The first thing you might be wondering is how I ended up in Christmastown. Typical story, really. Widowed thirty-something running her own business—in my case the charming Coast Inn located on the Oregon coast—meets tall, broodingly handsome stranger on vacation. They fall in love. After a whirlwind courtship, the man makes a confession: He’s Santa Claus.
Okay, maybe the Santa Claus part isn’t typical. I know it threw me for a loop.
I married Nick Claus and now I live in Castle Kringle just outside Christmastown, in Santaland. My name is April, which is the first indication that I wasn’t born to live in a world of elves, snowmen, and never-ending reindeer games. I’m also allergic to the cold, but with the help of blazing fires, endless hot beverages, carbs galore, and a wardrobe of boiled wool and down, I’m adapting.
Nick and I are far from alone in the castle. Nick’s mother, Pamela, a knitting and baking dervish, is the clan matriarch and keeps the castle running with relentless cheeriness. There are also two other Claus siblings, as well as Nick’s nephew, Christopher, and Christopher’s recently widowed mother, Tiffany, a former competitive ice skater you might have seen twirling across your television screen in her heyday. A host of elves make up the castle’s staff, including Jingles, our invaluable steward. Oh, and Nick’s sister, Lucia, has a reindeer friend, Quasar. He lives in the castle, too.
Though Clauses are like royalty in Santaland—imagine the House of Windsor, only icier—Nick is encouraging family members to join the twenty-first century and make themselves useful. My particular job is to schedule the many musical entertainments during the holidays, so part of my day is devoted to various bands, singers, elf cloggers, and even a reindeer bell choir. Nick and I also preside at charitable events, ribbon cuttings, and contests.
The annual ice sculpture contest a few days ago was where all the trouble began. One amateur sculptor, a cranky elf named Giblet Hollyberry, didn’t react well to his second-place finish in the competition, which Nick judged. Giblet threw all sorts of accusations at Nick, even calling him a murderer. The next morning the elf sculptor was dead under very suspicious circumstances. When a snowman who might have witnessed the killer leaving Giblet’s cottage the morning of the murder fell victim to a vicious blowtorch attack, it was obvious that a Christmastown crime spree was underway. And who’s the most likely suspect? My husband, Santa Claus.
What’s even more troubling is that I keep stumbling across clues that point to Nick as the murderer, but I’m sure he’s innocent. I’ve made some whopper mistakes in my life, but I’m pretty sure I’d know if I’d married a homicidal Santa. Unfortunately, the law in Santaland is represented by Constable Crinkles, who is more Keystone Cop than Hercule Poirot. With the biggest holiday of the year only days away, I need to roll up my wooly sleeves, put on my detective cap, and get to work to save Nick’s reputation, our marriage, and maybe Christmas itself.
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win one (1) print copy of Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings, limited to U.S. residents. Giveaway ends October 1, 2020. Good luck everyone!
Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings is the first book in the NEW “Mrs. Claus” cozy mystery series, released September 29, 2020.
It’s the first Christmas in Santaland for April Claus—but it may also be her last unless she can uncover a villain with a killer Christmas wish. . . .
Love is full of surprises—though few compare to realizing that you’re marrying the real-life Santa. April Claus dearly loves her new husband, Nick, but adjusting to life in the North Pole is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous elf named Giblet Hollyberry is killed—felled by a black widow spider in his stocking—shortly after publicly arguing with Nick.
Christmastown is hardly a hotbed of crime, aside from mishaps caused by too much eggnog, but April disagrees with Constable Crinkle’s verdict of accidental death. As April sets out to find the culprit, it’ll mean putting the future of Christmas on the line—and hoping her own name isn’t on a lethal naughty list . . .
About the author
Liz Ireland, author of the Mrs. Claus mystery series, grew up in Texas, where she enjoyed a childhood of green Christmases. She also writes historical mysteries under the pen name Liz Freeland and women’s fiction as Elizabeth Bass. She’s a member of Crime Writers of Canada, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. Liz currently lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
All comments are welcomed
Definitely a book i would enjoy!!
Thank you for the giveaway…
That’s great! Glad the story appeals to you!
It might be a little early for a book that is related to Christmas but this one may be an exception. Thanks for sharing it with us. My fingers are crossed.
If you win, you can save it for December!
I really liked the synopsis. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for leaving a comment, Diana.
I can’t wait to read this! 😀
I hope you’ll enjoy it!
This looks to be a great read for the holidays. Can’t wait to read it.
Thanks, Brenda!
Happy Book Birthday! Saw this on Facebook and it looks fantastic. I usually don’t read Christmas books, listen to Christmas music, or watch Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving, but this year, I NEED Christmas so anything goes! 🙂
Thank you, Stacey! I think everyone needs a little Christmas early this year!
I’m intrigued! Looking forward to getting this one to find out who done it.
Thank you, Ashley. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
This sounds delightful! (And the cover is cute and eye catching!) I would love to win a copy, and I will definitely be reading this.
Thank you, Barbara. I love the cover, too!
This sounds like a lot of fun. I’d definitely like to read this and visit Santaland.
Thanks, Alicia!
Special and wonderful giveaway. Love to enjoy this book.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
Happy Book Birthday! This sounds like a cozy series that would be fun to read!
Thank you, Nancy! It’s been fun to write, so I hope readers will enjoy it.
Thanks, Nancy! It’s been a fun series to write (I’m just finishing up Mrs. Claus #2), so I hope readers will enjoy it.
With a title like that it’s a must read!
Glad you like the title, Melissa!
I really enjoy Christmas Themed mysteries. Love the title. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Thanks, Dianne. This was one of those rare times when I thought of a title before I even had a plot.
This sounds absolutely delightful! And now I’m wondering what elf cloggers would do in their act. Congratulations on the new series! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com
Thank you! And the elf cloggers also thank you for your interest–they get so little respect in Santaland!
Sounds like a great Christmas book. Sounds like a great new series.
Sounds like a great read! Thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you, Rebekah!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
LOL! Back at ya, Amy!
Mrs. Claus never got enough attention! She deserves her own series!
I’ve been hearing the “buzz” for this book and would love to win it!
Thanks for commenting, Linda. I’m so happy there’s buzz!
This sounds like a book I would like. Thank you for this chance to win.
Thank you!
This sounds like it’s going to be a fun series, love the idea!
Thank you!
Sounds like a fun read!
Thank you, Mary!
Sounds interesting! Thanks for the chance!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, Jess!
Sounds like a fun Christmas story. Like April, I wouldn’t want to live at the North Pole either!
This book sounds like it would be hysterically funny! That’s just what I need right now. How you came up with the idea for this book is beyond me. However, I am glad you did.
It’s been a fun series to write, Debbie. I get a kick out of thinking up the names of elves and places in Santaland.
Yes please, I love these holiday themed stories. It’s always fun trying to find out which character will end up on the naughty list.
There are quite a few cozy holiday mysteries coming out this week. I’m loading up my TBR list!
Sounds like a very “cool” holiday read. Thinking of Christmas already to have more positive things on our mind! And this book is one of the things that will give us lots of diversion from the norm these days from the sounds of it! Would be delighted to win this! Thank you!
Cynthia B
We need a little Christmas right this very minute!
Now, that is a novel idea! (Sorry, couldn’t resist)
Ha! Thank you!
Sounds like a fun read. Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
The book looks fantastic. Congratulations, Liz!
Thank you, Jackie!
Living in a castle in Santaland sounds pretty neat.
I agree, Jana. I wouldn’t mind some elf support staff, either!
I love the name of the characters. Sounds like fun.
Thank you, Rochelle!
Sounds like a fun read
Thank you, Kerry!
Sounds like an interesting book, especially for Christmas. Also, it’s something different, which I am looking forward to.
Thanks for leaving a reply!
This sounds like such a unique & fun book! I love to read holiday themed books during the holidays.
**** WINNER ****
Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings is Debbie Bishop
Congratulations!