The Twelve Suspects of Christmas
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- Create Date：2023-11-04 10:19:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ana T. Drew
- ISBN：B0CKFSDBNN
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Summary
Grannies， gangsters， murders—and a rollicking journey across France！
It’s January 4， 1961， and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love。 It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances。
Many decades later， an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives， and all her doubts come flooding back。
At 84， there’s no time to waste！
Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy， an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth。
Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera， with a detour through wintry Paris。
Amid yuletide festivities， Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain。 Their list of suspects quickly grows。 Was it Rene’s older brother？ Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer？ The powerful Monegasque tycoon？
Stumped， Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…
This Christmas， will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift？
It’s January 4， 1961， and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love。 It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances。
Many decades later， an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives， and all her doubts come flooding back。
At 84， there’s no time to waste！
Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy， an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth。
Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera， with a detour through wintry Paris。
Amid yuletide festivities， Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain。 Their list of suspects quickly grows。 Was it Rene’s older brother？ Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer？ The powerful Monegasque tycoon？
Stumped， Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…
This Christmas， will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift？
Reviews
Rosh
，
In a Nutshell: Expected better because of that cute cover and premise。 But both the mystery and the holiday vibes were disappointing。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Story Synopsis: In January 1961， Annie’s fiancé Rene， who was on the radar of the police for a heinous crime， killed himself。 Now， six decades later， eighty-four-year-old Annie has discovered an old postcard addressed to her， which makes her question the past。 She decides to take the help of Rose， an eccentric “doga” teacher and amateur In a Nutshell: Expected better because of that cute cover and premise。 But both the mystery and the holiday vibes were disappointing。 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Story Synopsis: In January 1961， Annie’s fiancé Rene， who was on the radar of the police for a heinous crime， killed himself。 Now， six decades later， eighty-four-year-old Annie has discovered an old postcard addressed to her， which makes her question the past。 She decides to take the help of Rose， an eccentric “doga” teacher and amateur private eye who has been in her mid-sixties for a few years now， to dig into the events of the 1960s and discover what happened to her first love。 This begins a journey spanning various locations and persons in France。 The story comes to us in the third person perspectives of Annie and Rose。 Bookish Yays:🎄 At just about 250 pages， this is a very quick read。 🎄 The various French locations are explored really well。 From the fictional town of Beldoc to the actual places in Provence， the setting works nicely for the story。 There are also some excellent trivia about France scattered throughout the story。 🎄 The flashbacks seem accurate to the time， with the inclusion of several actual events and political developments from France in the early 1960s。 🎄 Annie is of Armenian origin， so from her point of view， we get a few glimpses of Armenian culture。 🎄 That cover is adorable！ Bookish Mixed Bags:🍃 The “mystery” is a lot more complicated than I expected it to be。 While I like its scope， I am not sure if I like the resolution。 It seems farfetched and overly coincidental。 （Do note that I am not a huge cosy mystery fan。 I grabbed this more for the old ladies on the cover and the potential Christmas vibes than for the mystery itself。）🍃 There are several indirect references to Christmas。 The story is set around the holiday time， so there are mentions of trees and decorations and the like。 I liked the inclusion of the Orthodox Christmas details， thanks to Annie’s heritage。 But the story never feels ‘Christmassy’。 The festival feels like it is in the background than a main part of the story。 Considering the cover and the title， this is a big disappointment。 🍃 The lead pair of Annie and Rose are quite the opposite of each other， despite their closeness in age。 Annie is prudish and old-fashioned and in a weaker physical state， while Rose is overly fit for her age and a free spirit at heart。 I love how the story didn’t make the two senior citizens similar in behaviour simply because of their age。 However， all this should have led to an interesting study of contrasts。 But both of them are so judgemental and self-centred that I found it hard to connect with either。 Rose is also an ageist， which makes her annoying。 Moreover， there is simply no connection between the two of them， nothing to explain how they developed their friendship， if any， over the period of the investigation。Bookish Nays:🍂 I am not a fan of flashbacks being written in the present tense while the contemporary timeline is written in the past tense。 It is so confusing！🍂 There are way too many characters in the book！ I was a bit prepared for this keeping the title in mind， but it still didn’t help。 Worse， the characters， except for the lead pair and a couple other secondary characters， are not developed well。 It’s quantity over quality， unfortunately。 I meant to count if there were actually twelve suspects as promised by the title， but I lost track （and interest） after a while。🍂 The story feels more like a drama than a cosy mystery。 Many scenes aren’t related to the investigation at all， which itself is too meandering to sustain interest。 I also couldn’t buy the idea that an honest policeman would reveal insider details of an official murder investigation to a private detective not working on that case just because the detective is his relative。🍂 The Goodreads blurb reveals too much。 I hate it when blurbs go beyond the initial 15-20% of the book。 This one goes almost till the 80% mark。🍂 I am sorry， I know this isn’t the book’s fault per se。 But I am never going to enjoy any reference to the ridiculous concept of “doga”。 It is culturally offensive to us Indians！ Stop using that stupid word！Overall， I expected a cute Christmassy cosy with two senior citizens handling the investigation， but the book turned out to be a generic drama with minor shades of gangland crime。 If it had delivered either on the mystery or on the holiday feels， I would have still rated it higher。 Sadly， it didn’t work for me on both counts。 Mine appears to be an outlier review as of now。 So please go through the other opinions before you take a call on this indie work。 This book supposedly stands alone within the Julie Cavallo Investigates Series， which I haven’t read and therefore don’t know if my experience was affected by the lack of familiarity with the characters。 2 stars。My thanks to author Ana T。 Drew and BookSirens for the DRC of “The Twelve Suspects of Christmas”。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book。 Sorry this didn’t work out better。This book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers。~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Connect with me through: My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter 。。。more
Lorene
，
Not for me。
Kathy
，
Two quirky lovable senior citizens， one 84 and the other a perpetual 65 （well 76 but who’s going to tell）。 This cozy is set in Provence， but the investigation travels to northern France， Paris， and Marseille。 An offshoot of the Julie Cavallo Investigates series， the grandmothers of the main characters steal the show。 Rose is studying to become a PI when Annie enlists her help in discovering what happened to her fiancé 60 years ago。A postcard from 1961， found and forwarded， stirs up an unsettling Two quirky lovable senior citizens， one 84 and the other a perpetual 65 （well 76 but who’s going to tell）。 This cozy is set in Provence， but the investigation travels to northern France， Paris， and Marseille。 An offshoot of the Julie Cavallo Investigates series， the grandmothers of the main characters steal the show。 Rose is studying to become a PI when Annie enlists her help in discovering what happened to her fiancé 60 years ago。A postcard from 1961， found and forwarded， stirs up an unsettling old question for Annie。 What really happened to her fiancé？ She never believed that he committed suicide and she needs to finally find out how he died。Although there is some tension between the two very different women， they work together to discover what happened to Rene。 The trail leads them from Rene’s family to a radical political action party and drug-running mobsters。 There are plenty of suspects and in between they enjoy the yuletide season。 Of course， there are also lots of pastries cooked up by Julie。 A charming Christmas read and even though I hadn’t read the Cavallo series， I had no problem following the story。Thanks to BooksGoSocial and the author for access to a digital ARC on NetGalley。 。。。more
Darlene
，
DNF at 10%This book is just not for me。 I find the characters to be annoying， narcissistic， and uninteresting。 I can't follow them on the rest of their journey。 DNF at 10%This book is just not for me。 I find the characters to be annoying， narcissistic， and uninteresting。 I can't follow them on the rest of their journey。 。。。more
Mickey Kay Troxell
，
As always， wonderful characters and a beautiful ending！ I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as well as all the books from this author。 She pulls you in from the start。 I absolutely will read more from this author。I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。
Bethany Marks
，
3。5 rating。 Lots of details in the plot， vey little character development until the last pages & quirky main characters， surprisingly older。 The best part was the well thought thru crimes which were unique。
Juanita E。 Arp
，
This book is a charming historical fiction cozy murder mystery set in France that was a pure joy to read。 The storyline has the past and present blended seamlessly together coming to a satisfying conclusion。 I can't wait to read more from this author。 I received this book as a Free copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review。 This book is a charming historical fiction cozy murder mystery set in France that was a pure joy to read。 The storyline has the past and present blended seamlessly together coming to a satisfying conclusion。 I can't wait to read more from this author。 I received this book as a Free copy to read and I voluntarily leave this review。 。。。more
Kathy
，
I echo what others have said about this: it's not a cozy mystery， it's a regular novel with a mystery added on。 I really wanted to like this book， but it just fell short for me。 It's clearly trying to do an elder female odd couple， but for most of the book， I wondered why the two main characters didn't kill each other。 Given the title， I was also expecting more Christmasy bits， but， except for a couple of short sections incidental to the story， these were mostly absent。 Finally， I was also annoy I echo what others have said about this: it's not a cozy mystery， it's a regular novel with a mystery added on。 I really wanted to like this book， but it just fell short for me。 It's clearly trying to do an elder female odd couple， but for most of the book， I wondered why the two main characters didn't kill each other。 Given the title， I was also expecting more Christmasy bits， but， except for a couple of short sections incidental to the story， these were mostly absent。 Finally， I was also annoyed by the parts where the author went on about how "young people" don't do things the right way （a lecture about truth comes to mind）。 That said， the mystery is well plotted out and ties up everything well at the end。 I think if I were older and liked reading novels better， I would have enjoyed this a lot more。 。。。more
Mary Ryan
，
This was a very enjoyable cosy mystery set at Christmas time as the title suggests。 Rose and Annie join forces begrudgingly to look into what happened an old flame of Annie's many years before。 These two characters are great。 They're very different people and both set in their ways and I really liked how they bounced off each other and yet somehow get along enough to get to the bottom of things。I enjoy books that involve cold cases and this was no exception。 There are links to current activities This was a very enjoyable cosy mystery set at Christmas time as the title suggests。 Rose and Annie join forces begrudgingly to look into what happened an old flame of Annie's many years before。 These two characters are great。 They're very different people and both set in their ways and I really liked how they bounced off each other and yet somehow get along enough to get to the bottom of things。I enjoy books that involve cold cases and this was no exception。 There are links to current activities also and I enjoyed how both eventually became intertwined。 There were a lot of chuckles along the way as well as some baking references that had me salivating。 I've read a few of this authors books now and all were enjoyable pleasant reads。 Hope there's many more to come。 。。。more
Armanda Jesus
，
I hope to live so long and be so bad ass as Rose and Annie。 Specially if i can be a little bit of both。 Superb。
Kymm
，
I read a ton of cozy mysteries and have loved most of them， but the one's I enjoy the most are those with senior citizens as the amateur sleuths。 "The Twelve Suspects of Christmas" by Ana T。 Drew fit that bill perfectly。 When senior citizen Annie receives new information on the decade's old death of her beloved which has now become a cold case， she's determined to get to the truth。 The death described as an accident could now really be proven to be murder， as she's always expected and it's up to I read a ton of cozy mysteries and have loved most of them， but the one's I enjoy the most are those with senior citizens as the amateur sleuths。 "The Twelve Suspects of Christmas" by Ana T。 Drew fit that bill perfectly。 When senior citizen Annie receives new information on the decade's old death of her beloved which has now become a cold case， she's determined to get to the truth。 The death described as an accident could now really be proven to be murder， as she's always expected and it's up to her to get to the bottom of things。First， she asks soon to be licensed private investigator Rose for her help， as Rose has skills Annie can't even dream of and the two head out to finally solve this mystery。 It isn't going to be easy and some of the people they're going to need to talk with come from unscrupulous， to say the least backgrounds。 The two will talk to wealthy business owners and even the mob！ But they soon realize an underground political group with a large following may be behind the whole thing。This was a fun book to read。 It was humorous at times and very serious at others。 Nothing's better than putting a senior into a situation that only the golden years of knowledge， life and experience， plus a sharp tongue is warranted。 Annie and Rose are sleuthing partner gold！ Since I myself am now a senior I absolutely love books that showcase just how much the world needs our life experiences and， in this book， both Annie and Rose accomplish more with their senior tongues than most sleuths ever would。 Something about when the elderly talk people listen really gets to me。 It's a great book and hopefully will become a series with these two women。 Happy Reading！ 。。。more
Alayne Emmett
，
A very quirky book and at times difficult to follow。 I struggled with this one a little but， thankfully it was a fairly quick read。 Although it was a mystery it didn't grab me。 My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review。 A very quirky book and at times difficult to follow。 I struggled with this one a little but， thankfully it was a fairly quick read。 Although it was a mystery it didn't grab me。 My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Pallas
，
Decades after the event， Annie gets a postcard from her dead fiancé and now she wants to know what really happened back in 1961， she never believed it was suicide。 She enlists Rose to help her solve the case。 Despite being of similar age the two women are very different。 Rose is active and currently working to get her PI license。 A charming story with heart and a dash of Christmas spirit as well （I could have had a bit more of that）。One thing a lot of cozies suffer from are flat characters。 The Decades after the event， Annie gets a postcard from her dead fiancé and now she wants to know what really happened back in 1961， she never believed it was suicide。 She enlists Rose to help her solve the case。 Despite being of similar age the two women are very different。 Rose is active and currently working to get her PI license。 A charming story with heart and a dash of Christmas spirit as well （I could have had a bit more of that）。One thing a lot of cozies suffer from are flat characters。 The murder drives the story and the people in it are just there for the ride。 But not this one， plenty of character right from the start and I like both of the women right away， maybe Annie a little bit more， just a tiny bit。 Might not be hundred per cent a cozy， sure they are traveling around to solved an old case but not as much puzzling that you can expect from a cozy。 Annie and Rose are nice company from the first page to the last。Favorite character: AnnieDid I solve it？ Nope… 。。。more
Ulli Zaiss
，
Two septuagenarian ladies in the South of France want to find out if a suicide from 60 years ago was in fact murder。 When Anne and Rose dig deeper they find that another more recent death might be connected to the events back then。 This was the first book by the author that I read and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 The two sleuthing ladies are very entertaining and the mystery kept me guessing until the end。 I also enjoyed the setting in the south of France at Christmas and the various interesting sup Two septuagenarian ladies in the South of France want to find out if a suicide from 60 years ago was in fact murder。 When Anne and Rose dig deeper they find that another more recent death might be connected to the events back then。 This was the first book by the author that I read and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 The two sleuthing ladies are very entertaining and the mystery kept me guessing until the end。 I also enjoyed the setting in the south of France at Christmas and the various interesting supporting characters （what is up with Karl？ I wish I knew）。I received an ARC via Netgalley。com and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
BookSpokenly
，
I absolutely love a good cozy mystery and I love a good holiday story。 This was the perfect combination of both。 I was not so heavy on the Christmas aspect that it took away from the rest of the story， which I really appreciated。 In 1961， Annie’s fiancé was accused of killing his roommate and then himself， but Annie never believed the story。 She reaches out to Rose， an aspiring private investigator and doga （that’s yoga with dogs） instructor， to help her investigate the very cold case。 Set in Fr I absolutely love a good cozy mystery and I love a good holiday story。 This was the perfect combination of both。 I was not so heavy on the Christmas aspect that it took away from the rest of the story， which I really appreciated。 In 1961， Annie’s fiancé was accused of killing his roommate and then himself， but Annie never believed the story。 She reaches out to Rose， an aspiring private investigator and doga （that’s yoga with dogs） instructor， to help her investigate the very cold case。 Set in France， the atmosphere was incredible。 I was so engrossed in the story that I found myself pulling up a map to visualize all of the places in the story。 I was also a great insight into French culture， which was a really nice bonus。This was not only a very fun mystery， but also an incredibly heartwarming story。 I absolutely loved all of the characters。 It is a spin-off of another series that I have not read， but now I will absolutely be adding those to my TBR。Thank you NetGalley and the published for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Lizz Taylor
，
This is a charming historical fiction cozy murder mystery set in France that was a joy to read。 I wish it would be made into a series like Only Murders In the Building。 It has the past and present blended seamlessly together coming to a satisfying conclusion。 Rose and Annie are past retirement at an age they should be enjoying life and what is more enjoyable than solving crime？ With so many twists and turns it was difficult to put this book down。
Delphia Von Heeder
，
The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is a Province Cozy Mysteries by Ana T Drew。 2 grannies plus a decades old death equal a wonderfully fun cozy。 84 year old Annie wants to prove her former fiance， Rene， did not commit suicide。 Annie and Rose stir up tons of problems when looking into Rene's death。 I find that this mystery is excellent with terrific characters and a very good story。 I hope there are more stories with Annie and Rose。 I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily。 The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is a Province Cozy Mysteries by Ana T Drew。 2 grannies plus a decades old death equal a wonderfully fun cozy。 84 year old Annie wants to prove her former fiance， Rene， did not commit suicide。 Annie and Rose stir up tons of problems when looking into Rene's death。 I find that this mystery is excellent with terrific characters and a very good story。 I hope there are more stories with Annie and Rose。 I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily。 。。。more
Amary Chapman
，
Ms。 Drew is an author that's new to me， and I've added her books to my gotta get pile。 Her senior women investigating a decades old murder with the help of some relatives is realistically done， a whole lotta luck and some good connections。 The women， virtual strangers， ring true as to their reactions and their physical health。 This well written mystery with bits of humor is well done and I would recommend to anyone looking for a good read。 I received this book gratis to peruse and make my own d Ms。 Drew is an author that's new to me， and I've added her books to my gotta get pile。 Her senior women investigating a decades old murder with the help of some relatives is realistically done， a whole lotta luck and some good connections。 The women， virtual strangers， ring true as to their reactions and their physical health。 This well written mystery with bits of humor is well done and I would recommend to anyone looking for a good read。 I received this book gratis to peruse and make my own decision whether or not to review。 。。。more
Ana Drew
，
Ready for your new Christmas cozy mystery？ Coming October 20th！I'm thrilled about this book and can't wait for your to read it！The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is probably the most heartfelt and uplifting story I've written。Here's the blurb:Grannies， gangsters， murders—and a rollicking journey across France！It’s January 4， 1961， and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love。 It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances。Many decades later， an old Christmas post Ready for your new Christmas cozy mystery？ Coming October 20th！I'm thrilled about this book and can't wait for your to read it！The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is probably the most heartfelt and uplifting story I've written。Here's the blurb:Grannies， gangsters， murders—and a rollicking journey across France！It’s January 4， 1961， and Marseilles housemaid Annie Malian is in love。 It’s also the day her fiancé René takes his life under peculiar circumstances。Many decades later， an old Christmas postcard addressed to Annie arrives， and all her doubts come flooding back。At 84， there’s no time to waste！Annie enlists the help of Rose Tassy， an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth。Thus begins an unforgettable journey from Provence to a quaint village in Picardie and then on to the sparkling Riviera， with a detour through wintry Paris。Amid yuletide festivities， Annie and Rose navigate perilous terrain。 Their list of suspects quickly grows。 Was it Rene’s older brother？ Maybe the ex-gangster turned chicken farmer？ The powerful Monegasque tycoon？Stumped， Rose begins to question her detective mettle when a new death compounds the plot…This Christmas， will Annie receive the overdue truth as a gift？This Provence cozy stands alone within the Julie Cavallo Investigates Series。>>> $3。99 only for a very limited time。Treat yourself — you deserved it！AMAZON USAMAZON UK 。。。more
Ruth McDaniel
，
Tbh， I really thought this was a cozy mystery。 It isn't。 It's a well done novel that does contain a mystery。 More than one in fact。 This story brings together Rose， an aspiring P。 I。， and Annie， an 80+ year old woman who once had a love that ended tragically when her fiance killed himself。 But did he？ Annie doesn't believe that and she asks Rose to help her uncover the truth。 I enjoyed the flow of the book。 The characters were each very well drawn out and relatable。 The places and events were we Tbh， I really thought this was a cozy mystery。 It isn't。 It's a well done novel that does contain a mystery。 More than one in fact。 This story brings together Rose， an aspiring P。 I。， and Annie， an 80+ year old woman who once had a love that ended tragically when her fiance killed himself。 But did he？ Annie doesn't believe that and she asks Rose to help her uncover the truth。 I enjoyed the flow of the book。 The characters were each very well drawn out and relatable。 The places and events were well described and made me feel as tho I was there with them。 A couple of events in the story even made me cry （in a good way！）。I do recommend reading this book。 You'll love it。I received an ARC of this book and am leaving my voluntary review。 。。。more
Monica
，
I found the mystery of the cold case very fascinating and that drove me to finish the book even though I am not a fan of the tense it was written in。
Nancy （The Avid Reader）
，
The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is set in the world of the Julie Cavallo Investigates series by Ana T。 Drew。 Julie Cavallo is busy baking her famous pastries after all it is Christmas time so Annie Malian asks Rose Tassy， an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth to look into a cold case for her。Many years ago Annie’s fiancé René took his own life。 Annie has never believed that René took his own life。 Annie thinks he was murdered but all the evidence points to suicide。 Annie has not been The Twelve Suspects of Christmas is set in the world of the Julie Cavallo Investigates series by Ana T。 Drew。 Julie Cavallo is busy baking her famous pastries after all it is Christmas time so Annie Malian asks Rose Tassy， an eccentric retired teacher and amateur sleuth to look into a cold case for her。Many years ago Annie’s fiancé René took his own life。 Annie has never believed that René took his own life。 Annie thinks he was murdered but all the evidence points to suicide。 Annie has not been able to rest and wants the truth。Rose and Annie set out on a long perilous journey to solve a crime that happened many years ago。 Their journey could become dangerous for both of them putting their lives in jeopardy。What if the person that killed Annie’s fiancé if indeed he was murdered is still out there and will do anything to stop the truth from coming out？ What could this mean for Annie and Rose？The suspect's list is piling up。 The dangers are lurking around every corner。 Ghosts are looking over their shoulder at every turn。 Can Annie and Rose find out who was responsible for Annie’s fiancé's death？ Or will Annie and Rose end up like René？The suspense will keep you hanging on every word until the last page is read。 Oh， but will it let you go even then？ Or will it stay with you for many Christmas’s to come？I highly recommend you grab a copy of The Twelve Suspects of Christmas today！ 。。。more
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twelfth twenty fifth hour the mischief rule