I have read four books in this series and liked this one the least. In this outing with the Happy Hoofers, Tina, Janice, Pat, Mary Louise, and Gini are joining the Rockettes in New York City for their annual Christmas performance. Set to dance to Santa Claus is Coming to Town in 40 lb big-bellied Santa outfits, the ladies are ready to start daily rehearsals with the famous Rockettes. As usual, there is a murder shortly after the book starts, this time, the head Rockette Glenna Parsons is found dead under the stage, mangled by machinery. The show must go on, and with a new Rockette established as being in charge, the Hoofers try to prepare for their upcoming performance.

This book was extremely predictable. It was told from the point of view of Mary Louise, aka Weezie, the cook in the group. The ensuing "adventure" where more murders occur and Mary Louise is in danger just unfolded in a rather ho hum way. So, why did I finish this book. I enjoyed the travelogue part of the story. I learned about things to see in New York City that I did not know about. I also liked the recipes that were shared. I did not like the way Mary Louise was dealing with her relationships with her husband George and her "boyfriend" Mike. The way she talked about George to Mike seemed unfair as George was not aware of her relationship. This story was a very quick read, a few hours sitting in the sun in Florida. I am assuming that this is the last book in this series as it was published back in 2016. I did enjoy the first books in this series more than this one and have one prior to this that I will read to get the full picture of the stories of these five, fun and fit women.

The Happy Hoover are at it again... this time for a Christmas event that always ends in murder, at least with these girls in tow. I love these books. Gini is probably my favorite, but I love each of them for their unique personality and the level they bring to each book.

I'd like to start off by saying that I have enjoyed other books by this author, and this one was very good too. I love well-written cozy mysteries, and this author is up there with the best!

Took a while for anything to happen and when it did the first murder was a bit of an anti-climax. 
Really wasn't keen on the recipe at the end of each chapter. There are enough external things to drag a reader out of a story - I felt I didn't need a shove from inside it to break my concentration. The tips at the start of each chapter aren't exactly inspiring either; for example, one says if you don't feel like making the recipe go to a restaurant instead... I hope they were meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I have an awful feeling they weren’t.

It probably would have helped if I'd read the other books in the series first, as I might have built up a rapport with the characters, but as it was, I failed to connect with any of them. I struggled with the writing style too, and thought the dialogue and the plot rather on the weak side.

All in all, not a terribly good read for me.

This is the 5th book in the Happy Hoofers Mystery series.. This book can stand alone however I do recommend the entire series as all the books are great fun and enjoyable mysteries.
This next in series is a delight as it involves more hijinks from the ladies we love. The ladies are seniors that are great friends who happen to all enjoy being semi professional senior dancers..
In this episode the ladies are hired to do a number with the Rocketts in New York. The fun begins when dance practice includes a murder and all the ladies are in peril This is a fun read and a very enjoyable mystery series and this next in series is a delight. Thank you for the advance reading copy that did not influence my review. Cross posted on Amazon .

I enjoyed the previous books in this series but this one fell short.

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides is the fifth installment in the Happy Hoofers Mystery series. Written by Mary McHugh, this series is about five friends in their fifties who are quasi-professional dancers. In this book, they have somehow gotten hired to do a number with the Rockettes in New York, and on the first day, they find a less then warm welcome from the regular dancers. Things actually get worse when the director, Glenna, gets murdered, and every time Mary Louise gets a dancer to confide in her and help her with clues to the identity of the murderer, that dancer ends up murdered herself.

All five friends, Mary Louise, Tina, Janice, Gini, and Pat are excited to dance with the Rockettes, and must travel to New York to practice and exercise daily. The new director, Marlowe, is negative and obviously against the Hoofers dancing with them. She prides herself in making it difficult for the friends to compete. Besides trying to solve the murder, all five friends have things going on in their personal lives. As in most mysteries, the main characters are generally endangered, and these amateur sleuths, especially Mary Louise, just may be the next target.

Since this is a cozy, there is no graphic sex, violence, or language, but that doesn’t prevent suspense from building. The novel is lighthearted and fun, yet serious enough to keep readers interest. Even though the dancing takes center stage, this can also be considered a culinary mystery, and there are some mouthwatering recipes to cook at the end.

Although the book is well-written, the story-line isn’t particularly viable, and the murderer’s identity isn’t hard to guess. However, there are enough twists, turns, and surprises to keep readers wondering if they got it right until the very end. High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides is a nice addition to the series; it’s a fast and lighthearted read, and is suitable for most ages of suspense/mystery lovers.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.