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BOOK INFO
Title: The Christmas Appeal
Author: Janice Hallett
Publisher: Atria Books
Publish Date: October 24, 2023
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: The Appeal #1.5
My Rating: 4/5
BOOK BLURB
The Christmas season has arrived in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive holiday production of Jack and the Beanstalk to raise money for a new church roof. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking among the amateur theater enthusiasts with petty rivalries, a possibly asbestos-filled beanstalk, and some perennially absent players behind the scenes.
Of course, there’s also the matter of the dead body onstage. Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they investigate Christmas letters, examine emails, and pore over police transcripts to identify both the victim and killer before the curtain closes on their holiday production—for good.

MY REVIEW
The Christmas Appeal is a novella in The Appeal series. A group of theater enthusiasts are looking to raise money for the church roof. It’s Christmas time, and they are hoping for a giving community to raise the funds. The dead Santa does dampen the Christmas spirit though.
This is a quick and entertaining mystery. The Christmas Appeal is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone. I recommend reading the first book in the series, The Appeal. It’s a good book, and the same characters are in both books.
The Christmas Appeal is a light and fun mystery. Recommended for fans of epistolary novels and armchair sleuths.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Books in The Appeal series:
- The Appeal
- The Christmas Appeal