I picked this up expecting something fun and quick and that is what I got. Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret sits firmly in the nlight entretainment zone and I mean that in a genuinely nice way. It is the kind of book you can zoom through in an afternoon because its fun and silly and you don't have to think very hard. Sometimes that is exactly what you want and need, especially at the end of the year when your brain has quietly tapped out.
Benjamin Stevenson has an easy chatty writing style, and that is still one of the best things about this series. The narrator's voice is strong and well defined. Stevenson keeps things moving along, keeps the jokes coming and gives you just enough mystery to feel like you are solving something without ever being stressed about it.
That said, I am starting to feel like the charm of this series is wearing slightly thin. Like a lot of these cosy detective series, the more books there are, the more you feel the formula showing through. The characters still make me smile but some of the spark from the earlier books has faded a bit. I found myself caring less about the actual plot and even finding the fun approach a little less.... funny.
Still, I enjoyed it. It was exactly the right book coming into the end of a tiring year. If you go in wanting something light, warm and a bit ridiculous, it absolutely does the job. I just hope the next one shakes things up a little, because I would love to feel that early-series energy again.
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