Book Review: Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

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Dear Pen Pal (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, #3)  by Heather Vogel Frederick  is the third book in a middle grade book series that is being rereleased. Chaos erupts in this third installment as the daughters in the book club get themselves into trouble. Each of the girls have big changes in their lives:  Jess is going to boarding school; Megan's grandmother comes to live with her; Emma starts a campaign against school uniforms; Cassidy has a lot of unexpected change coming to her family. Will the mother daughter book club stay together? I'd like to thank NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Dear Pen Pal  by Heather Vogel Frederick with it's upcoming rerelease to the public. I always love a good book that involves books, even if its target audience is children between the ages of eight and twelve. It wasn't until I reached the end of the book that I realized that it...
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Book Review: The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

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Book Review The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict opens with Lily returning to her aunt's manor house and discovers that if she wants to inherit the house, she must play the traditional Christmas game with her cousins over a period of twelve days. When one of them is murdered and a snowstorm cuts them off from the rest of the village, Lily realizes she must fight for her life. Over the twelve days, twelve clues, and twelve keys, how many will perish?

First and foremost, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital copy of The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict. I was thrilled to receive a copy prior to it coming out in paperback on October 4, 2022 because it sounded intriguing.

Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (a.k.a. Ten Little Indians) and the movie Clue, I found myself comparing The Christmas Murder Game to both. There were even parts that reminded me a bit of The Shining by Stephen King. However, this didn't detract from the storyline in my humble opinion.

All through the book I thought the killer was one person and potentially another, but then, I started second guessing myself. I began thinking it one of two other characters for no real logical reason other than I thought it was too predictable to have one or both of my original suspects be the murderer. With that being said, there were enough twists and turns to keep my interest. It was well thought out and well written.

I enjoyed reading The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict and like how the author tied up all the loose ends. I'd love for the author to write a sequel. Four out of five stars.

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