“Twelve Drummers Drumming,” by C. C. Benison

FM's ratings:

1.      Premise 8

2.      Prose 7

3.      Plot 8

4.      Characters 7

5.      Overall 7

Comments (optional - but try to keep it under 3000 words!)

This is a pretty good Mystery flawed by oddly phrased prose and mostly indifferent characters.  The most interesting character is Sybella, the victim of the first body found who never appears in the story alive except in memories.  She is described as a “Goth” teenager on the inside of the sleeve, and I was hoping for some interesting exploration of that theme, especially since the protagonist is a priest and the title hints at a Christmas-related story.  But these elements are only briefly alluded to, and we are treated to small-town relationship issues and quirky personalities instead.  Still, the plot keeps us guessing, keeps our interest from flagging and the sum total is a clever whodunit worth the time to read if that’s what you’re looking for.