Home for the Homicides by Elle Cosimano & Hannah Morrissey: Book Review

Home for the Homicides is the first book in the Holly & Mark Mysteries by Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey. Expected to be released on October 13, 2026, it takes readers to a small town named Christmas. Holly Frost is tough as nails and is trying to overcome a mistake she made at work. Mark Shepherd is in the doghouse at work after going viral for a dare gone wrong. To get in their boss’s good graces, they find themselves investigating a murder in a small town where things look perfect for the holidays. But if they were perfect, how did they end up with a dead body in the nativity scene?

I want to thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Home for the Homicides. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Welcome to Christmas, a town so cozy and charming it could be the backdrop of a Hallmark movie, where crime is never in season, and it’s the holidays all year round. So when a tourist is found stabbed to death by an icicle in the middle of the town nativity scene, the local police are out of their depth—after all, how do you find a criminal in a town where crime doesn’t exist?

The stakes are the whole town is relying on Holly and Mark to solve the crime before the annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival (which naturally the town’s entire economic survival relies on), plus, whichever of them cracks the case will receive a promotion to Major Crimes—and there’s only one spot.

Holly and Mark are both on thin ice after screwing up on the job. This assignment is their one shot at redemption, if they can put aside their bitter rivalry. And of course, it’s not only their jobs on the line, it’s their hearts, too—regrets of their holiday party hookup last year haunt them like ghosts of Christmas past, so they both want to wrap up this rom-com gone wrong as quickly as possible. But with just twelve days until the festival, the countdown to catch a killer—without killing each other—is on.

My Opinions

I added Home for the Homicides to my TBR when I learned about it because it sounded like a fun holiday read. Elle Cosimano is known for the Finlay Donovan series, and Hannah Morrissey is the author of the Black Harbor series. I will admit I tried to read Finlay Donovan is Killing It twice, but I struggled to really connect with the book. And I have never heard of the Black Harbor series. So I wasn’t sure what to expect.

What did I love about the story? I loved the characters’ snark and sass. There’s something about snarky, sassy characters that makes them feel real to me. Oh wait, maybe that’s because I’m a tad snarky and sassy? The best part? The snark and sass start almost from the beginning.

Another thing I liked about the story is the seasonal setting. I mean the town is named Christmas. How can that not be fitting for a Christmas-themed story? Almost every business, street, and character in Christmas seems to have a suitable name: John Snow, Mayor Yulesky, Candace Cane, Santa’s Workshop (the town general store), Nutmeg Street.

All of that said, I was left scratching my head through most of the book. Why? I was confused about whether I was reading a mystery with a romance subplot or a romance with a mystery subplot. I know the synopsis hints that the book is a mystery. It even mentions a romantic history between Mark and Holly. But the lines were blurred quite a bit.

Another issue I had was with some of Mark and Holly’s actions. They’re supposed to be police officers, right? So why would they hire a 12-year-old hacker to help them access people’s emails and social media accounts? Why would one of them “borrow” the victim’s clothes to go on a date with a suspect?

Overall, Home for the Homicides wasn’t the hit I was hoping for. I know there are people who will love this book and overlook the issues I have with it. And that’s ok, because not everyone needs to love the same books.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.