Publication Date: January 18, 2014
Melissa Morris has an annual day as a Christmas tradition, when she cooks a lavish seafood dinner for friends. While shopping for seafood she runs into a former sorority sister and gets caught up in an avalanche of events that takes her to the far flung reaches of New York City.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B00A8J1430″ locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Jewish Christmas: A Melissa Morris Short Story (Melissa Morris Detective Series)[/easyazon_link] is a 19-page short story. Jewish Christmas, as laid out in the story, takes place on December 24th, while the events of the story take place on December 26th.
Melissa has fallen into financial dire straits. Throughout much of the 19-page-story, Melissa laments what she once had or aspired to and can no longer afford. Melissa has fallen down to boxed wines that she’ll pour into empty bottles for the seafood dinner. At one point in the story, she reflects on her downward slide of her gym membership to the point where she no longer has one because she can no longer afford it. Her focus on and obsession with the superficial was especially wearing on this reader.
In fact, Schwartz never delves into the Melissa character deeply enough for readers to do anything more than roll their eyes at her incessant whining. Her friends Carol and Barbie are illustrated though their stereotypes. Carol through her doctor husband and baby bump, and Barbie by way of her tight dress. Barbie is clearly the one that will spell trouble for Melissa. There is a Melissa Morris series and [easyazon_link identifier=”B00A8J1430″ locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Jewish Christmas: A Melissa Morris Short Story (Melissa Morris Detective Series)[/easyazon_link] reads like a happy gift for fans of that series and not for those first encountering the series like this reviewer. [easyazon_link identifier=”B00A8J1430″ locale=”US” tag=”rabidreaders-20″]Jewish Christmas: A Melissa Morris Short Story (Melissa Morris Detective Series)[/easyazon_link] hints a more interesting story surrounding its heroine but does not deliver within its short confines.
If you’re looking for a holiday story with a twist and are already a fan of the Melissa Morris series, pick this story up today. If you’d like to give the Melissa Morris series a shot, I suggest starting with a different work.
Read an excerpt and pick up Jewish Christmas by Jasmine Schwartz today on:
Amazon U.S. • Amazon U.K. • Amazon Canada
For more information about Jasmine Schwartz, visit her website. You can connect with her on Goodreads.