I have to suspend disbelief to read a mystery series set in Santaland where an innkeeper from Oregon is married to Santa Claus and lives in Castle Kringle with the Claus family. I am such a sucker for Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus series, including the seventh one in the series, Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Mrs. Claus has a full schedule that she can’t keep straight. She’s the volunteer stage manager for the Christmastown Players’ production of “A Christmas Carol”. She’s in the local band, and has to come up with a riddle for the first scavenger hunt. On top of that, someone leaves a baby girl elf in a basket on the castle’s doorstep. The note is addressed to her, saying the baby’s name is August because Mrs. Claus’ name is April.
While everyone is the castle expects Mrs. Claus to take Augie to the local orphanage, she’d rather use her detecting skills and find the baby’s mother. But, the longer Augie is around the family, the more everyone falls in love with the little girl, including April and her husband, Nick.
The secret of baby Augie’s identity isn’t the most dangerous mystery is Christmastown. At first, it seems as if there are just accidents involving the elf playing Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol”. When he dies after the third incident, Mrs. Claus is suspicious of everyone who was hanging out in the theater. Because she questions everyone who might have been involved, Mrs. Claus just might become the next ghost in the local production of “A Christmas Carol”.
I’ll admit Mrs. Claus is a little too suspicious, and accuses a number of elves of being a murderer. The killer ending and the humor make up for her poor sleuthing skills. I expected someone else to be the victim, and the ending was a surprise. The author did an excellent job of misdirection. The elves are funny, and no one spreads rumors as quickly as an elf. Then, there’s Jackson Frost. He’s only four months old, but the infant son of Claire and Jake Frost is so much like his father, the private detective. Every scene with Jackson is funny.
If you can suspend disbelief, and enjoy elves, reindeers and the Claus family, you might want to try Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus mysteries.
Liz Ireland’s website is https://lizireland.wordpress.com/
Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland. Kensington, 2026. 272p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
