It’s the most picturesque time of theyear in Santa Fe, and Chef Rita Lafitte of Tres Amigas Café hopes the twinkling lights and tasty holiday treats will charm her visiting mom. Rita is also planning fun activities, such as watching her teenage daughter, Celia, perform in an outdoor Christmas play. What she doesn’t plan for is murder.
Rita discovers a dead actor during the premier performance but vows to keep clear of the case. Sleuthing would upset her mom. Besides, there’s already a prime suspect, caught red-handed in his bloodied Santa suit. However, when the accused Santa’s wife begs for assistance and points out that Celia and other performers could be in danger, Rita can’t say no. With the help of her elderly boss, Flori, and her coterie of rogue knitters, Rita strives to salvage her mother’s vacation, unmask a murderer, and stop this festive season from turning even more fatal.
Feliz Navidead is the third novel in Ann Myers' Santa Fe Cafe Mystery series. It was published in October 2016 by William Morrow/Harper Collins).
Every December, the book club at our library does a cozy mystery to ease into the holidays. This was my pick for the group this year. The book has a title with a nice play on words and a fun cover.
Even jumping into the series late, a reader can pick up what is going on. The first couple chapters establish the setting and the reoccuring cast of characters with only passing reference to events from the first two books. That is helpful.
The story was...interesting. A bit chaotic in spots and some very odd transitions as well as awful coincidental meetings of characters at times. The ending was a bit bonkers too. Not sure how the group is going to take this one.
I did find the recipes at the end to be a nice touch. Cozy mysteries seem to like to include recipes. I also did learn quite a bit about the las posados tradition. So, something good did come out of it.
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