Silent Nights are Murder Book Review | A Christmas Cozy Mystery

I love Fall, because it means that all of the Christmas books are being released. This year my most anticipated read was Silent Nights are Murder by Libby Klein. It’s the latest book in the Poppy McAllister Mysteries series and it did not disappoint. So keep reading for my full Silent Nights are Murder book review because this was a fun one.

You can read my review of the previous book Mischief Nights are Murder here, as well as all of my other cozy reviews here.

What is Silent Nights are Murder by Libby Klein about?

Despite her best efforts, gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister finds herself confounded by a case of murder this Christmas in the latest installment of this delightful culinary B&B mystery series!

Ever since Thanksgiving, when an engagement ring in a velvet box—and no gift tag—was left behind, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.

For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn’t labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was the cat Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all . . . (from Amazon.com)

My Thoughts

Christmas is my favorite time of year so I was excited to see that the latest book in Libby Klein’s Poppy McAllister series is set at Christmastime. I just knew that Poppy, Aunt Ginny, and the rest of the Cape May gang would be involved in more than one Christmas themed catastrophe. And boy, was I right.

In Silent Nights are Murder, Poppy finds herself involved in quite a few different local issues. She and her friends are trying to track down the owner of a forgotten engagement ring, she has to deal with her mother coming back to town after being gone for 35 years, and she has to help a local restaurant clear their name after a dead body is found in their freezer.

And as if that’s not enough, Poppy also must deal with Aunt Ginny’s shenanigans, which includes decorating the B&B with enough Christmas lights to rival Clark Grizwold’s house.

If you’re familiar with Cape May at all, you will be delighted by the fun local references in this whole series. There’s this one scene where Poppy refuses to make her mother breakfast and suggests she goes to Uncle Bill’s Pancake House instead that had me chuckling to myself. I’m actually quite a fan of Uncle Bill’s, although I’m sure any breakfast made by Poppy, Kenny, or Joanne would be much better! Haha.

I love the Cape May Cast of Characters

This series makes me feel so warm and happy because of the atmosphere. Libby Klein has created a wonderful community of characters who make me laugh and cheer. This book is especially joyful because of the holiday season. And also because Poppy has some pretty big life changes going on. I also like that we got a lot more of Poppy’s best friend Sawyer in this book.

There was a lot going on in this book with a lot of different plot points. I think Libby Klein did a great job of wrapping everything up in the end.

If you’re new to this series but love Christmas, definitely check out this book. As with most cozy mysteries, it’s best to read the books in order. That way you know all the back story. But I think you can jump in at any time because things are explained as they happen. This is an excellent addition to the series and is one that I will cherish rereading. Probably at Christmas thanks to the homey Christmas atmosphere at the B&B.

If you like Mysteries with Humor, This Series is For You!

Each book has Poppy in a nightmare scenario of finding a dead body, this series is also funny. Aunt Ginny always has me laughing with her antics. And this book had some especially funny scenes with Gia’s big Italian family. I love Joanne and Kenny at the B&B. Plus there’s Amber, the policy officer who Poppy always has to deal with during each murder case.

To Be Completely Honest

I have not read every book in this series yet. Only the past few. So in 2025 I’m really looking forward to starting at the beginning of the Poppy McAllister mystery series. That way I’m all caught up and understand all of the Poppy & Co lore. Like I said, one of the parts I love most is the supporting characters and the humor. I’m really looking forward to getting completely caught up so I’m ready for the next book #10.