The Christmas Fair Killer (A Tish Tarragon mystery)

by Amy Patricia Meade

Christmas, cookies and a corpse: Tish Tarragon is drawn into a deadly puzzle when a young actress is murdered at the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair.

Literary caterer Letitia 'Tish' Tarragon has pulled out all the stops for her booth at the Hobson Glen Holiday Fair, theming her appetising offerings around the festive performances by the Williamsburg Theatre Group. But when Tish meets the cast, she is surprised by the hostility between members of the allegedly close-knit troupe, centred around their star actress, the beautiful, talented yet mysterious ingénue, Jenny Inkpen.

Determined to spread some Christmas cheer, Tish volunteers to deliver breakfast to the eight actors, but is horrified to discover Jenny dead in her trailer the next morning. As Tish attempts to find out more about the group's leading lady, she soon uncovers lies, jealousy and a series of shocking secrets. Can Tish expose a cold-blooded killer before the fair is over?

• ISBN10: 0727889893
• ISBN13: 9780727889898
• Publish Date: 30 April 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Imprint: Severn House
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[Baroness Book Trove]

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade is full of Christmas cheer, being at a fair, and of course, a bit of a mystery.

Can Tish find out what happened to Jenny Inkgrave before the fair is gone?

Tish Tarragon

Tish Tarragon is our sleuth and the character that we kind of followed throughout the book. She is a delightful sleuth. I love her approach to get Sheriff Clemson Reade to let her help in the investigation. Granted, that wasn't hard since she did help solve the other two murder cases. Tish is a smart woman and knows that some people will talk to her more freely than they would with him around. What I like about Tish is that she loves her job and has finally started something that she has always wanted to do. Along with doing that job with people that she loves being around. 

Schuyler Thompson

Schuyler is Tish's landlord for both her little apartment above her restaurant/catering business. He also just happens to be her recent boyfriend, and just so happens to be a lawyer. Schuyler isn't really in the book that much, and he just didn't sit well with me. I liked the little romantic bits, but they just never really had the spark. What I like about him is that he seems to care for Tish. The one thing that I don't like about him is that he might be just using her to boost himself up in some world.

Clemson Reade

Clemson Reade is our local sheriff and an all-around good guy. He seems to be all about his job of protecting the people. And especially by giving his deputies the night off during the Christmas holiday. Clemson is a better guy in my mind than Schuyler is, and I hope that this isn't the last we will see of him either. What I like about him is that he seems to be dedicated to his job but is making sure the wellbeing of his friends is good as well. I also like how he harbors a crush on Tish, and Tish doesn't realize it, but I think that she does as well.

The Mystery

The mystery is an actress being shot dead in her trailer on the fairgrounds. Jenny Inkpen didn't have a great time making friends within the group of performers she was with, and that led to unraveling a lot about her past. Well, once they could figure out her identity. It was an exceptional case and mystery as I never figured out who could have done it. Well, that is until they were wrapping it up with the reveal, of course. 

Five Stars

The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade is a great one to put anyone in the mood for the holidays even while solving a mystery. I am in love with the way that Ms. Meade wrote this book. I am still shocked by who did it, and I am giving this book five stars while recommending it to anyone that wants to read it now for Christmas in July or just to get away from the heat where you live.

Other Books in the Series

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Christmas Fair Killer by Amy Patricia Meade. 

Until the next time,



Happy Reading!

This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove