It was Charles Dickens who wrote “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor”, but authors Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey took it to heart. I don’t know who decided to put these two authors together for Home for the Homicides, but it works. Now, it works if you like sexually explicit scenes and a hilarious takeoff of all Hallmark Christmas shows with main characters who fake hate each other, but can’t resist each other. And, Agent Holly Frost has a potty mouth that her work partner, Mark Shepherd has to tone down. If you can handle all that, the novel is hilarious.
Frost and Shepherd have both been on Commander Davenport’s naughty list at the State Bureau of Investigation. Now, when a murder occurs in the charming little town of Christmas, she challenges them. Whoever finds the killer will get the spot in Major Crimes. Mark works there now with his partner. Holly is in Mail Frauds, and she’d kill, preferably Mark, to be in Major Crimes.
The two are partners in this investigation, but they both have secrets. Holly hates the Christmas holidays for a personal reason, and Mark is all too familiar with the town of Christmas itself. But, they’re in town to investigate the murder of a woman, a tourist who was left in the nativity scene with an icicle ornament stabbed in her throat. Holly has lots of questions. Why does the hot Sheriff Jack look so much like Mark? How can any town be so cutesy and crime free as Christmas? There are only twelve days until the town’s annual Jingle Bell Jubilee. The entire town’s economy depends on the crime being solved so tourists can safely enjoy all the festiviities.
I have so much to say about this book. I loved the omniscient narrator sent from the North Pole due to an “incident”. The snarky comments interspersed in the story are perfect. This Christmas town could be any town in a holiday movie, with a town called Christmas, the agents from “the Big City”, and the from anywhere Bureau of Investigation. The authors certainly know how to riff on that holiday TV show theme. The story is filled with all the holiday romance tropes.
If the language or sex bothers you, skip Home for the Homicides. If you enjoy a murder mystery filled with snarky humor and a dysfunctional town and residents, you might enjoy this one as much as I did.
Elle Cosimano’s website is https://ellecosimano.com/
Hannah Morrissey’s website is https://www.hannahmorrissey.com/
Home for the Homicides by Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey. Minotaur Books, 2026 336p.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent a copy of the book, with no expectations of a positive review.
