The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate Carlisle

 The Twelve Books of Christmas

Book Summary

The first ever Christmas mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series!

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her hunky security-expert husband, Derek Stone, face a locked-room murder mystery during the holidays in Scotland.

In the middle of a wonderful Christmas holiday in Dharma, Brooklyn and Derek receive a frantic phone call from their dear friend Claire in Loch Ness, Scotland. The laird of the castle, Cameron MacKinnon, has just proposed to her! They plan to be married on New Year’s Day, and they want Derek and Brooklyn to be their witnesses. And while they’re visiting, Claire hopes that Brooklyn will be able to solve a little mystery that’s occurred in the castle library—twelve very rare, very important books have gone missing.

Once in Scotland, Brooklyn starts working on the mystery of the missing books but is soon distracted by all of the thumping and bumping noises she’s been hearing in the middle of the night. You’d think the Ghost of Christmas Past had taken up residence. But when one of the guests is poisoned and another is killed by an arrow through the heart, Brooklyn and Derek know this is not the work of any ghost. Now they must race to find a killer and a book thief before another murder occurs and their friends’ bright and happy future turns dark and deadly.

My Thoughts

The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate Carlisle has Brooklyn and Derek traveling to Oddlochen, Scotland for the wedding of two friends.  They also need Brooklyn’s help in locating twelve books that have disappeared from the castle’s library.  I look forward to reading the latest A Bibliophile Mystery each year.  Brooklyn and Derek are great characters.  I like that Derek does not discourage Brooklyn’s sleuthing (he usually is right by her side).  The vivid descriptions brought the castle and its surroundings to life.  I like how there was a Christmas tree in every room including the library.  Like Brooklyn, I could spend weeks holed up in the castle’s library.  The mystery was the weak point of the story (but it did not hinder my reading pleasure).  The clues were a wee bit obvious.  I enjoyed learning about the twelve books and how they related to Christmas.  There was a couple that I had not heard of previously. 

I liked Derek’s unique lockpick set (I want one for myself).  It was interesting learning about Scottish Hogmanay traditions.  I loved the gifts that Brooklyn created for her family and friends for Christmas. They were unique and I like that they were book themed without being books (it is shocking, but there are some people who do not appreciate books as gifts).  The Twelve Books of Christmas is the seventeenth A Bibliophile Mystery.  It can be read as a standalone as the author provides the necessary background information on the main characters.  I liked the ending, but I was sad for the story to end.  The Twelve Books of Christmas is an enchanting tale with an invite to nuptials, a private plane ride, spooky sounds, absent books, a murdered man, mouthwatering meals, and Scottish traditions.   

The Twelve Books of Christmas is available from Amazon*.  You can find the other A Bibliophile Mysteries here.  Kate Carlisle also writes A Fixer-Upper Mysteries featuring Shannon Hammer.  You can follow Kate Carlisle on Amazon and you will receive an email when she has a new book release.  Thank you for joining me today.  Tomorrow I am a stop on the Celebrate Lit Tour for Killer Christmas Evidence by Sami A. Abrams.  It is the fourth book in the Deputies of Anderson County series.  I am off to the rheumatologist and then I get to do a little fun shopping.  I hope that you have an entertaining day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader 

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