Gingerdead Man is the 7th book in the 'A Five-Ingredient Mystery' series. I picked up this series with Crypt Suzette (book 6), which I thoroughly enjoyed. In this fabulous cozy mystery, Val Deniston is looking forward to Christmas in Bayport, Maryland. Val and her granddad, Don, are taking part in the Dickens holiday festival, serving teas and homebaked gingerbread at a private party to the costumed revellers. But when this year's stroppy Santa keels over, dead, Val and Don must find the killer before (s)he strikes again... This Christmas themed cozy was right up my street, with its well-drawn characters, exciting plot and a wonderful setting. I was especially fond of Val and her Grandad Don and how well they got along together. It was refreshing to have a male assistant amateur-sleuth in Grandad Don as most cozies tend to focus on female sleuths. Protagonist Val also runs the Cool Down Café at the local athletic club, as well as being kept busy with other catering jobs. When a local man, in addition to her dear friend Bethany, are poisoned with chocolates Val knows she's got to get to the bottom of the deadly goings-on, quick. Maya Corrigan's writing style continued to impress me and the story was amusing and easy to follow. Narrator Val is a great character and I loved her determination and her common-sense approach. The author delightfully conveyed the tastes the Festive season has to offer, and I was desperate to try a gingerbread cookie myself! The mystery aspect was great with plenty of opportunities for armchair detectives to play along. Abundant clues were scattered around and I found myself caught out by the clever misdirection a few times. As the reveals unfolded everything started to gel together into a splendid read. This tremendously good novel was a hit for me and I am looking forward to reading book eight, as well as reading some of Maya Corrigan's back catalogue. If you adore a fantastic cozy mystery with oodles of scrumptious sounding recipes and foodie references, don't miss out on Gingerdead Man. Maya Corrigan includes several five-ingredient recipes at the back of the book and they all sound absolutely yummy. I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.