‘Slay Bells: A Christmas Village Mystery’ by T.C. Wescott

My second book by T. C. Wescott, and one in holiday spirit! I was so excited to read it a week before Christmas. Huge mug in my hand, hot beverage to drink, snow falling outside… it was PERFECT!

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I got this book from BooksGoSocial and NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

(Goodreads/Amazon)

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Discovery:

I’ve read ‘Running From Scissors’ by T. C. Wescott a while back and I loved it, so when I saw another mystery written by this author is available on NetGalley, I instantly clicked on getting it! A mystery? In Christmas Village? Read just before Christmas? Yes, please!

Brainstorm:

I wasn’t disappointed. This book was sweet, cozy, well-written, and had an interesting story. Christmas Village is a quirky place, with funny, interesting residents just enough crazy to be adorable. As Wescott’s previous mystery, it had all the attributes a classic crime story has, and beyond that it transferred a wonderful holiday atmosphere that I felt so needed in my life!

Just as before, I loved the author’s style, and the story was engaging. Even though I figured out the person of the murderer pretty soon, I didn’t guess the ‘how’ that soon – and I had that ‘whaaat, really, I should’ve known that‘ feeling at the end. It was fantastic! (Really, it was super logical. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier.) And having Mrs. Claus as our main amateur sleuth investigating? How awesome is that?

My only tiny problem that I should mention was that for a very long time I didn’t really care about the actual suspects. (The ‘outsiders’ in the village.) The villagers were so great characters, but those lodgers were pretty forgettable. It took me a lot of pages to become able to tell one from the other (well, the men at least), and even then I didn’t really care which one was the murderer (only for the sake of the mystery) – I didn’t feel like it would made a difference. By the end, it improved a bit, or so I felt. Otherwise, it was all perfect, and I loved the villagers and their place and traditions very much!

I also want to add it, because it was such a wonderful feeling: this book has some reviews quoted in the beginning about the other book published by Wescott, and there’s a quote from mine! I was so thrilled! It’s amazing. My words are written in a book, guys! 😀

Let’s Give It A Grade!

1. Story: 5/5
2. Characters: 4/5
3. Style: 5/5
4. The Subjective Factor: 4/5

• GPA: 4.5

Uniqueness:

I love this unlikely mixture of old classic crime methods, modern technology and this cozy, wintery holiday spirit. 🙂

Recommend to:

Fans of classic and cozy mysteries, especially if you want one to get you in the Christmas mood!

Drink tip:

Plum & cinnamon tea ❤

Music room:

The Christmas songs of Pentatonix would be perfect to listen to!

Future:

After reading this second book by T. C. Wescott, I feel like he’s getting on my auto-read authors list.

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What are you reading to get yourself in the holiday spirit? Do you like holiday themed books?

Let’s talk! 😉

Hugs 🙂