Home for the Homicides ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Home for the Homicides by Elle Cosimano & Hannah Morrissey

NetGalley About Summary

Tis the season . . . for murder.

"The festive, quirky love child of a holiday whodunit and a steamy romance.” —Sara Raasch

When Special Agents Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd report to the idyllic town of Christmas to investigate a very less than idyllic murder, they’re in for more than the average whodunnit.

Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle ornament in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth—after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn't exist?

The stakes are high: the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town's entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes—and there's only one spot.

Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it's not only their careers on the line, it's their hearts, too—regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer—without killing each other—is on.

Co-authored by New York Times bestseller Elle Cosimano (Finlay Donovan series) and USA Today bestseller Hannah Morrissey (Black Harbor series), Home for the Homicides is a sexy, light-hearted romp, with a dash of merriment and murder.

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Romance
Goodreads adds: Christmas, Cozy
I'm adding Humor

The How/Why: NetGalley Facebook group page. Starting off the 'ber months with a couple of Christmas murders! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

🎉🎊 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 all categories 

  • Setting the stage. Atmosphere, Vibe
  • Likeable Characters: Protagonist, Supporting Cast, Extras
  • Unlikeable Antagonist
  • Executing the premise
  • Lives up to the promise

🎣🎏 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕

🕮 Would I want a sequel? Yes ➕
Said to be Book 1 in The Holly & Mark Mystery Series. I will definitely keep an eye out for the next one.  

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕
This book is co-authored.
Elle Cosimano - known for being funny;😅
Hannah Morrissey - known for dark thrillers.💥
It made for an interesting mashup! 👍👍

⚠️💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Standard Cozy Mystery elements, investigating a DɇaṪh but no graphic details. 

🌶️🫑Spice? Google says: 2-3 out of 5. I say the light side of🌶️🌶️

🌪 Plot Twist? Yes. If yes, Predictable? Yes. 

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ I came for the Christmas story and stayed for the murder. Merry Christmas where the M stands for Mysterious Murder and the C stands for Cute and Cozy, but not too Cheesy. 

Two rival SBI agents have teamed up as a punishment for their crimes of the past. Not actual crimes, but rather them being caught doing unprofessional things. They aren't exactly enemies even though they are carrying past grudges and secret crushes. 

They are sent to "Christmas" to solve a crime. The town has taken on the holiday as an entire personality. Everything and everybody is Merry and Bright and smells like candy canes or pumpkin spice. 
A tourist has been found dead and the community is in shock. Nothing bad ever happens in Christmas. The killer must be found prior to their annual Jubilee so everyone can relax and enjoy the festivities. Afterall, it's their annual money maker.

Can they solve the mystery and save Christmas (the town AND the holiday)?
No spoilers here. 

This story is told with a narrator watching like it's a Hallmark movie, injecting banter along the way. Totally enjoyable. 

Holly and Mark's chemistry? Let's just say there will be fireworks for these two on Christmas Day. 

🎧 Narrator: Angela Dawe (story narrator), Patti Murin (Holly), Colin Donnell (Mark) ~ All five star.

Extra Tidbit/Fun Fact: Patti Murin and Colin Donnell are married in real life. 💏

🎧11.18 hours (Listened on: NetGalley) 🕮 336 pages

Not yet published. Expected 10-13-2026

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Five Star Highlights
I provided the highlights
Gemini AI provided the background



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