Reviews

The Skeleton Stuffs a Stocking, by Leigh Perry

jojo_k654's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

wendygwendy's review

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5.0

Love Sid. And including "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas" was icing on this cake for me. Great little mysteries. Hoping for more Sid soon

rosarita's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.0

michelleful's review

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5.0

I'm not sure if this is intended to be the last book in the series (it was published in 2019, so not inconceivable that more books could be forthcoming) but it does tie up some things very nicely, particularly in Georgia's personal life. The mystery was pretty good, and so was Team Supreme's sleuthing. As in all of the books a real-life Serious Issue (TM) crops up: the tenured and tenure-track faculty at the college Georgia is adjuncting at are going on strike. What should the adjuncts do, morally and practically speaking?

And then Sid...I'm going to miss Sid, the walking, talking skeleton who haunts cohabitates with Georgia's family, who is active on social media ("My Facebook profile says I have a cat and eyeballs. Everybody lies on the internet.") and threatens to twerk to get his own way. (He also takes online classes, though in this environment he'll probably have to take an exam proctored via webcam and the proctor will be in for a shock!) I'll probably try these out as audiobooks 5-10 years down the road.

dollycas's review

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5.0

Dollycas’s Thoughts

We meet many wonderful characters in most of the books we read, and in cozy mysteries, we meet their canine, feline and bovine friends too. But hands down Sid is my favorite character of all. This smart, savvy, witty, wonderful skeleton stole my heart back in book #1 – A Skeleton in the Family. Sid is a walking – talking – dancing skeleton that is Dr. Georgia Thackery’s best friend. Sid’s phalanges fly over the computer keyboard in his attic room, where he does his research to help Georgia solve murder mysteries. He is also quite portable in a special bag where he can stealthy see what is happening and text on his cell phone faster than I will ever be able to do with one hand. It is also not unheard of for him to don a disguise or two to help Georgia out. Sid is a character I will never forget and wish I had a Sid of my own.

This time Georgia is working at Bostock College and living with her daughter back at home with her parents. Christmas is right around the corner and it should be merry because the family is back together. But when the family dog, Byron brings home a prize bone that turns out to be a human femur (that does not belong to Sid) the merriment hits a bump in the road. Bryon becomes the star of the hour and they follow his trail to find the rest of the body. A body that may have ties to Bostock College. Hoping to wrap the case up before Christmas, Sid and Georgia use all their talents to catch a killer.

Georgia Thackery who I believe is in her early 40’s is an adjunct English professor so she goes where the job is around the New England area. Her parents are tenured professors at the local college and you can usually find a student or two at their dinner table. Georgia’s sister Deborah is a security expert and can open almost every lock. Georgia also has a teenage daughter, Madison. Sid has been a part of this household for years and is the family’s secret.

The mystery starts when the body that is found but then twists and turns with connections between the present and the past. I felt the story was very unique and was totally delighted to go along for the ride. I had completely escaped into the story excited for the big killer reveal which was great but that was surpassed by a whiplash-like twist Ms. Perry throws at us at the end. Nicely played Ms. Perry! Nicely played.

As you can imagine with a skeleton being a lead character, this story is full of humor. Readers will experience tittering, giggling, a chortle or two, and even laugh out loud moments. Ms. Perry also adds a little romance to Georgia’s life with a former character returning too. The Skeleton Stuffs a Stocking excels at everything I look for in a cozy mystery.

“Oh, my spine and femur!” This is such a fantastic book! Leigh Perry has penned a marvelous cozy mystery. With winter/Christmas as a background, readers get to follow Georgia and Sid ever step of the way. This book is classified as a paranormal or supernatural cozy mystery. I really don’t think of it that way. For me Sid just is Sid, nothing spooky or supernatural about it

werefrog's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

bookishrealm's review against another edition

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4.0

Update! Here's my full review: https://bookishrealmreviews.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-skeleton-stuffs-stocking-by-leigh.html

I received this book for review but all thoughts all my own.

This was a difficult one for me to rate because I loved the characters and the plot but the romance was not on point. I don’t think that two of the main characters could have logically fallen in love considering the circumstances so I could only give this book four stars. I lovedddd the idea that a skeleton was a main character and played such a integral role in figuring out the murder mystery. This is definitely a series that you don’t need to read in order. This is the first one that I’ve read in the entire series. I definitely want to go back and read the others. I was definitely surprised by the murderer. I had no idea that the individual would even be tied to the murder at all which means that the author kept me guessing. I’ll be doing a full review of this one so definitely keep an eye out for my update.
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