Death by Hot Cocoa

Bookstore Cafe Mystery #7.5

by Alex Erickson

Along with gifts, treats, and holiday cheer, this Christmas there’s an extra kick to the hot cocoa . . .

A Christmas-themed escape game seems like the perfect pre-holiday treat for bookstore café owner Krissy Hancock and her best friend. But one of the beverages doesn’t sit so well with someone . . .
 
When the host is found dead in a pool of hot cocoa, it’s up to Krissy and her team to catch the killer—or escape before getting killed.

Previously published in Christmas Cocoa Murder

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

92 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 29, 2021

Reviews

[Shirley Chapel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery was about a murder that took place in a escape room. The characters were locked in a room and one of them was the murderer. The main character Chrissie was experienced in solving murder crimes. It was a lot of talking and since no one was able to go anywhere she unravelled the clues until she found the real killer.
I wasn't overly impressed with this murder mystery. It was a novella audio book . When Chrissie solved the crime I felt like something was missing since I was left in the dark as to how she discovered who the real killer was. I would have appreciated more action and less talk.
This book is cozy mystery and would appeal to readers of that genre.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krissy Hancock has been talked into doing a Christmas themed escape room by her friend Rita. The game starts out with the participants being placed in separate rooms, but when they all meet up in the second room, they find the body of their host, Lewis, lying in a pool of spilled hot cocoa. Is Krissy locked in a room with a killer? Can she figure out the clues to the crime and the clues to escaping the room?

Since it had been so long since I read the first book, I really didn’t remember much about the characters in the series, but that is okay because almost the entire story takes place at the escape room. With Krissy trapped in a room with all the suspects, it is easy to get to know them. I hadn’t tried any escape rooms yet when I read this story, but I appreciated how this modern trend was used to update the locked room staple of the mystery genre. It was well done with the clues to both parts of the mystery layered in to the events. This one definitely kept me turning the pages.

NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas mystery.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[terpkristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A murder in an escape room. Not a terrible story but I didn't like the narrator, which wasn't the usual one. I suspect this short story/novella was in a combo book with other Christmas stories. But the standard rule of who is the murderer in this series continues to apply. I'm not sure if I'd have noticed if I hadn't listened to them all back-to-back-to-back.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a super enjoyable holiday thriller! The audiobook was enjoyable and quick. I was constantly reevaluating who the culprit must be and it unfolded well.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you enjoy escape rooms?

This is a locked room mystery in an escape room. I totally enjoyed it, it’s lots of fun.

[Vanessa C · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a continuation of my cozy holiday mystery reads in the month of December. I was a little disappointed by this one because I thought it had more potential than all of the others I had read this season. The premise of the Christmas-themed escape room murder was unique and the writing didn’t sound like a middle schooler wrote it, which was refreshing.

Unfortunately, the plot and main character were complete let downs. The main character was supposed to be some type of expert in solving murders, as was referenced throughout the story to her past crime-solving feats. But for a supposedly seasoned murder investigator, she made a lot of poor choices and jumped to conclusions that made very little sense. This includes how she deduced who the murderer was, which was abundantly obvious as it was the only person she didn’t explicitly question. The author also conveniently made the characters “not sure” of small details about the murder plot instead of actually coming up with a well-put together story.

The worst part of this novella was at the end when the main character is drinking coffee with her friends and uses a cookie in her coffee to flavor it instead of milk or sugar and then proceeds to eat the soggy ass cookie with a spoon. That right there should have been ground to arrest her as well.

I’m not sure why this novella’s plot sparked so much contempt in me, as opposed to all the other sub-par mystery books I’ve read this holiday season that elicited mild annoyance at best, but I truly was expecting better from this last holiday novella. 2 stars for decent writing.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ Not much to this one except a decently cozy, Christmas escape room themed murder mystery, with a relatively fast ending. I felt the lead up to the conclusion was pretty well done, but when it came to the main character concluding who the murderer was, it felt rushed. I also hoped for more inclusion of the escape room puzzles, however that aspect turned almost moot once the investigation into the murder started. Other than that, it's a cozy little read to start off December.

86/100 2021 Reads

[Becky Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

A break from the heavy stuff

Quick easy read. I read it in a few hours. I found it enjoyable and entertaining. I think this is a series but this book can be read as a stand alone.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Christmas themed escape room turned sinister! Oh man, I could not put this one down! I loved it! The suspense of the escape room had MY heart pounding just like Krissy's. I definitely recommend it! This was a perfect Christmas time read, well written and suspenseful with plenty of suspects!! Short stories are perfect for this time of year!

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably would have liked this better if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook. The narrator was really bad at reading masculine voices, to the point that it was distracting because it was so bad.

The story was fine. It was short and had a Christmas theme, and I liked that it took place in an escape room. If I read another book in this series, I will make it a physical copy next time.

[Renee Heston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to listen to while wrapping presents. It wasn’t overly complex where you could follow along while doing another task. It wasn’t super scary or have unnecessary gore. It had a holiday theme to it which makes it fun and festive.

[Ann Peachman Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t know it was possible to make murder boring, but this kind of was. An eccentric man hosts a game where people need to work together to get out of their rooms. When they do, they find him dead. The detective in the group figures out who did it. The end.

[Maria Finazzo Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story/novella with Krissy and Rita going to a Christmas escape room where they stumble upon a murder. Not only to they have to escape the room but a possible killer, as well. With their phones in a locker outside of the rooms, Krissy needs to find out which one is the killer before they escape and maybe lose the culprit. A cute mini case before the holidays.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in this series as it just caught my attention and I love Christmas themes. I enjoyed it a lot and was able to follow it even though new to the characters. The locked room mystery was great. Made for a fun whodunit.

[Sheila Burke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually the fourth book by Alex Erickson I've read. This book was fairly short, but really packed, and totally worth reading. The story itself was well written and original. This was well worth the time to read.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was ok as a cozy read. I couldn’t connect as well with the characters as I would have liked, but it’s a simple little holiday mystery.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, Christmas themed, cozy murder story!

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick fun murder mystery with a Christmas theme

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short easy read. A modern cozy with unexpected plot lines. Enjoyable.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

God book.

[Debbie Devaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short story for a good series!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Novella in this series.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least fave of the series so far. Might've been because it wasn't our fave "Krissy," Melissa Moran, narrating?

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy mysteries have me in a chokehold haha I’m so in love with them. I loved the mystery style of this book; it reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie.

[Adri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Christmas murder mystery? Great audiobook

[Joyce Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good Christmas novella. I like with they were trying to solve an escape room and trying to solve a murder it was a double mystery

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story. First book I've read about a murder in a escape room. The plot and the storyline was fun. It's an easy read. Fun read. Recommend.

[Kendra Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Christmas escape room whodunnit read.

[Aly Bretthauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very cute and cozy for a mystery! It was easy to listen to on the audiobook.