How the Finch Stole Christmas
By: J. R. Ripley
Rating: 5 of 5
This is the first mystery I have read by J.R. Ripley. When I picked it up, I had no idea that it was sixth in a series. The book starts with relationships in place but, for the most part, it was very easy to pick up those relationship (though without history, of course) and let the logically written plot run its course.
The whodunnit was something I figured out during the course of the book because of a few hints; however, there were the red herrings left that steered me off course from time to time.
I enjoyed the characters, the nature of the mystery and the setting of the Christmas as the backdrop. The only thing that seemed a bit odd to me was the enthusiasm with which the sleuth Amy Simms (owner of Birds and Bees, a birding enthusiasts store) jumped into solving the crime. Once I understood that it was the sixth in the series, I realized that the history for that jumping off was to be expected based on what happened in the earlier books.
Definitely a fun read and an author I will be happy to go back to in the future. Must check into the back list of works as well, though I had no problems with it stand-alone for a fun Christmas whodunnit.
I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.
