An Eggnog to Die For

Starred review from September 15, 2021
An amateur sleuth must juggle entirely too many suspects in the death of a self-righteous prig. Samantha Barnes is the perfect cozy sleuth. Neither supercilious nor improbably ditzy, she has a sarcastic tongue and a passion for life, especially food. She's settled into the house on Cape Cod she inherited from an aunt and rekindled her romance with her high school crush, harbor patrol officer Jason Captiva. Sam makes do writing food reviews and producing videos on the same subject for the newspaper her parents owned for many years. In the lead-up to Christmas, she's extra busy preparing for her parents' visit by planning a special five-fish dinner and wrapping the thoughtful, inexpensive presents she's bought or made for family and the many friends she's collected since her return. One of her favorite restaurants is run by the Brunis, a brother and sister whose enemy, selectman Caleb Mayo, is an alcoholic's son who can't abide any place that serves spirits. When Sam mistakes the Brunis' office for the ladies' room, she finds Mayo dead from a blow to the head and can't stop herself from investigating. She discovers that Mayo used his power to threaten many people over past misdeeds that could ruin their current lives. Sam's memories of her high school physics class provide the clue she needs to separate the innocent from the guilty. A delightful sleuth, a complex mystery, and lovingly described cuisine: a winner for both foodies and mystery mavens.

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