteries with Christmas themes.

[James Klabunde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Holiday Special Anthology

A generous collection of Christmas copies some worthy of five stars and some four. Depending on your taste but surely something for everyone. A good chance to discover a new author. Recommended.

[Judy R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This group of Christmas stories are perfect for sitting and enjoying one or two stories at a time. Each of the authors has a great set of characters. You get the chance to laugh or cry as you read each of the short tales.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

A variety of Christmas stories to help get you in the 'Christmas spirit'. Each one has their own characters and situations. An enjoyable reading experience.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great group of stories to read. Very interesting characters, a variety of settings for locations, different writing styles and enjoyable endings.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found most of the stories enjoyable. Some took me longer to get through. It’s a nice read, just very long with as many authors are in it.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, some of your co-authors let you down BADLY and lost you 1 * for the anthology. I would otherwise award 5 * for most stories.

So TRAGIC that some modern authors have such a Very Limited Vocabulary! They - for some unknown reason - abuse words that belong only to GOD viz. HOLY, JESUS, GOD, CHRIST. In this context, they also use horrific oxymorons. This is blasphemy and Will be severely punished in due course. Believe it!