Review
MRS. CLAUS AND THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE NEW YEAR'S
By Liz Ireland
The Fifth Mrs. Claus Mystery
Santaland is in a state of excitement as everyone sees Santa off on Christmas Eve. Now comes the time of year for fun and relaxation...and celebration. April Claus, however, is anything but relaxed. Her husband has just left for a trip around with world in an ancient sleigh with no seat belts! She can't help but worry, even though everyone keeps telling her that Santa always comes back. But soon everyone is worrying. Boots, an elf living near the Farthest Frozen Reaches, has just brought three injured strangers to town -humans! As the strangers recuperate in the hospital everyone works to transform the town into a normal Canadian town, so the strangers will have no idea where they really are. When one dies, however, April must add solving a murder to her to-do list!
Every time I sit down with a Mrs. Claus Mystery I know I am in for a good time. I laughed so hard at Butterbean's transformation of Christmastown into the Canadian Centretown. Hearing Anne Murray and Celine Dion instead of Christmas carols, having maple leafs and Canadian flags strung about, I'm still giggling about the suggestion to change the Tiny Gliders ice show from the Nutcracker into the greatest hits of Gordon Lightfoot! And the changes the elves had to endure! Perhaps I found everything extra funny living on a border town and being of a certain age (you'll understand when you read what the elves are wearing!), but I'm grinning as I write this, just picturing it.
MRS. CLAUS AND THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE NEW YEAR'S is more than just a funny mystery, albeit it is a very funny mystery. Relationship issues are highlighted while themes of belonging, fitting in, and self discovery make the book more than just fun. It's meaningful. There's also an intriguing mystery that ties everything together, along with the joy of Christmas and that special time between Christmas and New Year's.
Laugh out loud funny while simultaneously touching MRS. CLAUS AND THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE NEW YEAR'S is the perfect way to ring in the New Year!
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