Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Holidays & Homicides: A Short Story Collection by various authors. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Holidays & Homicides: A Short Story Collection
Holidays & Homicides: A Short Story Collection
Holiday Cozy Mysteries
Publisher : Gemma Halliday Publishing
Publication date : December 2, 2025
From twelve USA Today bestselling and award winning authors, comes a short story collection stuffed full of mirthful mysteries, clever criminals, and holiday cheer! These short holiday bites are perfect for enjoying between rounds of wrapping or binge-reading over a cup of cocoa!
Stories include:
A Hometown Christmas Caper (Hometown Mysteries)
by Rosalie Spielman
Gossip, Guilt & Gingerbread (Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries)
by Lena Gregory
Larceny & Twinkle Lights (Jamie Winters Mysteries)
by Kelly Rey
Holidays & Heists (Aloha Lagoon Mysteries)
by Anne Marie Stoddard
Ornaments, Surprise & Dead Guys (Gianna Mancini Mysteries)
by Jennifer Fischetto
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Mischief (Northwoods Mysteries)
by Annie McEwen
You Can’t see the Forest for the Christmas Trees (Modern Midwife Mysteries)
by Christine Knapp
Jingle Bell Rocker (Sunny Side Up Mysteries)
by Misty Simon
Holly, Handcuffs, and Hearsay (Camelot Flowers Mysteries)
by Erica Wynters
Search for the Silent Santa (Ghost Town Mysteries)
by Jamie L. Adams
Nothing But Truffle (Cookies & Chance Mysteries)
by Catherine Bruns
A Heartland Homicide (Bourbon B&B Mysteries)
by Gin Jones
My review of Holidays and Homicides
Holidays and Homicides is a fun collection of twelve short stories by twelve different cozy mystery authors. I really enjoyed getting to know some new to me series by reading these short stories. There were some that I started but didn’t finish because they just weren’t my taste. Some others, I knew I’d love because I already knew the characters. Then there were the ones that really made me want to dive further into their series because the characters and writing style drew me in in just that short amount of time. You can read each story very quickly.
The first story I read was Lena Gregory’s “Gossip, Guilt & Gingerbread” from her Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries. This series is one of my favorites, and I just adore the characters. This story is Christmas-y and involves the tree lighting ceremony in the small Long Island town, Watchogue. As with each of the stories in this anthology, the mystery wraps up quickly, but it was still interesting and fun.
One thing I loved about reading these stories was the fact that I found new authors to follow and new cozy mystery series to add to my mile high to be read list! I loved certain stories enough to make time to fit the books from these new to me series into my packed reading schedule! I won’t be commenting on the other stories in this anthology because I’m not going to single out the ones I loved and the ones I didn’t finish. Like I said, I did read almost all of the stories though there were three I just couldn’t get into. There are a couple that I enjoyed, but I’m not sure that I’d pick up the other books in the series. And then there were some that I loved so much!
I definitely recommend that you give Holidays and Homicides a read! I’m sure you’ll have the same type of experience I did while reading. You’ll love some, like some, and not care for some. We all have different cozy mystery tastes! I will tell you that the characters totally shined in the stories that I really enjoyed! Give this entertaining collection a try!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About the Authors
Catherine Bruns is the USA Today bestselling author of the Cookies & Chance mysteries. She lives in New York with her very patient husband, three sons, and several spoiled pets. Catherine has a B.A. in English and is a former newspaper reporter and press release writer. She also writes the Italian Chef mysteries, Cindy York real estate and Carrie Jorgenson (Aloha Lagoon) culinary series. Her book, For Sale by Killer, won the 2019 Daphne du Maurier award for Mainstream Mystery/Suspense.
Get a free ebook when you sign up for Catherine’s newsletter at https://www.catherinebruns.net/contact
Please feel free to connect with her on social media as well:
facebook.com/Catherine-Bruns-Books-218522341685434
twitter.com/@writesmystery
Website: https://www.ginjones.com/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ginjones.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ginjonesmysteries/
Jamie L. Adams fell in love with books at an early age. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott opened her imagination and sparked a dream to be a writer. She wrote her first book as a school project in 6th grade.
A graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature as well as member of American Christian Fiction Writers, The Writing Desk and several critique groups, she spends most of her time writing, reading or learning more about the craft near to her heart.
The parents of three very active children, she and her husband live in the Ozarks surrounded by forest and wildlife.
Erica Wynters started as most authors do – as an avid reader. Cozy mysteries and romantic suspense offered her just the escape she was looking for! The combination of great love and great danger keeps her turning pages late into the night.
Now they keep her writing pages late into the night. Her goal is always two-fold: help you fall in love with love all over again and take you on an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Falling in love has never been so fun…or so dangerous!
Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time.
Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania, where she is hard at work on her next novel or three.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/misty.simon.18
Instagram: @mistysimonwrites
Tiktok: @mistysimonwrites
Website: http://www.mistysimon.com
Christine Knapp practiced as a nurse-midwife for many years. A writer of texts and journal articles, she is now thrilled to combine her love of midwifery and mysteries as a fiction author. Christine currently narrates books for the visually impaired. A dog lover, she lives near Boston. Visit thoughtfulmidwife.com
Website https://www.thoughtfulmidwife.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/christine.w.knapp
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maevecw/
Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/maevecwk.bsky.social
Annie McEwen is the author of the Northwoods Mysteries Series, set amongst the tall pines and sparkling lakes of northern Wisconsin where she spent vacations as a kid. Because of a sweet love story between her youngest sister and a local Wisconsin boy (storyline idea!), she’s still been able to keep on visiting the beautiful place that means so much to her.
Annie and her husband are empty nesters—their son is married to his high school sweetheart, and their daughter is married with two adorable toddler boys. Being grandparents is definitely the best gig ever! They also have four fur babies who just might make some special appearances in Annie’s books.
When Annie isn’t writing, playing with her grandsons, or tackling trash-to-treasure projects, she works as a radiological technologist, aka, she takes pictures of bones…you can’t hide much from her! Writing, though, is her first love.
Jennifer Fischetto is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the Gianna Mancini paranormal cozy mystery series, as well as a dozen other titles. She writes family-centric murder mysteries and things that go bump in the night.
A lover of rainstorms and snow, she prefers fiction over reality and longs to live in a world where French fries grow on trees, chocolate appears whenever desired, and every day is October. She watches too much television and movies, which fuel her never-ending supply of plot ideas, and is a rabid fan of suspense, horror, and everything supernatural.
You can learn about her next book by subscribing to her newsletter at https://jenniferfischetto.com/newsletter/
Visit Jennifer at:
Website: http://jenniferfischetto.com/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jenniferfischetto.com
Anne Marie Stoddard is a USA TODAY bestselling author and former Amazon Mover & Shaker. She writes supernatural suspense and humorous cozy mysteries with an edge. Her Amelia Grace Mystery series, inspired by her years working in radio, and concert venues and music festivals across the U.S., has won several awards, including the 2012 AJC Decatur Book Festival Writing Contest, the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Award for Best Debut Fiction Novel, and nominations for the 2014 & 2016 RONE Awards Best Mystery/Thriller Category.
Aside from writing, Anne Marie loves her husband and their dog, college football, hula hoops, music, coffee, and anything pumpkin-flavored.
For more details about Anne Marie’s upcoming projects, giveaways, and more, visit her online and subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.amstoddardbooks.com/.
Connect with Anne Marie on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmStoddardBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMStoddardBooks
Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple
Kobo
Smashwords
Enter the giveaway
Holidays and Homicide TOUR PARTICIPANTS
December 2 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
December 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 3 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
December 3 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 4 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
December 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 5 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 5 – Hall Ways Blog – SPOTLIGHT
December 6 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
December 6 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
December 7 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT
December 8 – Bea’s Book Nook – REVIEW – INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
December 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 9 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
December 10 – Caboodle of Cozies – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
December 11 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
December 12 – Salty Inspirations – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
December 13 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT
December 14 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
December 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW
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View Comments (4)
Thanks for reviewing the anthology!
You're welcome! Thanks for stopping today!
Thank you so much for such a wonderful review! I'm so happy you enjoyed Holidays & Homicides, and Gossip, Guilt & Gingerbread! And thank you for sharing our release!
You're welcome! Thanks for stopping!