Identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah are the owners of Murder and Mayhem, a mystery bookshop that sells their famous poison-themed Killer Chocolates. But now, there’s a real killer in their midst. Shortly before Christmas, their septuagenarian neighbor, Jane, confides to Alex that a murderer from a true-crime show has taken up residence in the village. Unfortunately, she’s also shared her suspicions with town gossip Netta. The next morning, Alex shows up at Jane’s house to watch the show, but instead discovers Jane's body, with a box of Killer Chocolates nearby.
The sheriff quickly zeroes in on two suspects: Alex, a beneficiary in Jane’s will, and Zack, a handyman who was seen leaving the crime scene. But Alex maintains her innocence and sets out to draft a list of other potential suspects—townsfolk who’d recently been seen arguing with Jane.
When Alex gets hold of Jane’s journal, she begins to understand the truth. But a bearer of ill tidings is arriving early this year—and Alex just might not make it to Christmas. (Summary via Goodreads)
After reading A Christmas Candy Killing, the first book in the Killer Chocolate Mystery series, by Christina Romeril readers may look at chocolate in a totally different way.
In A Christmas Candy Killing identical twin sisters Alex and Hannah are getting ready for the holiday rush in their store Murder and Mayhem. Murder and Mayhem is a bookstore and chocolate shop focusing on mysteries and the chocolates are made to be poison related although there is no poison in them. However after hosting book club at the store Jane confronts Alex asking her to come over the next morning because she thinks there is a murderer living amongst them. Alex doesn't completely believe Jane as she is known to watch true crime stories on TV and has said this before after viewing an episode. But seeing as Jane is a close friend of hers, Alex agrees to meet the following morning.
Unfortunately when Alex gets to Janes house, she does not answer the door. Alex enters the house only to find Jane dead next to the bed and witnesses someone in a dark hoodie leaving the back yard. It isn't long before everyone in this little town of Harriston, Montana knows about Jane's murder, Alex's involvement in finding the body and Jane's insistance that she recognized someone in the town as being on the true crime show.
Shortly after Jane's murder her handyman Zach is arrested for the crime....but it doesn't feel right to Alex. She, along with her sister Hannah and a few neighbors begin their own investigation. And when it is mentioned that Alex is the second on the list of the police's suspects when most of Jane's belongings and house are willed to Alex, the group kicks it into top speed.
But when a second person is found, again by Alex, from an apparent fall down a flight of stairs, Alex has to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew and no one can be placed on the innocent side.
Romeril knows how to put the words on the page to keep readers going. Romeril has a knack of putting the right amount of mystery into the story as well as the hint of romances to keep readers entertained. And her last paragraph is worded so that readers are left wondering where the story will go in the next book in the Killer Chocolate series ensuring that they will definitely be grabbing their copy as soon as it is released.
Review by Missi M.
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