Review: Felony Fruitcake by Linda P. Kozar

Genre:
Cozy Mystery

Format:
Audio

Publisher:
Audible

Release Date:
October 2014








Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Sue Jan and the gals at the Crown of Glory Beauty Salon and Boutique set out the egg nog and fruitcake at their annual Christmas Soiree, they have no idea the town’s senior citizen playboy, Bubba Bustalet will be hit on the noggin with the fruitcake before the night is over. Sue Jan goes solo solving the mystery and is soon at her wit’s end between Wachita’s know-it-all new sheriff, Bubba’s senior-rita fan club, and all the tempting holiday food threatening to ruin her diet. Will Sue Jan find the felonious fruitcake felon before the church choir sings the last fa-la-la?

My Review

This is the fifth book in the “When The Fat Ladies Sing” series and another fun book for me to listen to in the car. Felony Fruitcake is a novella to fill in before the next full length book is released, so it was an extremely fast listen for me.

I admit that I did miss Lovita in this book. She is on vacation with her husband. Sue Jan is on her own with this mystery. She did an excellent job of sleuthing by herself, but I did miss the camaraderie between the two women. That’s what makes this series shine in my eyes. However, this is a delightful filler between books.

Sue Jan is surrounded by a cast of quirky characters at her beauty salon. For a short story, there is a wide range of personalities from sweet to sleezy to mean to sympathetic to downright funny. This story has them all gathered for a holiday party and what a party it is! The mystery isn’t complex and I was a bit surprised at whodunit, although not overly surprised. It’s the perfect holiday read – a short story for one of the busiest times of the year with humor spread throughout the book. It makes you smile and we all need that especially during the holidays.

The narrator, Michelle Babb has truly nailed down these characters and does a wonderful job at bringing these characters to life. There is also an adorable killer fruitcake song and recipes at the end.

I’m very much looking forward to the next book. I can’t wait to see what Sue Jan and Lovita are up to next.

FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.