My first holiday story of the winter season! Yes, I know it's only October but they're being released already. smh Anyway, this story, though set at Christmas, doesn't revolve around Christmas but the holiday does add a little flavor to the story.

"Death of a Toy Soldier" introduces us to the McCall family - retired police chief Hank McCall, his daughter Liz, her brother Parker, and Parker's wife Cathy. Liz and Cathy help Hank run his toy store. Hank, though officially retired, can't quite keep out of business police and has a habit of making citizen's arrests. This time however he would need to arrest himself for a murder that occurred at his shop, where he's found standing over the body. Hank and Liz, with assistance from Parker and Cathy plus an old flame of Liz's, set about trying to solve the murder and some other, possibly related, mysteries.

Though definitely a cozy mystery, "Death of a Toy Soldier" is not cute, and I liked that. Some cozies try too hard to be cute. This was a cozy in the true sense of being solved, partially anyway, by an amateur sleuth. Liz is an amateur even if her father isn't but neither has any official standing to be solving crimes. Liz is funny, smart, skeptical, and not too proud to ask for help; Hank is sneaky, persistent, a pun connoisseur, and unwilling to let go of what he sees as better days. They work together well even though they sometimes keep secrets from each other. Cathy is more comic relief but she is enthusiastic and also capable of being sneaky.

"Death of a Toy Soldier" gave us a complicated and twisty mystery, entertaining characters (I hope we see more of the sisters, Irene and Lenora. I loved the Arsenic & Old Lace references), a hint of paranormal, some romance, and a good set-up for future stories. It was interesting learning more about old toys and I love the idea of the weekly board game nights the store has. "Death of a Toy Soldier" is a good start to a new series and I'm looking forward to more.

This is such a friendly read that I fell in love with Liz, her dad, her sister-in-law and the people they interacted with in this delightfully entertaining whodunit. Who murdered the dead man found in their store? Is his death related to the demise of his employer? Who is he? These are the predicaments facing Liz and her retired police-chief dad as they seek clues to these questions and what they find is a trail of intrigue involving vintage toys, dysfunctional family members, inquisitive neighbors and a haunted house or is it?

This was a nicely done put together light drama that had a comfortable tone and had a nice tempo to the way the story was presented. The mystery was very satisfying as it kept me reading and I enjoyed the mini-plots contained within the narrative. Who killed the man? Well, the author did a great job in providing a slew of people who could have done it, but it was the dogged pursuit from our heroine that made this an enticing tale that kept me engrossed in all the action. I enjoyed getting to know a little about the main characters and the role they played in unmasking the killer, and boy was that an interesting discovery. Boasting a lovable cast of characters, engaging dialogue and the perfect backdrop of a vintage toy shop, this was wonderfully lovely story and I can’t wait to read about their next adventures.