Advent Secret by Katherine Fletcher is the second book in The Thursday Book Club Mysteries, set in the lakeside town of Kettle Creek in the weeks before Christmas. Beverly Chase has church baskets to pack and baking to finish, and a murder is nowhere on her list. Then an adoption search reopens the story of a newborn found at Kettle Creek Community Church twenty-six years ago. Helena Ostrowski, an elderly parishioner, knows something about that night and wants to talk about it. When she's found dead at the bottom of the church's icy rear steps, everyone seems ready to call it an accident, but Beverly isn't so sure. With her friends Dot, Margaret and June from the Thursday Book Club beside her, and Police Chief Lou Farrell willing to listen, she starts following the clues through conflicting accounts of Helena's last days. Her estranged son has already lied about where he was, but his aren't the only secrets in town.

Advent Secret by Katherine Fletcher is a cozy, easygoing mystery with a proper puzzle at its center. The story moves day by day through Advent, so the pace is steady rather than fast, and the answers come from ordinary things like church ledgers, run sheets, and a gap of 47 minutes in the timeline. The clues feel realistic, with no wild coincidences, so readers can follow along and try to work it out alongside the sleuths. Beverly and her friends are capable, down-to-earth, and very different from one another, and watching them put their heads together over tea and cinnamon rolls adds plenty of charm. Katherine paints a lovely picture of small-town Ohio at Christmas, with snow outside, a busy church, and everyone knowing everyone else’s business, and the warmth of it makes a nice contrast with the murder at the heart of the story. The book also shows how a rumor can be repeated for years until it’s accepted as fact, and how much harm that can do. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with mature sleuths and a Christmas setting, you’ll like this one.

Katherine Fletcher’s Advent Secret returns to Kettle Creek, where Beverly Chase is helping her church prepare Christmas baskets as the congregation plans a celebration for council president Jakub Sadowski’s twenty years as committee chair. The occasion unsettles longtime volunteer Helena Ostrowski, who has been asking to speak with the pastor about something she says should have been put right years ago. An attorney’s request for records concerning a newborn found at the church during a Christmas pageant in 2000 sends Helena searching through old programs. Beverly agrees to meet with her privately, but Helena is discovered dead at the foot of the church’s rear steps before their conversation can happen. As police chief Lou Farrell investigates her death, Beverly and her friends from the Thursday Book Club begin examining records, where the accepted account leaves questions unanswered.

Katherine Fletcher’s Advent Secret is an excellent cozy mystery, brimming with the easy familiarity of a small town where friendship brings people together. The women are beautifully drawn, particularly Dot, whose firm kindness is evident when she hands Helena’s son Keith a dishcloth for his returned casserole pan. I was impressed by the intelligence behind the sleuthing, which gives every contribution real importance. June’s sharp instincts are apparent as she checks a volunteer’s memory against a maintenance log. Margaret’s meticulous nature is portrayed just as convincingly through her verification of dates for a proposed church biography. There’s genuine affection among these friends, expressed so sweetly when Dot insists Beverly sit down for lunch on a difficult day. The suspense is absolutely fantastic, with every clue finding its place in a thoroughly satisfying resolution. Readers with a taste for a truly inviting whodunit are in for a real treat. Very highly recommended.