This was one of the most imaginative books I have read in a long time. There was all of the sensibility of a modern mystery, but set in the whimsy of Santa's home town. I found myself laughing out loud regularly. Liz Ireland has such a way with words and I hope that there might be more mystery to come from Mrs. Claus and Santaland. I'd give this ten stars if I could!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Even though it's August, this book put me in the mood for Christmas. Such a lovely and atmospheric cozy mystery that I'd definitely recommend.

This was a fast-paced and action-packed drama that kept me in the game throughout. The mystery was nicely executed with a solid plot that kept me intrigued as I had to know who was behind the murder. The author did a great job with introducing us to a bevy of characters, some of whom were suspects and gifted us with clues for the reader to decipher. The author’s writing style and comfortable tone made it easy to follow along in this visually descriptive narrative, where the dialogue was engaging, and the atmosphere felt very Christmacy. With a quirky cast of characters, this was a delight to read and I can’t wait to see what awaits the Claus’ in their next adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation for a copy of Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings (with a publication date of September 29, 2020) in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts out at 9 days before Christmas in Christmastown, Santaland. Nick (Santa) Claus and is wife April are woken with the news that Giblet Hollyberry had been found dead and Nick may be the prime suspect after Giblet accused him of being a murderer after losing in an ice sculpting competition.

Nick became Santa after his older brother Chris died 7 months earlier while tracking a snow monster. The family: dowager Mrs. Claus (Nick's mother), Nick's siblings: Lucia and Martin, and the widow Tiffany and her son Christopher all live in Castle Kringle.

After the murder of Giblet, there is the suspicious melting of Old Charlie the Snowman. With even more clues pointing to Nick, April begins to investigate after she doesn't trust Constable Crinkles,Deputy Ollie and Detective Jake Frost to clear Nick. April feels that there is a set-up happening and she needs to clear her husband before his big ride on Christmas Eve.

This story is fun and full of great characters. There are some parts where it could use a faster pace. There are also many punctuation marks missing (mainly commas) that made it a bit difficult to get the meaning of the sentence without reading it a couple of times. It was a good book to read in the middle of a heatwave!

A Perfect Christmas Murder Mystery!

I loved this book! It is a well-executed murder mystery complete with wonderful characters, a well-thought-out plot and lots of action to keep the plot moving along. It was fun reading about Santaland and all its December traditions. I like Ms. Ireland's writing style and look forward to reading more of her stories.

This book feels contrived to me, it tries to hard to be christmassy. I didn't really get to know the characters, and they didn't seem to nice as people. #MrsClausandtheSantalandSlayings #NetGalley

This was interesting. It's a decent cozy mystery and I liked the main character. I do wish that more time had been spent developing the relationship between April and Nick, though.

Loved this book. While i don't often read cozy mysteries, I was drawn to this by the charming cover and the summary. Reminded me somewhat of my favorite Christmas movie, Elf. Loved that the reindeer could talk and the snowmen moved. I'm looking forward to the next April Claus adventure.

An entertaining mystery that takes place in Santa Land where a newly married Mrs. Santa is taxes with solving the whodunnit. All the winter touches will make this an enjoyable read during the holiday season.

Ever wonder how Santa was selected? Or how he met his Mrs. Claus? April Claus is here to share her story of her first Christmas as Mrs. Claus and show you a side of the North Pole you have never seen before.

When there is a first murder in Santaland, rumors are spreading that Santa is the likely culprit. April loves her husband and while struggling to fit in for her first Christmas as Mrs. Claus, she knows Nick didn’t kill anyone and sets out to prove his innocence and find the guilty party. With another murder and fear of more pending, April hopes to save Santa and Christmas without becoming the next victim.

This was a cute read and a good one to set the holiday mood. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if there had been a first book laying out the story of becoming Mrs. Santa a bit more. While we do get a brief overview of how they met, I would have liked the story of getting there and settling in even. All in all, if there is another, I would read it and likely find it even more enjoyable now that I have the foundation.

Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings features April Claus who meets Nick Claus when he's taking a Summer vacation at her Oregon Bed and Breakfast. The pair fall in love, marry and move to the North Pole where April learns that Nick is set to become the new Santa after the untimely death of his older brother Chris.

April finds herself living in Castle Kringle along with Nick's mother, Pamela, Chris's widowed wife Tiffany and their son Christopher, Nick's younger brother Martin and Nick's sister Lucia along with a staff of elves and Lucia's pet reindeer, Quasar. Not everyone is happy that Nick, as the next in line, is taking over as Santa and some are less than thrilled that he's married a "Southerner".

When disgruntled elf Giblet Hollyberry loses the ice sculpture contest he throws a temper tantrum and accuses Nick of being a murderer. When Giblet is found dead the next morning all fingers seem to point to Nick as the killer but April knows deep in her heart that her new husband is not capable of murdering either Chris or Giblet and she sets out to clear his name.

A perfect read for a hot Summer day filled with a cast of quirky characters and a page turning plot that transports you into the heart of Christmastown. There seems to be plenty of potential for further adventures with April and the Claus family so I hope that this is just the start of a new series.

I received an advanced copy of Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

This was definitely a different kind of read from the usual cozy mystery. St firsst is was a bit bizarre, reading a story where the main characters are Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the action takes place at the North Pole. It took a couple of chapters to kind of suspend belief, but then the story draws you in and you just roll with it. The story line is interesting and imaginative. The author must have had fun coming up with the characters and their names. There is a wide variety of types of characters so it seems more encompassing. The crimes are well plotted as I had suspicions of several people and wasn't sure until the end. This was a welcome change from some of the same old, same old books out lately.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Kensington Books, in return for an honest review. This book is such fun and a great take on a Christmas cozy mystery! Turns out, Santa is real, albeit his name is Nick, and his new wife, April, has joined him from the Oregon coast to Santaland. They met when he stayed at her B&B during the summer. After a whirlwind romance, it’s now the week before Christmas and all is not well at the North Pole. After losing the annual Christmastown ice sculpture carving contest, an elf named Giblet Hollyberry dies by spider bite. Except, there are no spiders at the North Pole. Townspeople resurrect rumors about the unexpected death of Nick’s older brother and preceding Santa, Christopher, earlier in the year. Did Nick have something to do with both deaths? Who else in the extended Claus family is under suspicion? How can April, still trying to find her place in this new life, help Nick and keep Christmas on track? When another death occurs, more suspicion falls on Nick, who’s desperately focusing on making his first Christmas as Santa a successful one. If things don’t go well, it could be deadly in more ways than one!
Ms. Ireland has done a great job of writing a solid cozy mystery in a fun, alternate Christmas setting. April and Nick are, when they have a chance to actually spend time together, a loving couple. But, throw in Nick’s mother (think the Dowager Mrs. Claus), Christopher’s widow (a second Mrs. Claus) and April (the newest Mrs. Claus), along with several extended relations, and there’s enough undercurrents to sink the sleigh. She’s given the reindeer distinct personalities, snow people have consciousness, the elves are a range of personalities. She’s also had fun in the names, such as the Mount Myrrh or the detective, Jake Frost (distant cousin to Jack Frost). I hope this is the start of a new series; it was great fun to read!

If you're looking for an interesting read this one is great. It made me long for mistletoe and hot cider. A delightful cozy mystery that hits all my buttons, great characters, a wonderful plot line and hopefully more to come. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.