Three big-name cozy writers contribute candy cane–themed novellas to this entertaining yuletide anthology. Levine's series heroine Jaine Austen (Death by Pantyhose
, etc.) spots a wealthy suburbanite's killer in the unfortunately skimpy “The Danger of Candy Canes,” where the subplot about a troubled teen is more compelling than the actual mystery. Hannah Swensen (Key Lime Pie Murder
, etc.) experiments with new Christmas cookies (recipes included, of course) and gets to the bottom of a Santa slaying in Fluke's complex “Candy Cane Murder,” which includes several plausible suspects and a surprising twist—an impressive feat in just 150 pages. Meier's powerful “Candy Canes of Christmas Past” takes heroine Lucy Stone (Bake Sale Murder
, etc.) back to December 1983, when, newly arrived in Tinker's Cove, Maine, she found herself investigating the circumstances of a decades-old local death and struggling with her own financial and domestic difficulties. Fluke and Meier ably make up for Levine's shortcomings to create a sweet holiday treat for mystery lovers. (Oct.)
