During the Holiday Season~ I Found Reading a Cold Case Mystery in A Small Town~ Was One of My Newest Traditions! Check out a review of Santa’s Secret- A Pine Bend Christmas Cold Case by Michelle Cornish Below.

by Jeneane Vanderhoof

Elise Harlow, Seattle’s number one private investigator, is off for a vacation over the holidays, drawn to Pine Bend by her best friend Christy. A town that is perfect to spend a Christmas — perfect, with its rustic charm, along with the modern comfort and amenities that it offers. And since her parents have been dead since she was a teenager and Elise hasn’t celebrated a proper Christmas in many years- this seems like the perfect place to spend Christmas. But Elise doesn’t plan on solving the mystery that hits her square in the face when she arrives. After all, she is in the room of a potential victim.

Elise checks into Pine Haven and occupies the very room that five years ago Clara Evergreen mysteriously disappeared from- one night in the forests that were named after her family. When she went missing, Clara had been on a clandestine quest, along with Nicholas, to find out more about the solstice gem that was passed down through her family- from her great-great-great grandmother Isabella to her.

When Elise gets away from the bed and breakfast, to do more during the holiday than watch her Amazon Prime account (not that all the movies, shows, and books couldn’t occupy you during a vacation)- she runs into Nicholas Winters, who is drawn to the woman staying in his lost love’s suite. Five of the town’s Christmases have passed without Clara and he misses her and all the excitement she had when the holidays came- and the whole town seems to mourn with him. However, Elise has evoked emotions in Nicholas that he had only for Clara- but she is an outsider who knows nothing of the danger that lurks in Pine Bend. As Elise begins to investigate she finds out that the killer has to be part of this wonderful community.

While out, Elise hears everyone dropping the name Clara Evergreen so, being the curious private investigator she is, she is determined to find out more. Online there is very little information about the disappearance of the women however when she goes to the local public library, while lacking the resources the investigator is used to- she finds some strange information in some personal journals of another family, the Whitman’s- who seem like rivals to the Evergreens, when Elise dives into the pages.

Not just that, the Whitmans seem to envy the attention that the Evergreens get- saying that their family has been around for as many generations as they have. Do the Whitmans have something to do with Clara Evergreen’s disappearance? Because there are jealous undercurrents evident in the pages that Elise finds- written only a few years before. But something is strange about these journals Elise found and she is determined to find out what that is.

Nicholas Winters, she finds out, has doggedly pursued Clara for the entire five years since her disappearance, his dedication to finding out what happened to the woman- unwavering. So much so the Pine Bend Chronicles label him “The Heart of Pine Bend” for his relentless search when all had given up hope- he went on. In the article, he believes that Clara can be found. However the Whitman journals label Nicholas “a phony”- like many wealthy people who come into a town and with the attitude of doing “good deeds”, take control of entire towns and things that are not theirs.

When it comes to Nicholas- has he given up hope of finding Clara, because he has met Elise? Can he move on, without knowing what has happened to the young woman he was so in love with, that disappeared without a trace- five years ago, while on her way to meet him? In the end, Elise decides that capturing the heart of Nicholas is not the most important thing, what is important is that she solves the disappearance of Clara Evergreen- learn what happened to her, if she was taken or if she left (to hide from someone)- if she met a cruel fate- whatever it happened to be- Elise wants to know.

As Elise continues to investigate, she and Nicholas draw closer together. She begins to think that if she finds out what happened to Clara Evergreen, maybe then, Nicholas will be able to move on- but will it be to Elise? And will Elise even want him, after they spend so much time together, looking into the woman he loves- and how and why she disappeared? Will Nicholas be enthralled with a woman who no longer exists in his reality- or will he be able to move on- and love Elise-

Michelle Cornish gives us a big-time mystery in the small town of Pine Bend in Santa’s Secret. It is a Pine Bend Christmas Cold Case, the first of a new series. A spicy, entertaining mystery, with characters that you will love to enjoy the holiday with- invite them in this year and take a moment to sit down with them- you’ll be glad that you did as I had such fun in Pine Bend- as Santa’s Secret, activated my Christmas seasonal spirit (as very few books can).

Thanks to Michelle Cornish as I am hopeful to have a Pine Bend Christmas Cold Case to read each year around the holiday now! What a great tradition that will be- as I don’t have any other books I read each year at this time. I’d love a series to look forward to each year, one that gets me in the spirit of the season, along with being a good read- And there seems to be a small mystery in Pine Bend left, after Elise is done with the case (see if you can pick it out in the book too).

Join me in the seasonal tradition- as we go to Pine Bend with Michelle Cornish- for a Christmas Cold case each year- Santa’s Secret, where we begin!

Merry Reading!