Today marks post 200 — an incredible milestone for someone who once had to invent a challenge to make sure I’d have enough to post! Thank you for reading, commenting, and perching here with me over the years. It feels fitting to celebrate with a holiday murder, and today we’re diving into An Unfortunate Christmas Murder by Hannah Hendy.

Reading this one so close to The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder was a lesson in contrasts. Each book attempts the same goal — a cozy holiday murder rooted in community — yet their approaches make them feel very different. Where The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder is hot chocolate, An Unfortunate Christmas Murder is spiked eggnog: cozy, warm, and traditional, but with a little quirky kick.

To understand the difference, let’s break the book down along three lines: the mystery, the community, and the holiday spirit. After all, who can resist a little genre sleuthing in the middle of the annual holiday special?

Clues and Chaos

We’ll start with the mystery, which is already quite different from The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder. Where Jodie runs into murder at a community event, Clementine and Margery experience murder at their literal place of work. In a somewhat horrifying visual, they watch a piece of stage equipment fall directly onto a colleague, who’s smooshed to death in front of them. This is already a lot more direct (and gory!) than its comparator.

The mystery differences compound as the story goes on. Clem and Margery don’t really get along with the local authorities, and their boss wants them to stay out of investigation. Their general approach to investigation has a bit of a clumsier, kookier vibe to it. There’s amateurish tailing (and getting caught), along with all sorts of side quests (who destroyed the cakes?). (At times, it felt like I could hear yakety-sax playing as I read through the book.)

An Unfortunate Christmas Murder also follows in the grand tradition of modern cozies, in which there must be at least one Grand Peril right before the solution. Does the villain truly need to abduct the protagonists? In this genre – and at this level of suspension of disbelief – it somehow makes sense. While it is technically fair play, I had to go back and check for this review, because it has that adventure-adjacent vibe to it.

The Tribal Bonds of Dinner Ladies

Then there’s the community element. Margery and Clem have deep ties to their school community, and specifically to their identities as dinner ladies. Where Jodie finds comfort in her family, Margery and Clem focus on their coworkers. Where Jodie finds the cast of her local Christmas pantomime to be surprisingly warm and supportive, Margery and Clem uncover an interschool drama teacher rivalry. It’s a more tribal version of community.

It’s also a much funnier one. The dinner lady tribe has all sorts of interesting beef with other groups. There’s the fundraiser, for which they painstakingly prepare cakes to try and outshine the other faculty and staff. Then there’s their reluctant engagement with the school performance, really in service of this secret drama teacher rivalry. And there’s the mysterious new employee who can’t boil an egg to save his life. It’s a book full of workplace drama, in which the positive relationships can only be inferred.

In many ways, it feels like an older version of community – one where, once you’re in, you’re in. You can absolutely imagine every single one of these characters saying something like “nobody messes with my weirdo” and meaning it literally. Which makes for this sense of a rigid set of bonds, but plenty of simmering (and humorous) tensions underneath.

Holiday Spirit: Obligations, Chaos, and Eggnog

Finally, there’s the holiday spirit. There’s certainly a lot of holiday theming, as the story takes place right before Christmas. There’s a Christmas school lunch and a Christmas performance, and even a holiday choir that the ladies try desperately to dodge. But because of their role at the school, Christmas feels more like a task they must tackle than a real time for celebration.

An Unfortunate Christmas Murder makes Christmas feel almost overwhelmingly overloaded with obligations. Which is not necessarily wrong for how many feel over the holiday season. But I’m not sure it’s the most inspiring message…

A Cozy Celebration

An Unfortunate Christmas Murder is a bit less earnest, a bit more cynical about the holiday season and its potential for community. If you’re looking for shenanigans, this might be a good fit. And while at this time of year I’m mostly looking for hot chocolate, there’s nothing wrong with the occasional sip of eggnog to spice things up a bit.

Here’s to 200 posts, countless books, and many more cozy reads ahead.

We’ll keep going tomorrow – and we’re getting into some of my favorite holiday mystery writers, who I’m thrilled to share. Until then – stay cozy, and stay curious!