FLEECE NAVIDAD (Maggie Sefton)

I still haven't read the first book in this series, but I have enjoyed the ones that I have read. This cozy is set in Colorado and our sleuth is Kelly Flynn, a CPA who has relocated back to her home state after inheriting her murdered aunt's property. The action centers around the Lambspun knitting shop, where the local women gather to spin, knit, gossip, and discuss the local men. Various knitting projects (charitable creations, Christmas gifts) evolve as the story progresses, and most of the characters are somehow involved in knitting either as students, experts, or recipients of scarves and other projects. This particular mystery revolves around the murder of quiet librarian who is a romantic rival for the affections of an equally quiet gentleman who has been targeted for marriage by newcomer Claudia, dubbed the "merry widow" by the locals due to her 3 deceased husbands and positive attitude toward landing a fourth spouse. I loved this mystery as much because of the ongoing references to yarn and fibers (I am a dedicated yarn lover) as for the mystery. The characters are likeable and easy-going. I'd like to join them at Lambspun!

FOREIGN BODY (Robin Cook)

I have to admit that i didn't finish this book, but, nonetheless, I decided to write about it. Please don't assume that this novel is not worth reading. For me it was a matter of mood and the delightful situation of having several holiday-themed books waiting patiently for me on my desk.

Foreign Body is typical Robin Cook. Jennifer Hernandez is a medical student whose grandmother mysteriously dies after routine surgery in India. Jennifer travels to New Delhi to claim her grandmother's body and to investigate the incident and in the process, of course, she inadvertently stumbles upon a plot to destroy India's burgeoning medical tourism industry. Longtime Cook characters, medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton, are thrown into the mix and show up in India to help Jennifer cope with additional post-surgical deaths and threats to her life. Not having read the last third of the book I can't speak to most of the action, but I can tell you that the ending, at least in terms of the characters personal lives, is reasonably satisfying.

If it weren't Christmas I probably would have finished this book and enjoyed it more. I would recommend it as a reasonably entertaining winter read. Maybe I will even finish it soon!

'TIS THE SEASON (Lorna Landvik)

This is an entertaining little feel-good book written exclusively in the form of emails and tabloid articles. Caro Dixon is an heiress who is usually drunk and relentlessly hounded by paparazzi and tabloid reporters. Her antics finally land her in rehab, where she reconnects with some of the significant people in her past. Landvik cleverly manages to make the reader feel connected to her characters despite the fact that their development takes place exclusively through electronic communications. Caro, Cyril, Astrid, and even Mitch leave the reader with a positive view of humanity and an acute awareness of the power of human connections (even online) to heal and soothe the spirit. I loved it!

CRIMSON SNOW (Jeanne Dams)

Some of you may know Jeanne Dams as the author of the Harriet Martin series, but Hilda Johansson, the heroine of this series, is just as appealing. Hilda is a 23-year-old Swedish immigrant living in Indiana in 1904. She works as the head housemaid at the Studebaker mansion and solves mysteries on the side (of course!). She has a handsome fireman boyfriend, Patrick Callahan, and a large family that is struggling to make ends meet. One of the best things about this historical series is attention to the details of how women and relationships were treated in the Edwardian era. Hilda is a Lutheran and Patrick is an Irish Catholic, so both families are horrified at the prospect of marriage between them. Despite her intelligence and courage, Hilda is very limited in her activities by virtue of her social station and her gender. Still, she is a respected amateur sleuth. I especially enjoyed the interaction between her and Patrick's benefactors, his uncle and aunt Malloy.

Crimson Snow involves the mysterious murder of a popular young schoolteacher, whose violent end worries the young working women of the area who need to travel on foot to and from work in the dark winter mornings and evenings. When Mr. Barrett, a friend of Hilda's employer, is suspected of the crime, he hires Hilda to investigate and clear his name. A couple of sub-plots intertwined with the main mystery will add to the reader's enjoyment of this novel. I will definitely be reading more of this historical cozy series!

FAMILY TREE (Carole Cadwalladr)

This is an interesting tragi-comedy that covers a myriad of family and social issues, including genetics, mother-daughter relationships, mental illness, interracial romance, infidelity, sibling rivalry, and abortion. The unique set-up of Cadwalladr's novel is based on main character Rebecca Monroe's lifelong interest in dictionaries and each of the first 17 chapters begins with a definition and is further subdivided into additonal parts that also feature definitions: Parts One (beginning), Two (chance), Three (trifle), Four (revise), Five (memory), Six (crack), Seven (like), etc. through Seventeen (memory). Only the final chapter, Eighteen (end) is divided into sections headed by Roman numerals. This novel is at times both hilarious and heartbreaking. Rebecca seems like the classic child/sibling who can never measure up, but she is endearing. It will be interesting to hear what the other members of the First Tuesday Book Club think of this one!