Saturday, March 4, 2023

Secret Santa

Title: Secret Santa
Author: Matthew Costello and Neil Richards
Published: October 18, 2016
Format: Kindle, 102 Pages
Genre: Amateur Sleuth
Series: Cherringham #25

First Sentence: Bill Vokes stepped onto the balcony of the village hall and looked out at the festive scene.

Blurb: Bill Vokes has played Santa at the children's Christmas show for years. But with the show just hours away, he vanishes with no explanation. The whole village is baffled. Did something bad happen to loveable Bill: upstanding citizen, churchgoer, life and soul of the party and the holiday season?

Jack and Sarah are on the case - and soon discover there are secrets about this Santa that no one could have imagined. (GoodReads)

My Opinion: Well, that was disappointing. When ‘A Death in the Family’ #24 in the series ended with Jack rushing to a hospital in the states to get to his injured daughter, I was sure ‘Secret Santa’ would begin there or at least mention the situation. Other than a fleeting comment about winter and Christmas, there was no more mention of her.

Unfortunately, this is one of the Cherringham’s where a week later you will have forgotten the plot. All I can remember is the usual friendship between Jack, Sarah, and Grace, Sarah’s assistant, who finally gets involved in an investigation and reveals Bill’s past and why he disappeared. I did enjoy Grace and hope she makes more of an appearance in future novellas.

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