Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery) by Sharon Farrow. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A cold wind is blowing off Lake Michigan, and murder is scaring the dickens out of everyone . . .
Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery)
by Sharon Farrow
I received this book free to review; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Hollyberry Homicide (A Berry Basket Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (September 29, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Considering her name, Marlee Jacob is an obvious choice for the role of Jacob Marley in Oriole Point’s production of A Christmas Carol. It’s just sad that the role has opened up because of the death of the elderly actor who’d originally been cast.
But Marlee, the proprietor of The Berry Basket, will do her best to keep spirits high—that is, until clues start mounting that there’s danger behind the scenes. There are accidents on set, the tree in the village square topples over, and worst of all, a body is found with a sprig of holly draped over it. If Marlee can’t wrap up the case, she may not have a berry merry Christmas . . .
Includes Berry Recipes!
My review of Hollyberry Homicide
What’s your favorite version of A Christmas Carol? I have to go with The Muppet Christmas Carol as my favorite. I’ve got it on VHS; and, believe you me, I watch that tape every Christmas season. Who doesn’t love Michael Caine? He’s the perfect Scrooge, and the two old hecklers from The Muppet Show are the perfect Marley(s). You’re doomed, Scrooge, doomed for all time….
However, in Hollyberry Homicide, it’s Jacob Marley who’s doomed! Mr. Hostetter was dead to begin with. And, no! Despite the fact that he was a curmudgeonly old man, he did not play the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in Oriole Point’s yearly production. Rather, he insisted upon playing Marley. Since he was the biggest patron of the theater, he got his way. In fact, he got his way about everything. He spent his life being an awful old man, so solving his murder isn’t easy since there are so many suspects!
Hollyberry Homicide is the first book I’ve read in the Berry Basket Mystery series, but it’s the fifth book in the series. For this reason, it took me a few chapters to get a feel for who’s who and what’s what. Once I did, I found the story very enjoyable. I love Christmas almost as much as Marlee Jacob, so if I owned her store, it would be as overflowing with holiday decor as hers is. I doubt I’ll ever be able to buy another Christmas decoration as my house is decorated to the hilt.
And, as much as I hate to admit it, I loved the setting. Yes, I’m from Ohio, so Michiganers know how hard it is for an Ohioan to admit loving anything about Michigan (even when it’s fictional!). They get lots of lake effect snow in Oriole Point, so a white Christmas makes the setting even more lovely. I’m a little south of Ohio’s snow belt, but I know how that lake effect snow is! Any plans we make to go to Cleveland are always done very hesitantly during the winter. I love how they’ve got a Christmas festival with booths and fun activities. That part reminds me a little of Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls fans got me).
Hollyberry Homicide has many fun characters with mostly forgivable foibles and quirks. The holidays can bring out the beast in Type A personalities, and that’s quite evident among some of these characters!
All in all Hollyberry Homicide is an enjoyable Christmas cozy, so if you like your cozies to line up with the holidays, I suggest picking this one up and reading it around Christmas! It’ll put you in the holiday spirit!
About Sharon Farrow
Sharon Farrow is the latest pen name of award-winning author Sharon Pisacreta. A freelance writer since her twenties, she has been published in mystery, fantasy, and romance. Sharon currently writes The Berry Basket cozy mystery series for Kensington. The series debuted in 2016 and is set along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline where she now lives. She is also one half of the writing team D.E. Ireland, who co-author the Agatha nominated Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins mysteries.
Author Links
WEB PAGE http://sharonfarrowauthor.com/
FACEBOOK @SharonFarrowAuthor
TWITTER @SharonFarrowBB
BOOKBUB @SharonFarrow
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Google Play – IndieBound
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Tour Participants
September 28
I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
September 29
Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
September 30
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
October 1
MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT
My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
October 2
Books to the Ceiling – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
October 3
The Avid Reader – REVIEW
Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 4
Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Literary Gold – GUEST POST
October 5
Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 6
eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 7
Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
October 8
Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
The Book Decoder – REVIEW
October 9
Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
October 10
Lisa Ks Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
October 11
Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT
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Excellent series and always good recipes too. Very excited to read the latest. I’m sure it will be wonderful.
Happy to hear you enjoy the series! I hope you find my latest just as much fun. And it should put you in an early holiday mood. Merry Christmas!
This sounds like a great holiday cozy that I would enjoy reading.
It should be especially fun if you also like A Christmas Carol.
I have loved this author and series from the start. And who can resist holiday books and a cute cover like that? Plus now I’ve found a new blog to follow!
Thank you so much! And this is one of my favorite covers, too.
This looks like a fun mystery read for the Christmas season.
This book sounds amazing, keeping my fingers crossed.
@tisonlyme143