The Christmas Mystery

The Christmas Mystery, by James Patterson with Richard Dilallo, is the second of the detective Luc Moncrief series. This novella was published by James Patterson own company out of Little, Brown and Company publishing house. Bookshots are mostly ebooks, although I have one in paperback. They are novellas, less than 150 pages and less than $5.00 and are just right for people who want to read a book in a day or two.

I skipped the first of the series because I thought, what better time to read about a Christmas mystery than the week before the beloved holiday.  The book is a delightful story about a French detective and his American partner, who stamp out crime in New York City. The Frenchman, Detective Moncrief, comes from a very rich family and thinks nothing of dropping $150,000 on a painting, which he just happens to see on his lunch hour. His counterpart, K. Burke, is quite the opposite.  While he loves to spent his time walking the streets looking for trouble, she is a ‘by the book’ cop, who is concerned with paperwork.  She wants to let the boss know their actions on a case, each step of the way and Moncrief plays it fast and loose.  When he gets in trouble, Burke is always there to back him up. 

In this story, they are called on a case in which a rich debutante is murdered. The partners noticed the theft of all of the artwork that she owned and, since that was right up Moncrief's alley, they go after the thieves as well as the killers. 

As I said before, this is a delightful story, full of dry humor, for which Patterson is known. I finished the book in two sittings, only because I could not keep my eyes open.  It was impossible to put down the next day. I can’t wait to read more about this incredible duo.  I give Mr. Patterson 5 stars.