In the small town of Orchard Grove, Piper Landry is busy. Christmas is coming, her new shop/home is still being renovated, and she is helping organize a charity auction, which includes volunteers dressed as elves who show up all over town. Then a mysterious older man shows up in town looking for his son, and giving residents the creeps as he shows up unexpectedly at town events.
I wanted to read All Wrapped Up in a Mystery because I enjoy cozy mysteries and loved the first book in the Orchard Grove Mystery Series.
This book is set during the holiday season. The author, Penni Justice, does a wonderful job with descriptions and setting the scene:
"Snowflakes drifted lazily through the crisp December air, dusting rooftops and turning Orchard Grove's sidewalks into a frosted quilt. The little tourist town, nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, looked as if it had stepped straight out of a holiday movie set. Each shop front had joined in the town's promise to honor the playhouse's upcoming production of White Christmas. The windows glittered with frosted garlands and velvet bows. Tiny speakers hidden in doorways piped out the soft strains of The Christmas Song and I'll Be Home for Christmas, their notes mingling with the crunch of boots on fresh snow" (pg. 3).
I loved the details of the holiday fundraiser, with volunteer elves helping out throughout town! It was fun, too, seeing Piper make this all come together.
Piper is a smart, kind, empathetic character (she volunteers her new store space as a shelter during a snow storm). I also like her friends and loved ones: Aunt Violet, Piper's boyfriend Mike, her best friend Lucy, her Great Pyrenees Maddie, and a new pet addition, Ginger the cat.
Penni does a great job at interweaving several storylines in this book: the renovation of Piper's new store, the holiday auction, some mountain land that is for sale, and the mystery.
The mystery is subtly done and does not overtake the holiday spirit of the book. The mysterious older man who shows up randomly, and a surprising murder, worry Piper and she sets out to be especially observant and help solve the mystery.
All Wrapped Up in a Mystery is a great entry into this new mystery series. I enjoyed it and recommend it to other cozy mystery fans - especially to other readers who enjoy a charming, small town holiday settings.
Book Synopsis
As snow falls and secrets surface, Piper's Christmas plans are about to be wrapped in mystery.
Christmas is just around the corner in Orchard Grove, and Piper Landry is knee-deep in holiday cheer—and drywall. With her bookstore café still under renovation, she volunteers to help organize the town’s annual elf-themed charity auction, hoping to enjoy a quiet season of cocoa and community spirit.
But when a well-loved volunteer turns up dead in the middle of the festivities, the holiday magic takes a chilling turn. With the sheriff short on answers and a mysterious newcomer stirring up trouble, Piper can’t help but get involved.
As snow falls and tensions rise, she teams up once again with Aunt Violet and her best friend, Lucy, to unwrap a mystery that might be darker than a mountain winter night.
Author Bio
Penni Justice McDaniel is a lifelong book lover and storyteller at heart. An Atlanta native, she now lives in the scenic North Georgia mountains with her husband in a certified wildlife sanctuary. Surrounded by nature and inspired by the charm of a nearby tourist town, Penni crafted her debut cozy mystery, Blueprint for Murder. The beauty of mountain living, along with cherished memories of traveling across the country and hearing true-life stories from family and friends, often sparks ideas for her writing.
Her love of books began early, nurtured by frequent trips to libraries in Atlanta, Decatur, and Tucker, Georgia, where her mother introduced her to the magic of reading. She fell in love with fiction after discovering Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. As the church librarian, her mother also provided a treasure trove of young adult fiction and mysteries that further fueled Penni’s passion.
An avid reader, Penni devours around 70 fiction books each year, favoring cozy mysteries, historical fiction, and spy thrillers. In May 2023, she earned her second college degree, graduating with honors from Southern New Hampshire University with a B.A. in Creative Writing and English, concentrating in fiction writing. Her coursework included numerous fiction workshops that helped her hone her narrative style and voice.
For the past 24 years, Penni has owned and operated a music entertainment agency, specializing in public relations, writing, ghostwriting, and marketing. In addition to her fiction, she is working on a historical novel set in South Georgia during the 1940s and overseas during World War II.
Penni and her husband are the proud parents of three grown children, a son-in-law, and a daughter-in-law—each inspiring her with their humor, intelligence, and love. They are, in her words, “the absolute joys of my life.”
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