The Christmas Fair Killer

by Amy Patricia Meade

Overview

Christmas, cookies and a corpse: Tish Tarragon is drawn into a deadly puzzle when a young actress is murdered at the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair. Literary caterer Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon has pulled out all the stops for her booth at the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair, theming her appetising offerings around the festive performances by the Williamsburg Theatre Group. But when Tish meets the cast, she is surprised by the hostility between members of the allegedly close-knit troupe, centred around their star actress, the beautiful, talented yet mysterious ing nue, Jenny Inkpen. Determined to spread some Christmas cheer, Tish volunteers to deliver breakfast to the eight actors, but is horrified to discover Jenny dead in her trailer the next morning. As Tish attempts to find out more about the group's leading lady, she soon uncovers lies, jealousy and a series of shocking secrets. Can Tish expose a cold-blooded killer before the fair is over?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448304295
Publisher:	Severn House
Publication date:	06/01/2020
Series:	A Tish Tarragon Mystery , #3
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	869,612
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Amy Patricia Meade is a native of Long Island, NY. Now residing in Bristol, England, Amy spends her time writing mysteries with a humorous or historical bent, and is a member of Sisters in Crime and The Crime Writers Association.

Editorial Reviews

06/15/2020

In Meade’s comfy third mystery featuring Tish Tarragon, owner of Cookin’ the Books Café and Catering in Hobson Glen, Va. (after 2019’s The Garden Club Murder), it’s December, and time for the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair, which includes performances of A Christmas Carol. Tish has set up her stand right by the stage. As her friend Julian “Jules” Jefferson Davis observes, “We’re so close to the action you can almost make out the edges of Scrooge’s prosthetic nose.” The stand’s proximity makes it a favorite for the actors, many of whom are bristling over the rise of their beautiful new star, 22-year-old Jenny Inkpen. The action starts slowly, as the dialogue doesn’t always establish character or relationships, but it picks up once Tish and another friend discover Jenny’s bloody corpse while delivering breakfast sandwiches to the actors’ trailers. Two potential sweethearts for Tish lend some romantic tension. While not as zippy as its predecessor, this entry offers plenty to please cozy fans, including punning food names like Danielle Steel Cut Oats. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Suggest this series to fans of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen novels"

Booklist on The Garden Club Murder

"From the pun-filled title to the literature-inspired food, cozy-mystery fans will love Meade's newest novel . Readers of Rita Mae Brown should be excited by this new series"

Booklist on Cookin’ the Books

Appealing … Cozy fans will have fun Publishers Weekly on The Garden Club Murder

From the Publisher

"From the pun-filled title to the literature-inspired food, cozy-mystery fans will love Meade's newest novel . Readers of Rita Mae Brown should be excited by this new series"

Booklist on Cookin’ the Books

2020-05-18
The spirit of Christmas present is marred by murder.

Letitia “Tish” Tarragon, chef and owner of Cookin’ the Books Café in Hobson Glen, Virginia, has been tapped to run a food stand at the local holiday fair. With plenty of help from her usual loyal work crew and weatherman Jules Davis, her old college pal, she’s turning out delectable food and drink. The stars of the fair are the members of the Williamsburg Theater Group, who are performing Twelfth Night and A Christmas Carol on a tight schedule. Tish offers to deliver food to the players, who are all living in trailers nearby, and her sympathetic ear soon has them baring their souls and complaining about Jenny Inkpen, the attractive young addition to the company. Justin Dange added Jenny to the group after he saw her busking in Savannah, but she dumped him for another group member who could promote her career even more effectively. When Tish discovers Jenny shot dead in her trailer, she uses the skills she honed in The Garden Club Murder (2019) to help Sheriff Reade, who’s more than a little in love with her. The confounding discovery that Jenny Inkpen doesn’t exist forces the sheriff to scramble to discover the victim’s real identity while Tish continues to hear more of the secrets that make all the thespians suspects.

A foodie’s delight with lashings of Southern charm, theater lore, and a puzzling mystery.

Kirkus Reviews