Tuesday, December 22, 2020

James Patterson's The Christmas Mystery Book Review and Book List

James Patterson The Christmas Mystery Book Review

Christmas 2020 was not going to be the best Christmas ever and so I went looking for a Christmas-themed book that wasn't romantic in nature or particularly Hallmark in style though don't get me wrong, I enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies. A little bit of romance would have been okay but that should not be central to the story.

I wound up searching for some of my favorite writers, looking to see if they had written any Christmas stories but striving to avoid jumping into the middle of an established series. I found a few when I searched for James Patterson. Five to be exact and here is the list:

THE CHRISTMAS WEDDING


First, there was The Christmas Wedding by Patterson and Richard DiLallo. It was suitably Christmas-y but seemed at first glance to be way too romantic to meet my needs at the moment. I would, however, like to read it some day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALEX CROSS


Second up was Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, which sounds good. However, it is number 19 in a series of 28 books featuring Detective Alex Cross. I have read some of that series and am reminded to go back and read more but picking up number 19 because it was Christmas in theme would have been, at least in my mind, wrong.

THE 19TH CHRISTMAS


Third was the 19th Christmas by Patterson and Maxine Paetro. It is book 19 of a 21 book series featuring the Women's Murder Club. I'd love to read the series sometime so starting with book 19, even if it is a Christmas story, would have been as I said a moment ago, wrong.

THE CANDIES SAVE CHRISTMAS


Fourth and really an outlier was The Candies Save Christmas. It was definitely not what I was looking for though the idea of the book actually made me smile. It sounds like an sweet book though one aimed at a slightly different age group than I represent. "No sugar, no fat. C’mon, take a look! The best Candies ever . . . Candies in a book!" In a children's board book that premise seems somewhat adult but in any case it was not what I was looking for.

THE CHRISTMAS MYSTERY


Finally, I stumbled on The Christmas Mystery: A Detective Luc Moncrief Mystery by Patterson and Richard DiLallo. It turned out to be a part of a series, too, but this time it is the middle of a three story series of short novels or 'bookshots' as Patterson calls them.

Since I was having a bit of a time finding a Christmas-themed book that appealed to me, I decided that a bookshot, which is intended to be devoured in a few hours and supposed to be un-put-downable, was what I was going to read. So I did.

Within the pages of The Christmas Mystery, I was introduced to Detective Luc Moncrief. Moncrief is from France but is solving crime in New York City, which is a bonus for me. I visited New York City last year and loved it. Revisiting the city through a book, a puzzle or a movie is a fun outing of sorts in this time of staying home and staying safe. 

In the first section of this book, Detective Moncrief and his partner hunt for art thieves who have stolen priceless pieces of art on Park Avenue. The second section takes them to France providing yet another chance for the reader to partake in some armchair travel. The cases in this 160-page book are simpler than you would find in a full-fledged crime novel and were solved fairly easily. 

James Patterson Christmas Mystery Book Review List

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?


The Christmas Mystery was far, far from James Patterson's best work and the reviews on Amazon are lukewarm. It was a simple, easy read with a hint of Christmas, lots of shopping and some humor.  It was not as exciting or as well developed as a full novel but I think that should be expected of a shorter book. The book suited my needs at the moment and I would recommend it for someone looking for exactly that - a simple story that they could breeze through fairly quickly. 

Find your copy of all three of the Detective Luc Moncrief bookshots on Amazon by clicking right here. You will find all three from the series available individually or as a set and yes, they are available in your favorite format be that paperback, Kindle or audiobook.

Alternatively, you can see all of the James Patterson Christmas-themed books by clicking here to Amazon.

What Christmas books are you cozying up with this year?

See you at 
the book store!
Brenda
Treasures By Brenda

P.S. The next book I picked up was Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan. It was totally a love story though I did not see that coming. I was hooked by the promise of yet another book set in New York City and missed that the pages were going to be filled with romance. It was good with a lot of humor and lots of tension, including sexual suspense and eventually actual sex between the two main characters. Learn more about Miracle on 5th Avenue on Amazon by clicking here.

More James Patterson Reading:

James Patterson's The Golf Trilogy Reviewed.







Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


8 comments:

  1. As a fellow reading fanatic, I enjoyed your journey of searching for a suitable Christmas read. James Patterson has written so many books in actually quite a range of genres, that I'm not surprised you found a Christmas themed book. Interesting you picked Patterson, as I am currently reading a book by him. Thanks for the mention of my review of his "Golf Trilogy' - a short 3-volume series of books by Patterson that I enjoyed very much.

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    Replies
    1. Ah, another James Patterson fan though we know there are lots of us out there!

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  2. Christmas is the perfect time of the year for Bookshots! Many of us don't have the time to really immerse ourselves in lengthy novels even if they are our normal preference. I think a break for a few hours with an entertaining story is a wonderful idea. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering. Thank you for the recommendation! I bet my Dad would enjoy reading it while Mom & I cook on Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas Brenda!

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  3. I too am a James Patterson fan, and have found his Book Shots too be a nice diversion between other books. I will read his books for a while and then get tired of the formula and go to something else...but he always has me coming back. Thanks for the reviews of Christmas stories...I enjoyed your journey.

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  4. Glad the effort you invested into finding exactly the type of Christmas-themed book you wanted paid off. Sounds like a great short novel trilogy (I love Patterson's name for these). Wishing you and yours a good Christmas and a much better year in 2021!

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  5. Patterson is an author that I frequently read. His novels are usually the kind of reading I like to do. I never thought he'd written a "Christmas" story before. I will have to look for this one too as the holidays are times when I really like being able to read a book from start to finish in short order. So thank you for this review Brenda. Right up my alley for now.

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  6. I have a friend who is a huge James Patterson fan - I wonder if she has this one? I'd love to send it to her. Knowing her she's read it - but maybe not. Thanks for the intro to this one, I'll keep it in mind for her.

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  7. Thank you for these book recommendations. I have not read any of James Patterson's books but sounds like I should. I do agree that revisiting a city through a book is a good way to experience it in these times when we cannot travel. The Christmas Mystery sounds a good detective novel. Thank you for a great review!

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