'Tis the season . . . for murder.
This program features multicast narration.
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 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.
This program features multicast narration.
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 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.
Title: Home for the Homicides (Holly & Mark Mystery #1)
Author: Elle Cosimano and Hannah Norrissey
Publisher: Macmillan Audio/Minotaur Books
Expected Publication Date: October 13, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio and kindle copy of this book to listen to/read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I have so much love for this cover and that is what first drew me to the book. But then I saw a few people raving about it and knew I had to have it. And I was not disappointed in the least. It made me laugh, it made me squirm, it made me cheer on the FMC and MMC. It was fun and funny and mysteriously suspenseful all at the same time!
Big shout out to Angela Dawe, Colin Donnell, and Patti Murin for their fabulous narration. I am a huge Murin fan so I knew I would enjoy her voice but the other two narrators are new to me. All three did such a fabulous job. I loved the dual POV PLUS a narrator (who was hilarious, by the way). If you're going to do this book, I highly recommend the audio version because it will have you laughing out loud and loving the story.
This book has a bit of enemies to lovers to it, though the FMC and MMC have a bit of a background, so I would not say they are total enemies. But their banter is off the charts. It was so fun to watch them come together and then push each other away. The
y feed off each other throughout the book. Holly is snarky and focused on winning that position to get herself out of the crimes mailroom after a little mistake with some THC infused brownies. And Mark and ready to take on that new position and elevate himself to the next level. As they work the case of the dead tourist in the small town of Christmas (yes, you read that right), they realize they are even better together than apart. But only one of them can win the coveted spot on the SBI (state bureau of investigation - yes, they are constantly referred to by the side characters as the FBI and keep having to explain it!).
I loved the small town feel of this book. But also, I loved the Christmas theme. This town is full of puns and names that just make it over the top ridiculous, but in such a fun way: Jingle Bell Jubilee, Holly FROST, Ginger (the murdered tourist), John Snow (yep, hello GOT reference). This title offers a fantastic setting (definitely feels like Christmas all the time) and cleverly named characters, street names, shop names, and more. The entire story is a bit satirical, so if you're not into that skip it.
The side characters are fantastic. With tons of suspects for the murder and a surprise ending you might not see coming. Every character has such a great role in the book.
Both these authors are new to me. I've been wanting to pick up Elle Cosimano for a while so I'm glad I got the chance to read this. If you're a fan of Lucy's Score's Riley Thorn series (romantic murder mystery), books like Elle's Finlay Donovan, or even author Stephanie Plum, you're going to fall right into loving the Holly and Mark Mystery. I cannot wait for the next book as the ending definitely left room for more banter and the two main characters butting heads!
Authors:
ELLE COSIMANO is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series, which was a People magazine pick and was named one of New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2021. The third book in the series, Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun, was an instant New York Times bestseller. A TV show based on the series is now in development by Tina Fey and Lang Fisher for Peacock. In addition to writing novels for teens and adults, her essays have appeared in HuffPost and Time. Cosimano lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia.
Hannah Morrissey is a USA Today bestselling author of the Black Harbor suspense series and other gripping works of crime fiction (coming soon!). Praised for their hauntingly atmospheric settings and gritty Midwestern realism, her novels have helped define a distinct subgenre: Midwestern Noir.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studied English and Creative Writing, Hannah now lives near Milwaukee with her husband and their three mischievous pugs.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studied English and Creative Writing, Hannah now lives near Milwaukee with her husband and their three mischievous pugs.
