I was not aware when I got this book, that it was a collection of short stories so I am only reviewing the Joanne Fluke Candy Cane Murder, though I will say the other stories were entertaining. This Hannah Swensen mystery went a long the guidelines of the other HS mysteries. She finds the body and then gets involved investigating with her sisters and boyfriends. Her instincts lead her to the murderer but her realization of guilty party usually comes a bit late. What always amuses me is that Hannah ca never remember her cell phone! ( )

This would be a great book for a Christmas present for those who love cozy mysteries. It's a collection of three short novellas by three well-known cozy writers and the stories are all about Christmas. I read this mostly because I absolutely love Joanne Fluke and her Hannah Swenson mysteries, and this story called Candy Cane Murder is a good one. We have all our favourites here - Hannah and her sisters, Norman and Mike and of course, Hannah's mother. Like all her stories this one is a page-turner. The story is all about when a local guy dressed as Santa is found dead outside the inn with candy canes everywhere. Of course, Hannah needs to find the killer. The second story is called The Dangers of Candy Canes and is written by Laura Levine. I have not read Laura Levine before, and I don't think I'll make the attempt after reading this book. I found it silly and Jaine Austin (her heroine) is too ditzy for my liking. I did enjoy Ms. Leslie Meier's Candy Canes of Christmas Past though, and I think I will read more about her heroine Lucy Stone. In this book, set at Christmas in 1983, Lucy is trying to solve a decades old murder for a friend of hers in her new home of Tinker's Cove, Maine. I really liked this, and I will definitely add Ms. Meier's name to my to-be read-list. ( )

This book contains three short mystery novels by different authors -- a Hannah Swensen mystery by Joanne Fluke, a Jaine Austen mystery by Laura Levine, and a Lucy Stone mystery by Leslie Meier. I had read one or two other Hannah Swensen mysteries before, but this was my first introduction to Laura Levine and Leslie Meier. As the title of the collection suggests, candy canes play a role in all three mysteries.

The other books I've read in the Hannah Swensen series aren't particularly memorable. I enjoyed them, but not enough to make an effort to seek out more books in the series. I'm really surprised that Hannah's friends and relations all seem to think so highly of her. As soon as she found out about the murder, not only did Hannah jump into full investigative mode, but she also enlisted the help of both of her sisters, her mother, and one or two friends. I would have thought that her policeman brother-in-law would be offended by Hannah's assumption that she and her relations would do a better job at investigating a crime than professionals would do, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'd give this mystery 3 stars.

I didn't care for the Jaine Austen mystery at all. I didn't like Jaine's character, and I doubt I'll pick up another book in this series. I'd give this one 2 stars.

I loved the Lucy Stone selection in this book. As her children gather at her Maine home for Christmas, Lucy reminisces about her young family's first Christmas in their home. Lucy's husband, Bill, had given up a prosperous New York career to renovate a run-down house in small town Maine. As Lucy adjusted to small town life and dealt with the homesickness that comes with being away from loved ones during the holidays, she made new friends among the town's residents. One of her new friends, town librarian Miss Tilley, shared some sad memories of the long-ago Christmas Eve when her mother died. Even though the death was ruled accidental, Miss Tilley had always had doubts about it. Lucy became interested in the story and helped her new friend figure out what really led to her mother's death. I liked Lucy's character and I enjoyed the small town setting. I will definitely look for more mysteries in this series. I'd give this one 4 stars. ( )

This is a collection of three short stories from some of today's most popular "cozy" mystery writers. Headlining "Candy Cane Murder" is Joanne Fluke, known for her Hannah Swenson murder mystery series. Hannah is the owner of a bakery called "The Cookie Jar" and here in the story "Candy Cane Murder" Hannah finds yet another dead body...this time he is a local businessman who is dressed up in a Santa costume. The trail of candy canes leads Hannah to his body. Hannah's story is exactly what Fluke fans should expect by now. Hannah and her friends and neighbors are fun to visit with again, but the murders are too easily resolved to be more than passing entertainment. Honestly, I am starting to get a little annoyed with the Hannah novels. The mysteries aren't very imaginitve anymore and I'm tired of the back and forth between whether Hannah is interested in stable Norman or super hunk Mike. Her sleuthing methods are beyond unbelievable and I'm quite good at suspending disbelief. People just spill their guts out to Hannah, and this just doesn't seem realistic. Not to mention doctors, lawyers, mortician's, etc apparently have never heard of privacy acts...I'd give "Candy Cane Murder" a 2 star review.

I was delightfully suprised by Laura Levine's short story "The Danger of Candy Canes". I have never read this author before and I found her heroine Jaine Austin refreshingly spunky, snarky, and sarcastic. She was a hoot. I enjoyed her 'conversations' with her cat, and her diet that was anything but. This is certainly the most 'fleshed' out mystery of the bunch and had the best resolution of the three. Jaine seems to live on the same planet with Hannah in the fact that people just seem to welcome Jaine into their homes and then spill out their guts to her. However this character and the comical situations Jaine finds herself in are original and witty and I can't wait to read more by her. In fact, I've added her first Jaine Austin mystery to my wish list already. This was a strong 4 star story. Yeah!

I was looking forward to reading Leslie Meier's entry "Candy Canes of Christmas Past" the most because I haven't read anything she has written previously, but I see her mysteries everywhere. I have been intrigued, but never bought one. This story is a prequel to the "Lucy Stone" mysteries. It takes place in 1983 as their very young family is just starting out in Tinker's Cove, Maine. This is the most heartwarming tale of the three and I feel that the characterizations in this story are its strongest asset. The story is mostly about the young family's house being a disaster, and they are down to their last few dollars in a new town. They have just started meeting people and feel a little out of place. Both Lucy and her husband are just overwhelmed by the new situations they have found themselves in. This story best represents what Christmas is all about as the new neighbors rally together to try to brighten the Stone's holiday. The mysery is almost an afterthought and it truly doesn't ring relevant. Its a fifty year old 'maybe' murder and the way the killer is revealed is super flimsy. Their is no reveal or big peak to the story arc. If all her "Lucy Stone" mysteries are like this, I don't think they will hold much appeal for me. However, I do like the characters and they are certainly not one dimensional as Hannah Swenson and crew have turned out to be. Maybe I need to pick up one or two of them and take a chance. I'd give this 3 stars, it would have been at least 4, if not for the horribly mystery reveal. ( )

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