Candy Cane Killer by Kate Bell

A Freshly Baked Cozy Mystery that forgot to finish its own thoughts.

This one sits firmly in the aggressively fine category.

Allie McSwain heads back to Alabama for Christmas with her newish boy Alec, who just so happens to be a detective, and kids. Within minutes, the neighbor is dead on the lawn, sweet tea is flowing, and we are off to the cozy mystery races. The holiday setting is doing its job. The plot technically exists. The pacing moves. On paper, this should work.

But here is the problem. Almost nothing actually gets answered except who did it.

This book is called Candy Cane Killer. The victim is holding a candy cane. That should matter.
It does not. Ever. No explanation. No symbolism. No payoff. Just vibes.
Same issue with the disappearing and reappearing vacuum cleaner, the missing daggers, the constantly mentioned details that feel important and then… evaporate. It genuinely feels like the book forgot half the things it set up.

The investigation itself is very loose. Alec is out of jurisdiction. Allie is a civilian with a strong belief that being Southern grants full access to everyone’s business. Together they break into the dead guy’s house multiple times, interrogate his girlfriends, and somehow nobody ever really questions how illegal all of this is.

Meanwhile, Allie’s personality is a lot. Extremely judgmental, deeply nosy, and fiercely defensive of her mama to a near religious degree. She was easily my biggest struggle.

Yes, there are kidnappings. Yes, the detective saves the day. Yes, the mystery technically resolves. But all the dangling threads just stay dangling, which is a weird choice for a cozy mystery that clearly wanted to be clever.

Final rating

A solid C+
Heavily fine.
Not bad enough to rage quit, not good enough to inhale in one sitting, despite being short.

If you want a Hallmark style Christmas mystery and do not care if the details actually line up, you will probably enjoy it. If unresolved plot points make your eye twitch and you are allergic to judgmental busybody energy, this one may test your holiday spirit. 🎄🔪

xoxo