Ana T. Drew’s The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is a charming and clever cozy mystery that combines holiday cheer with a tantalizing whodunit. Set against the backdrop of a festive gathering, the story follows a group of friends who find themselves entangled in a murder mystery when one of their own turns up dead.

Drew’s writing is engaging and infused with humor, creating a lively atmosphere that perfectly captures the spirit of the season. The ensemble cast of characters is delightful, each with their own quirks and potential motives, making for an intriguing puzzle as the protagonist works to unravel the truth.

The pacing is brisk, filled with witty dialogue and unexpected twists that keep readers guessing. Themes of friendship, loyalty, and the complexities of human relationships shine through, adding depth to the festive narrative.

Overall, The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is a delightful read that will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries. It’s a fun and lighthearted story that showcases how even the most joyous occasions can harbor secrets, making it a perfect choice for the holiday season.

Not very Christmasy...a few Christmas events covered quickly...main focus is focused on solving a murder...I thought the author grabbed my attention right at the start...Loved the characters and their development and the development of the story as well...only 228.pages on my kindle...a very quick read

A cute, cozy mystery for the holiday season.

I really enjoyed the characters and all the holiday feels. I great cozy to snuggle with a cup of cocoa.

I fairly enjoyed the writing style and the cover art is so cute.

Thank you so much for approving me for this ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It’s January 4, 1961, and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love. It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances. Many decades later, an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives, and all her doubts come flooding back. At 84, there’s no time to waste! Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy, an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth. Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera, with a detour through wintry Paris. This a really lovely cozy in a lovely setting. A most enjoyable holiday read.

Adorable Characters! I loved them so much. My first cozy mystery and I have been hooked on them since. Very fun story and genuinely enjoyed it. Thank you for the arc

First I must say I adored the cover of this book. It made me smile. And the book was much the same. It made me smile and I found it quite delightful. It is cute, it is fun and it is a cosy mystery. That is what I liked about it. Easy to read, a bit light-hearted but still giving the mysteriousness of a good mystery.

This is a quirky read with a great theme and setting with many antics around happening in the French countryside. I read it in no time, found it funny and entertaining and loved the old ladies. They made the book. A lot of fun. 3 1/2 stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

It was very enjoyable to read. I really like cozy mistery books, just when I need to chill and not to think about surrending world.
I need more of that

At the age of 84, Annie enlists the help of Rose, a senior citizen amateur PI, to unravel the mystery of her fiancé René’s suicide more than half a century ago. Thus, two old ladies hit the cold trail, in an effort to discover the truth and bring justice to the memory of an old flame who died so long before. I stuck with them until they reached France, and maybe a chapter or two or longer, before I bailed.

I guess as I read the above initial description, the book sounds like it might have been fun, but when I hit “two old ladies…” I knew I was in trouble. Too many books about too many old ladies with too much confidence, and too many foibles….

Over the past few years, the market seems to be inundated with books featuring septuagenarian and octogenarian amateur sleuths. Age, and occasionally even a touch of cognitive impairment, does not hold back these superheroes. Being as the book scene is flooded with this theme, few of those manuscripts shine out, and since I, myself, am an old-lady (relatively speaking), the subject matter feels more than a little condescending, not to mention ridiculous and dangerous.

I see that many of my GR Friends enjoyed this book, so I defer to their reviews and suggest that the interested reader check out other reviews and, if the theme is of interest, give the book a try.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a download copy of this book for my review and opinion. I'm sorry I could not say I enjoyed it more.

This was so good. Such a delightful cozy mystery to read. I absolutely loved this! This series is so good. This was a great read and you didn't want to put it down! Loved it!!
I just reviewed The Twelve Suspects of Christmas by Ana T. Drew. #TheTwelveSuspectsofChristmas #NetGalley
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This was a lovely read; Annie and Rose, both well into the prime of their lives investigate what really happened to Annie's first love. The 2 ladies are very different, but need to work through their differences to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Such a fun and cute holiday book. Easy read that’s perfect for the holidays, and I always like a good mystery.

This was an easy and fun read! A cozy mystery book all about solving the puzzle of a former lover. Oh, the things you do for love! Perfect not just for Christmas but anytime you want to have Christmas-sy feels. Thank you NetGalley, for approving my request!

Based of factual and fiction happenings and locations, I enjoyed this book a lot. It's quirky and it stands out among the rest. Our protagonist are two elderly women who set off on a trip through France to solve a years old cold case. Amateur sleuth Rose Tassy, and Annie Malian brave the wintry elements after receiving an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie. Her love interest was said to have committed suicide but did her really? These two, at first can't agree on anything and I can just imagine what the arguing in the car sounded like, but a mutual respect soon settles over the two. So many suspects, so little time, it seems as though this case will stay unsolved with so many suspects but when things start to hear up with the clues there's no telling what will happen. This is my first time reading this author and I'm hoping I'll be able to read more cases with these two in the driver's seat.

Pub Date 20 Oct 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Happy to have found this for one of my December reads. . . .a short trip to France with this Provence cozy mystery. The Provence mysteries are set in a fictional village of Beldoc, and usually feature a curious detective heroine named Julie Cavallo. This particular book goes back a few generations, and has Julie's current beau's granny (Annie) needing help tracking down history on her old beau. . .and Julie isn't available to help, but happens to have a grandmother who has detective skills herself! That would be Rose, who does yoga with dogs (yup. Doga. It's a really a thing. Google it.)

From here the story travels all over the French countryside, ins and outs, tasty treats abound, and true to the title, twelve suspects are found in the search for an answer to Annie's questions about her beau, Rene, and in their poking around more murders are found. It's a twisty-turny tale tied up with Christmas ribbons and topped with french pastries. A fun read for the season - the most demanding part is keeping track of who's who!! Otherwise, an enjoyable holiday romp in France!

*A sincere thank you to Ana T. Drew, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #TheTwelveSuspectsofChristmas #NetGalley

Two older women are out to prove that a former finance of Annie’s did not kill his roommate and himself back in 1961. The two Annie and Rose travel to France to try to prove their case and along the way get into some hijinks themselves. A funny quirky story at times but good for a lite read.

A cute little Christmas mystery to get you in the Christmas spirit. Although I've never read any by this author I'll be adding her to my watch list for upcoming books!

Id like to thank netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book

Thanks to BooksGoSocial, NetGalley, and Ana T. Drew for this advance copy. 84 year old Annie pulls Rose Tassy into helping her clear a very cold case—the 1961 suicide of her fiancé. He had been accused of killing his roommate’s girlfriend and then supposedly took his life. This never set right with Annie but she didn’t have the money or connections to do anything about it. Now she has reached 84, and recently received a postcard that had never been sent from her fiancé and questions about the past have come up to her. Rose, who is studying to be a private investigator takes on the case and soon finds that there are many things that should have been addressed long ago. Now it’s time for the truth to come out—even if it hurts it’s better to know than to continue to live in ignorance about the facts. Very well written and I would definitely recommend it.

The cute little grannies on the cover reeled me in! Unfortunately, it was not the fun-filled hijinks I expected. The story, and the case it centered around, fell flat for me. I did not get pulled in and other than one point in the story where Annie proves she's not the feeble weak granny we believe her to be, I did not grow to have feelings for the characters one way or another.

This book is a super cute cozy mystery with elderly main characters.
I loved the humor and witty way the main characters solved the mystery.
Solid 4 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

The Twelve suspects of Christmas is advertised as a Cozy mystery and I think this category and title put you a bit on the wrong foot.
Two French grannies are looking into a so called cold case, the death of Annies former fiancee over 40 years ago. Not really a subject that you would normally associate with Christmas, nor are the political associations in the story. On the other hand there are the ginger bread houses, the Christmas decorations etcetera.

I guess I expected more from the title, more like an Agatha Christie detective story where there would be literally 12 suspects. Must say that I was a little bit disappointed although the book is well written.

3 stars. Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.