Case of the Holiday Hijinks

Corgi Case Files, Volume 3

By: Jeffrey M. Poole

Narrated by: Bob Johnson

Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

There’s a Grinch in Pomme Valley! Someone is stealing presents right from under the noses of unsuspecting homeowners and leaving no trace of how he broke in. And, to make matters even more baffling, he’s stealing only presents!

Corgis Sherlock and Watson are on the case! Accompanied by their reluctant human, Zack, the unlikely trio must find out who’s responsible for the thefts and stop him before anyone gets hurt. The townsfolk are scared. City officials are nervous. Can Zack and the dogs put a stop to this crime spree before Christmas is ruined for everyone?

©2016 Jeffrey M. Poole (P)2018 Jeffrey M. Poole

Catching the Grinch!

In <strong>Case of the Holiday Hijinks</strong> by Jeffrey M. Poole, Zack Anderson is approaching his first Christmas in Pomme Valley, and he is facing pressure from his parents to return to Phoenix for the holiday. But the widower doesn't want to face the city where his wife was killed a year earlier, so he resists them. Besides, he has recently started a new relationship with a widow, Jillian, and he wants to spend Christmas with her. So Zack's parents decide to spend Christmas with him instead and surprise him by showing up in Pomme Valley early to do a surprise inspection of his new life.

In the meantime, Zack's police officer friend Vince asks for the help of Zack's corgi Sherlock, who has a gift for sniffing out clues, in a case that is stumping the police. Someone has broken into the house of a low-income family and stolen all the presents from under their Christmas tree and nothing else. The only thing Sherlock seems to pay attention to is the Christmas tree itself, but that tells Zack and Vince nothing. As the break-ins continue, with only Christmas presents getting stolen, they become further puzzled, and one case turns violent. So Zack and Vince must hurry to find the culprit.

<strong>Case of the Holiday Hijinks</strong> was an interesting, well- written book. It has a good plot and creative characters that you want to get to know. I particularly liked the way that the book introduced the back story with Zack's telling his story to a friend instead of making the details seem like a back story. I do recommend that you read the first two books in the Corgi Case Files series before this third book, which gives away some details of the previous books that you might prefer to wait to learn while reading those books. However, you can easily read this book without the prior two and not feel at all lost.

Bob Johnson performs the audio edition of this book. With Zack's serving as the book's narrator, Johnson portrays the writer and amateur detective realistically and effectively. I felt that I could picture Zack clearly while listening to the book. With strong expression, Johnson balances the strength of this book by providing an excellent performance.

<strong>Case of the Holiday Hijinks</strong> was a fun book to listen to and has some creative elements. I appreciated the development in the relationship between Zack and his parents and the development of Zack's character as we see him bond further with his adopted town and show real generosity to those in need. I give this book five stars!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free for review purposes, but that had no effect on the content of my review.

Sherlock and Watson get the grinch...

Another enjoyable installment of the Corgi Case Files. This time the 2 lovable corgis and their human companion are on the trail of a real grinch... someone who steals the Christmas presents from under the trees.

Jeffrey M. Poole has written a cute cozy mystery. I love the humor woven throughout. Bob Johnson did a marvelous job with the narration.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Pretty Good

This is a pretty good book. The characters are engaging and the pacing of the story is fast. It's a short, quick, enjoyable, cozy mystery. I like the narrator. He did a good job giving the different characters a separate voice. I'll get the next book in this series.

Sherlock Hunts the Grinch

A string of Christmas present burglaries has Sherlock, Watson and their owner hot on the trail of their own Grinch. This Christmas mystery will warm your heart, tickle your love of mysteries and put a little Christmas spirit in your heart. There are references to the earlier books in the series but if you haven't read them, never fear, it stands well on its own.\
A heartwarming Corgi mystery for Christmas or any time. I loved it.

Fun listen

Short sweet audible. Wonderful storyline and well written. The hero's of this story, two Corgi's that will capture your heart.

Bob Johnson is perfect for this audible making for a very enjoyable listen

I received this audible free at my request. I'm glad to be able to provide my review.

audiobook

I already love the books. the narrator does an awesome job. gives the people a little more individuality than I imagined. and the proper pronunciations of some places and names.

Seasonal Sleuthing!

I enjoy this series more with each book. Yes, author Jeffrey Poole carefully crafts them to provide whatever background is needed for the current story but there is a great deal of fun in knowing the details! The mummy story had some truly classic references (pun fully intended!). Pack initiations aside, our hero seems to have taken the time to learn how to handle his fluffy puppies so they are actually useful despite a lack of formal police/investigation training, and the humans are generally intelligent in their gathering of facts and information. Meanwhile, narrator Bob Johnson makes full use of the comedic elements that had me laughing out loud as I listened (with my new headphones--thanks, Santa!). Okay, now anxiously awaiting the next tale!

A light holiday read

If you enjoy a good cozy with dogs, this one's for you. The mystery was somewhat diluted by Zack's family and romantic issues, but the Corgis are, as always, entertaining.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from AudiobookBoom and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

A great amateur detective novel....

Case of the Holiday Hijinks is a very enjoyable cozy mystery. It is the third book in the series, but I haven't read the first two, and I had no difficulty following the story line. I enjoyed Holiday Hijinks so much, that I plan to read the first two in the series soon. This story features Zach, the owner of a winery who hates wine, a romance novelist who hides his identity, and the owner of two corgis names Sherlock and Watson. Sherlock has an excellent sniffer, and the police ask for Zach and Sherlock's help in solving a recent spree of Christmas present burglaries. Although, in true cozy fashion, a large part of the story involves Zach's relationships with his fellow citizens of Pomme Springs, the story also has an excellent mystery, the motive behind which had me stumped until the end.

Bob Johnson's narration was excellent. His voice is smooth and relaxing, and he adds just the right emotion level to each scene. The book is told from Zach's point of view, so Johnson didn't really differentiate much between female and male characters. I actually enjoyed this style more because it felt like he was telling a story. Overall, this was a fabulous story and production.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

Fun take

When someone starts stealing presents and leaving no trace, Corgi's Sherlock and Watson are on the case to figure out whose behind the Christmas thefts. I mean really! Nice way for the crooks to get on Santa's naughty list. Eventually, they even enlist their very own reluctant owner Zach, to help them out. It was funny and the corgis were adorable sleuths and you like the characters they came across and how the story unfolded. The audible version is really good and you enjoyed the performance as well as the story. So when you get a chance pick up a copy and enjoy

"I was provided this audio book at no charge by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBoom dot com".