lktx 's review for:

Sugar Plum Poisoned by Jenn McKinlay

4.0

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Sugar Plum Poisoned  by Jenn McKinley is a cozy holiday mystery. Mel is the main POV character, who works for her friend Angie, who agrees to provide cupcakes for the VIP lounge of a singer–an old friend–who’s manager winds up dead. The death doesn’t happen until around 35% of the way in, so readers get some time to meet Mel, Angie, Shelby and other characters that feature prominently in the story..

That was a good thing. Though it's the 15th book in the series, this is the first one that I’ve read. I didn’t feel like that was a problem at all. The author did a good job of incorporating the past so that it felt natural.

I listened to the audiobook. Narrator, Susan Boyce, did a good job of creating a cozy atmosphere and leaning strongly into Mel’s voice.

Overall, it's a solid cozy mystery with holiday vibes that are not too over the top. I did guess the murdered fairly early on, but it was still a lovely read that has me looking forward to holiday cupcakes.

Favorite quote: “That’s the hard thing about having children, I suppose. You can’t stand in the way of their dreams even when those dreams take them away from you.”

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to listen to this book as an ARC to review.