Review

For fans of:  Jacklyn Brady
 
It’s late December in South Carolina, and jam maker Becca Robins couldn’t be happier. Her parents are in town for the holidays. Business is booming at Bailey’s Farmer’s Market, and now that the Ridgeway Christmas tree farm has set up shop in the parking lot, the entire place smells like fresh-cut pine. And she’s finally in a happy, committed relationship with Officer Sam Brion. Sounds like the makings for a very Merry Christmas, indeed, right? But then rival Christmas-tree-seller Reggie Stuckey shows up at the market and gets himself stabbed, and just like that, Becca’s good cheer is gone. Who killed Reggie, and why? And what’s the deal with the strange Christmas-tree ornaments somebody keeps leaving for her to find? Is Becca’s Secret Santa sending her clues regarding Reggie’s murder – or is a more sinister game afoot?
 
Merry Market Murder is the fifth of Paige Shelton’s Farmers’ Market Mysteries, and for my money, it's the perfect Christmas read. Shelton's latest somehow manages to be a complex and engaging mystery while still feeling like the literary equivalent of comfort food. Her prose is quirky and spirited yet still graceful. I know she doesn't live there, but she writes South Carolina with contagious affection; her descriptions are lush and vivid and bring the scents, sounds, and sights of Becca's world to life on the page. Becca's narrative voice is warm, witty, and winsome. The pace is quick, and the ending strikes just the right balance – heartwarming and full of hope without being mushy or sappy, and not a loose end in sight.
 
I adore the cast Shelton has assembled for this book. Each and every character, from Becca on down to the most minor bit player, reads like a fully fleshed, realistically flawed human being. The affection the humans in the book show for the animals (particularly Hobbit the dog and Batman the goose) could warm the cockles of even the coldest and most cynical of hearts. And the interpersonal relationships Shelton's crafted are nuanced and do a beautiful job of illustrating the different ways in which a romance (successful or failed) can affect a person.

For whatever reason, I've never quite connected with Shelton's Country Cooking School Mysteries, but her Farmers’ Market Mysteries hit me where I live. There's just something about these books that feels authentic and true – that sucks you in and provides the kind of distraction you need to ignore the hustle and bustle of everyday life, even if just for a little while. Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a copy of Paige Shelton's Merry Market Murder; I think you’ve earned the break, don’t you?