Santa Claus is coming to town—so who killed him?
The Silly Season has arrived in Cape Discovery! Tessa Wakefield’s a softie and can’t say no to acting as one of Santa’s elves in the annual holiday parade. But when the jolly guest of honour topples off his sleigh and kicks the bucket on the town’s main street, all of Santa’s little helpers come under suspicion.
Tessa’s determined not to trade her Santa hat for her sleuthing one. Christmas is only twelve days away, and Tessa doesn’t have time for murder. She’s too busy baking sugar cookies and spreading holiday cheer to the last-minute shoppers at her bustling yarn store. But even the loudest Christmas carols can’t drown out the hum of local gossip or dampen Tessa’s curious spirit, and she finds herself tangled in a murder investigation with all the yuletide trimmings.
Is Mrs. Claus a grieving widow or a Kris Kringle killer? Did the Grinch ruin Christmas once and for all? Why is Rudolph so nosey? What deadly secrets are the Christmas Fairy and Frosty hiding? Can Tessa figure out who slayed Santa before Christmas morning? She ho-ho-hopes so, otherwise a lump of coal in her stocking won’t be the only lump she receives.
Fancy a trip to New Zealand? The Knitty Kitties series is set in beautiful New Zealand with a host of quirky characters, hilarious shenanigans, and more cats and knitting than you can shake a needle at!
Review:
Another adorable cozy installment in Tracey Drew‘s Knitty Kitty Mystery series–this time with New Zealand holiday flair!
Once again, Tessa Wakefield finds herself a witness to murder–this time it’s the local businessman who is playing Santa for the holiday parade–and yes, he keels over in front of an audience! Ms Drew does a nice job of throwing in just enough red herrings and false leads to keep the reader guessing, right up until the end. (I have to admit, this time I did guess who it was, but not exactly why. Pay attention to who’s wearing what at the parade, is all I have to say ;))
Everyone’s favorite felines have a new “sibling” and just wait until you see who he is…and there’s just enough adorable pg-rated snogging with Tessa’s new beau to keep even readers who don’t live in the southern hemisphere warm this season. <3
(Can I just say–you’re missing nothing not having Christmas in the winter, Tessa. Sure, white Christmases *can* look lovely. If it snows. And if everyone hasn’t driven/walked/plowed/salted all over it, making it a gray goopy mess. But showing up at your in-laws and not being able to even get in the driveway because no one has bothered shoveling and your car with 2 small kids in it keeps getting stuck in what the plow has left there and NO ONE is coming to see where you are? Been there, done that. Being fairly certain you can plan on sitting on a beach instead sounds much more preferable, IMO)
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.