Just an off-the-wall thought. I have problems with romances in which there are too many misunderstandings. There are tropes in some cozy mysteries that I object to – the romantic triangle that goes on too long; the amateur sleuth who ignores her business for the sake of an investigation. But, I had no problem at all suspending disbelief to read Liz Ireland’s Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings about an innkeeper from Oregon who marries Nick Claus, moves to the North Pole, and lives in a community filled with elves, talking reindeer, and snowmen who can move around the community. No problem believing all of that at all. Must have been the TV shows I watched as a kid, such as “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. There are even snow monsters at the North Pole! But, April Claus doesn’t want to believe her husband killed his older brother in order to become Santa Claus.

An elf named Giblet Hollyberry comes in second in the ice carving competition, and hints publicly that Nick was responsible for his brother, Chris’, death. Then, Giblet himself dies, killed by a black widow spider. And, the Hollyberry family suspect Nick. While Nick brushes off all the accusations and gossip, saying it’s December, and they have more important things to do in Santaland than gossip, April worries. Right after Giblet’s death, April saw Old Charlie, a snowman, on the move. Now, Charlie is also dead, melted by someone. Even Chris’ widow tells April she thinks Nick wanted Chris’ position as head of the family. April knows better. She met Nick at the inn she owns in Oregon, and when he finally proposed, he assured her it was a temporary position, just ten years until Chris’ son, Christopher, inherits the Santa position. But, April sees Constable Crinkles, and doesn’t trust him to find the real killer. And, she’s afraid the gossip and rumors will destroy the Claus family and Christmas.

Although the detective assigned the case, Jake Frost, asks April to stay out of his investigation, she admits “Nothing taunts me like a mystery.” And, she feels out-of-place at the North Pole where everyone else has a real job. She misses her inn, and her actual job there. She’s a bust as chair of entertainment committees. She’s always missing appointments, and disappointing her mother-in-law. April isn’t exactly what everyone expects of Mrs. Claus. And, as she asks too many questions, she’s disappointing Nick as well. But, April is determined to prove it wasn’t Nick Claus behind the Santaland murders.

As unlikely as this entire background sounds, Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings is not a children’s book. It’s a solid, well-plotted mystery. There’s just a cast of characters a little more unusual than in most mysteries. You just have to suspend disbelief. But, it’s the time of year to do that, isn’t it?

Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland. Kensington Books, 2020. ISBN 9781496726582 (paperback), 289p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I own a coy of the book.