Dolls and doll houses and not-so-nice family members are dominate themes throughout. A new toy store is opening near Molly's bookshop and Molly is determined to make Charlotte, the store's owner, welcome. Molly and her mother operate the Thomas Marlowe-Manuscripts and Folios bookstore and she's quick to see where she can tie her shop into not only the Christmas season but with Charlotte Pemberly's shop, which she inherited from her grandfather. Molly is immediately charmed by an intricate dollhouse which comes to play a role of sorts in the story. She's not so happy to stumble across and nearly dead man in the toy shop's back room. Seems Barnaby has been poisoned by sweet treats supposedly from Molly's friend Daisy's shop. Needless to say, both Charlotte and Daisy are suspects. As it turns out, there's a long list of suspects, many related to Charlotte's grandfather, Arthur.
I won't detail the plot, which seems to focus on the disappearance of a valuable collector's doll, and the hostility of the family to Charlotte. They believe she's stolen their inheritance. Of course, there is much more to the story, including family squabbles, budding romances, playful pets, and the delightful scenes of Cambridge during the holiday season. Heck, Molly, despite some initial stage fright, even gets involved in a madrigal. She has an alternative motive, however. Well, beside doing it with boyfriend, Kieran. In the process of trying to sort of the murders, yes, plural, you'll learn quite a bit about not just Christmas in England but the history of doll houses. For instance, Queen Mary's Doll House in Windsor dates to the early 1920's and was a gift at a time doll houses were not cheap. Think pre-mass production methods.
Bottom line, while a bit mystified by Molly's immediate obsession with the investigation since she'd barely met Charlotte, I enjoyed the book. Loved their secret code. Grin. The characters, even the not-so-nice ones, are fairly well-rounded and the regulars, of course, continue to evolve and become only more likable. Molly's family ties are complicated but we see that relationship evolving, too. The pets are even nicely rounded although I won't share their antics here. As for whodunit, I sort of knew but didn't know, which makes little sense until you read the book. Give it a read. It flows and is well written with great characters in a lovely setting. My thanks to #St.Martin'sPress - #Minotaur for giving me an early peek at Molly and Kieran's first Christmas in Cambridge. Heck, we even got to spend some time hobnobbing with students at college.
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