Hi to all of you,

Maude here. Maude Merriwether.

I’m very flattered to be asked to tell you about my day, my days really, as they pertain to the latest Flo and Maude Christmas Cozy: Mrs. Claus Needs a Hand. Flo is the real spokesperson for our group—the Old Dames Protection Agency—and I am mostly a Watson to her Sherlock Holmes. Kate is the youngest member of our group, and she’s our bodyguard.

Anyway, it seems they are both indisposed at the moment, so I am very glad to stand in for them and talk to you about our second Christmas adventure in Naples, Florida. I’m sure many of you know that area well. I had never been there before, but I thoroughly enjoyed the warm weather for the holidays and the mostly friendly people.

Flo was thrilled to be called upon to prevent two murders during one holiday season. She worries a lot about the organization and wonders if it will survive another year. It started the year she successfully saved me from an almost certain death, and I think it’s thriving. But then, I’ve always been the optimist in our small group.

I’ve known Flo since college and was delighted when she asked me to be part of her team. She said I had a gentle touch that could be very helpful at times. Flo has many fine qualities but a gentle touch is not one of them. She said I could get blood from a turnip, meaning I could find out someone’s life story in a matter of minutes. I guess that’s true.

I’ve never been a person who wished to be in the limelight. Listening has always been my preference. People rarely take offense at me. Sometimes they don’t even notice I’m around, and that lets me get a lot of information. Long story short, I think I did help Flo with this case.

In this particular story, Flo met her match, her doppelgänger, in the form of Lillian who was very much in danger. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen two curmudgeons try to deal with one another, but it is quite a sight. What I’ve learned over the years is that people who don’t play well with others often have a wound they are trying to hide. That was certainly the case with Lillian. She had more than one wound as it turned out, but I don’t want to spoil the story. Suffice it to say, she did tell me her life history and that helped us discover who wanted her dead.

Mrs. Claus is actually a wonderful woman who goes by Grace or Gracie when she isn’t playing the role of Mrs. Claus. She also happens to be the grandmother of Max, Kate’s very serious boyfriend, and it was her neighbor Lillian who needed our help. All of that is to say we had a grand time at Christmas and saved another life along the way. I think if you need a little Christmas spirit this holiday season, Mrs. Claus Needs a Hand might provide it.

Happy Holidays!
Maude

Giveaway: Sarah has generously offered to give away one signed copy of Mrs. Claus Needs a Hand. To enter, please leave a comment below. One entry per person and the giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only. Giveaway ends November 17, 2023. Good luck everyone!

Mrs. Claus Needs a Hand, A Flo and Maude Christmas Cozy Mystery Book #4
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: November 2023
Format: Digital
Purchase Link

Octogenarian Flo, founder of the Old Dames Protection Agency, has a second case to solve this holiday season. She is over the moon. Preventing two murders in one season is beyond her wildest expectations. The other members of her organization are equally delighted. Maude, also in her eighties, is quite happy to stay in Naples, Florida for a second case and a warm Christmas. Young Kate, honorary member and body guard, is thrilled they will be spending time with Kate’s new boyfriend and his grandmother, who is known as Mrs. Claus to everyone in her condo building.

Flo stays focused on her mission. Someone is threatening a neighbor of Mrs. Claus, and the suspects are many. It seems the neighbor, a woman in her sixties, can be as outspoken and curmudgeonly as Flo herself. How will these two women reconcile their differences—or is it their similarities— in order to prevent one untimely death?

Check out the other Flo and Maude Christmas Cozies, which can be read in any order. They make the perfect holiday gift for women of a certain age who want to see themselves in print.

About the author
Sarah Osborne is the pen name for a writer and retired physician who has lived all over the United States and now resides on Cape Cod. She loves to read cozy mysteries for the comfort they provide and loves to write them for the same reason. She also likes to give women their due, especially older women, who can sometimes be underestimated.