sydney leigh | The Stiletto Gang

By Sydney Leigh

The Christmas season is approaching at an alarming speed and my brain hasn’t quite caught up. For me, the best way to settle in is with the help of a good book. There are lots of good ones to choose from but I’ve narrowed my picks down to my top three. I’m excited to share them with you.

A Nutcracker Nightmare, by Christina Romeril (Crooked Lane, 2023). This is the second book in the Killer Chocolate Mystery Series. I read the first one and loved it. It features twin sisters Hanna and Alex, owners of a bookstore/chocolate shop.

In A Nutcracker Nightmare, the twins are volunteering at a local high school reunion. A dead body is found one of the twins becomes the prime suspect. With the help of some good friends and their canine companion, Watson, Hannah and Alex must solve the case before they end up as behind bars, or worse, part of Christmas past.

There are so many things to love here, especially a small town class reunion and twin amateur sleuths!

Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas, by Vicki Delany (Crooked Lane, 2023). This is the sixth book in the Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series. If you’ve never read one of them, now’s the time. Charming, fun, and fast-paced, this series is one of my favorites when the season arrives. It takes place in Rudolph, New York, known as America’s Christmas Town, and protagonist Merry Wilkinson owns Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, a local gift shop.

In this latest book, the town is getting ready to put of musical porduction of A Christmas Carol. But friction between the cast and crew are threatening to ruin the show and things go from bad to worse when a member of the group is found dead. Suspects include Merry’s mom as well as her shop assistant, springing her into action.

A Christmas Wager, by Holly Cassidy (Putnam, 2023). Is there a better time to pick up a rom com than Christmas? My answer is no. This book is an enemies-to-lovers delight that takes place in a cozy Colorado mountain town. Take a small-town boy and pit him against a corporate city girl and the sparks fly.

Bella Ross and Jesse Harrison agree to compete in the town’s annual holiday games. Bella is visiting Maple Falls with the goal to acquire a failing Christmas shop. Jesse, the grandson of the shop’s owner, wants to stop her. With compromise out of the question, Bella and Jesse agree to compete in the games. The winner gets to decide on the price of a failing Christmas shop. But as the games begin, feelings toward each other start to get in the way. Um… yes please!

Sydney Leigh ran a seasonal business for several years, working in the summer so she could spend cold months in cool places. Now she writes modern cozy mysteries and thinks about murder. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and served on the Board of Crime Writers of Canada from 2018-2021. A Peril in Pink (Crooked Lane) comes out in March, 2024.

I’m so excited to share the cover and publication details with all of you for my new book, Peril in Pink, with Crooked Lane Books out March 19th 2024!!!

With the guests under lockdown, the B&B in the press for all the wrong reasons, and a killer on the loose, Jess is in over her head. With the help of her best friend and business partner Kat, Jess is determined to uncover the truth before Lars is put behind bars and The Pearl is permanently cancelled.

Praise for Peril in Pink:
“Peril in Pink is a fresh and fun cozy mystery that’s fast-paced and highly engaging until the very last word. With plenty of suspects to choose from and red herrings (or rosé herrings…?) to misdirect, you’ll not only be second guessing who’s committing the murders at the Pearl B&B, but also rooting for its hilarious, sassy owner Jess to solve the mystery before more bodies pile up. Sydney Leigh is an exciting new voice in crime fiction, and she delivers in spades!”
—Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of The Revenge List

“Sydney Leigh is a fabulous new voice in the world of cozy mysteries, adding a truly fun millennium touch. It’s opening day at Jess’s delightfully pink B&B, The Pearl. With all that entails, she doesn’t need ex-boyfriends, prima donna sisters-in-law, controlling managers, and a no-show opening night performer, but she pulls it off with the help of quick thinking, a great crew, a determination to make a success of her new venture, and a no-nonsense approach. But even Jess might not be able to save The Pearl when a dead body is found by the pool the following morning. I loved Jess and her friends and coworkers and even her frenemies. The untraditional B&B designed to cater to the hashtag crowd is a delight. Jess is witty and clever and loyal and definitely pretty in pink and I am greatly looking forward to checking into The Pearl once again.”
—Vicki Delany, nationally bestselling author of Death Knells and Wedding Bells

“I was tickled pink to read Leigh’s charming mystery featuring a smart and loyal heroine running an Instaworthy bed-and-breakfast. Plus, who better to solve the case than a true crime aficionado? #killervibesmystery”
—Jennifer J. Chow, Agatha, Anthony & Lefty Award-nominated author of Hot Pot Murder

So, if you think Peril in Pink is for you, please consider pre-ordering it or requesting it at your local library!

Thanks for checking it out!

Sydney Leigh spent several years running a seasonal business, working in the summer so she could spend cold months in cool places. Now she writes modern cozy mysteries and thinks about murder. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and served on the board of Crime Writers of Canada from 2018-2021.

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Peril in Pink: A New Series by Sydney Leigh!!

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