Not all of the stories are about Campion and not all of the stories are mysteries. But all are set at Christmas and display the skill Allingham had in weaving a story, even a short one. A definite holiday classic to be re-read every year.
In earlier Nugget books, Raylene Rosser was decidedly the villain. And in this book, she's the heroine. It's a long slog to get her there but Stacy Finn manages to do it well. Raylene is back in town for her brother's wedding and literally no one is happy. And she really deserves it. Not only was she kind of a bitch, she was an alcoholic, and almost helped to put an innocent man in jail for murder.
Charlotte Gorman doesn't understand her twin sister. An elementary school librarian, Charlotte doesn't often get dressed up as opposed to her sister who regularly competes in beauty pageants. Ginny is REALLY into beauty, even keeping a popular Instagram series about her competitions. She throws herself into her causes, just recently adopting a dog in order.
Gwen Davis has been in love with her best friend Ted since they were teenagers. But he doesn't even seem to notice that she's there.
Another Cat Latimer book, another group of writers at her B&B writer's retreat. This time, it's historical romance writers and they're ready for a day out at the local tourist town set in the Old West. When they go, they meet the roommate of the current student writer at Cat's retreat. Like Jessica Ball, the student, her roommate works at the town as a saloon girl. But it's the roommate, rather than the wealthy and "connected" Jess who ends up murdered.
Florrie Fox and the Color Me Read characters are dealing with another murder. This time, it's one of their own. Coloring club member Dolly Cavanaugh loves to attend garage sales and she has an eye for a bargain. At the latest sale, she snaps up a rare book infuriating the previous owner, the man who was directing the estate sale, and any number of people who read about her find when she posted it on various social media platforms.