Monday, September 11, 2017

Book Review and Giveaway - A Christmas Peril (A Theater Cop Mystery) by J. A. Hennrikus

Book Synopsis
When Edwina “Sully” Sullivan’s life imploded, she left behind her job on the police force and her unfaithful husband to start a new life as the general manager of her hometown theater, the Cliffside Theater Company. For five years, she focused on budgets instead of crimes and kept the Cliffside running alongside its mercurial artistic director.

But when her best friend is arrested for killing his father, the rich and powerful Peter Whitehall, no one is looking for another suspect. So, in between keeping A Christmas Carol on budget and Scrooge sober, Sully dusts off her investigative skills to find a killer. Her two lives collide when her ex-husband gets on the suspect list and she’s forced to confront her past in order to save her present.

My Review
A Christmas Peril is the first book in a fun new mystery series.  It focuses on Sully Sullivan, a former police officer who now manages a local theater.  As she prepares a production of A Christmas Carol, she gets drawn into the mystery of a wealthy local businessman's murder.   

This was a very enjoyable mystery!  I was interested in reading it because I love theater.  (I worked in theater in my 20's.)  I also love A Christmas Carol.  These aspects of the story were particularly enjoyable to me.

Sully is a great character - strong, brave, and resourceful.  I enjoyed seeing her use her skills as a former police officer to solve a local mystery.   The budding romance in the book was also a fun aspect.

There are a lot of characters introduced during the first few chapters, and I found them a little hard to keep up with initially.  Once I got a few chapters in, though, I found the book hard to put down.

The book is well written, with well developed characters and an intriguing mystery.  It moves quickly and is well paced.

I recommend A Christmas Peril for fans of cozy mysteries.  Anyone who loves theater will especially enjoy this book.


Author Bio
J. A. Hennrikus is the author of the Theater Cop Mystery series. As Julianne Holmes, she writes the Agatha-nominated Clock Shop Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Hennrikus blogs with the Wicked Cozy Authors, is on the board of Sisters in Crime, and is a member of Mystery Writers of America. She is also an arts administrator who lives in Massachusetts. 

Visit her online at www.JHAuthors.com.

Webpage – https://jahennrikus.com/
Wicked Cozy Authors Blog – https://wickedcozyauthors.com/ 

She tweets under @JulieHennrikus, and am on Pinterest and Instagram, and have a page on Facebook. I also blog on Live to Write/Write to Live, and I blog on Killer Characters on the 20th of each month.

Purchase Links
Amazon   B&N

Giveaway
(2) Print Copy - A Christmas Peril (A Theater Cop Mystery) by J. A. Hennrikus - U.S. Only.  (Ends 9/21)

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Great Escapes Book Tour.