Mrs Claus And The Evil Elves

Jessica Fletcher meets Tim Burton in this creative and witty cozy mystery series from Liz Ireland, filled with unconventional characters, year-round Christmas cheer, and a unique heroine who’s married to the real-life Santa Claus! April Claus has grown to love her new North Pole home almost as much as she loves her husband, Nick—Santa himself. But even in Christmastown, the holidays can be murder . . . April Claus is getting an early gift for her second Christmas in Santaland. Her dear friend, Claire, is visiting from Oregon, and April hopes to show off her adoptive country at its cozy, glittering best. But when the annual ice sculpture contest is derailed by a kamikaze drone-deer, it’s just the first in a series of un-festive events . . . Drone-deer, created by inventor elf Blinky Brightlow, are none too popular with the genuine, flesh-and-hoof kind, who are currently on strike. With no reindeer games to keep them in shape, Nick worries they may get too chunky to pull his sleigh come Christmas. Now Blinky is missing, his girlfriend, Juniper, is under suspicion, and between rogue reindeer and conniving elves, all of Santaland seems to have gone sugarplum-crazy. Add a dash of murder to the mix, and suddenly April is battling not just to clear Juniper’s name, but to save herself from being put on ice—permanently . . . Praise for Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide “Fans of offbeat, humorous cozies will clamor for more.” —Publishers Weekly “Multiple plot twists, quirky, characters, plenty of humor, and the lovingly described, magical Santaland distinguish this entertaining cozy.” —Booklist

“Exceptional…the perfect holiday entertainment.”— Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW This Christmas season, travel to the North Pole you’ve never seen before—where Santa’s new wife, April Claus, is not only set on creating the perfect holiday—she’s also set on solving the perfect crime… 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 . . .

April Claus knows being married to the real Santa makes every day feel like Christmas. But when a different holiday arrives at the North Pole, so does murder . . . For the first time ever, Christmastown is celebrating a strange new tradition—Halloween. But not everyone is willing to watch their dependable winter wonderland get overrun by carved pumpkins and costume parties. As a series of scary happenings hit Santaland, each one more intense than the last, April realizes having a role in the festivities could cost her family, friends—even her own life. April isn’t the only unlucky target. Outspoken elf Tiny Sparkletoe is found dead in the snow outside his cottage, crushed in the middle of what appears to be a monstrous footprint. With mayhem descending like reindeer on rooftops, April must stop the Halloween killer before the fate of Mrs. Claus becomes another creepy tale to tell in the dark . . . “An exceptional series launch . . . This fun, well-plotted mystery is the perfect holiday entertainment.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Jessica Fletcher meets Tim Burton in this creative and witty cozy mystery series filled with unconventional characters, a year-round Christmas setting, and a unique heroine who’s married to the real-life Santa Claus—and this time, there are two holidays in the mix. At Castle Kringle, the elves are excitedly arranging their first ever Thanksgiving day feast. April’s husband, Nick—the real Santa—has some misgivings, since it’s tough to get ready for Christmas when everyone is obsessed with helium balloons and pie recipes. Chaos erupts when Gobbles, the live turkey imported for the castle feast, is bird-napped. That crime is quickly overshadowed at a pre-Thanksgiving potluck when Nick’s cousin, Elspeth, face-plants into her mashed potatoes—dead. Someone poisoned Elspeth, and April believes Constable Crinkle is hauling the wrong suspect off to jail. An ominous message, written in what seems to be blood and urging April to stop investigating, only convinces her more. But who’s really to blame? Where is Gobbles the turkey? And can April solve a double helping of mystery in time for everyone to sit down to a non-deadly dinner together? Praise for Mrs. Claus and the Evil Elves “Funny, well-paced . . . Ireland’s bizarre series conceit works, a tribute to her deft juggling of sleuthing and satire. Fans of Leigh Perry’s Family Skeleton mysteries will be tickled.” —Publishers Weekly

Santa Claus has had enough of mischievous elves wreaking havoc at the North Pole. Banishing them to the bustling streets of New York City, these rogue elves find themselves in a world far removed from the snowy serenity they once knew. Struggling to adapt to their newfound urban surroundings, the misfit elves hatch a devious plan to sustain themselves-stealing food and toys from unsuspecting homes. With a stolen truck as their makeshift headquarters, the naughty elves embark on a spree of festive thievery, leaving a trail of chaos in their wake. Can the spirit of the season prevail over mischief, or will New York City be forever changed by the antics of these banished troublemakers? Unwrap this darkly whimsical adventure filled with laughter, larceny, and a touch of holiday magic.

Christmas ushers in snowstorms, fruitcake, and a horde of Santa's naughty elves...No place is more perfect for the winter holidays than the charming mountain town of Estes Park. As the Cozy Corgi Bookshop and Bakery glistens with lights and garlands, Winifred Page allows the seasonal merriment to brush away all worry and fear. Watson, her grumpy corgi, is about as far from stressed as possible-after all, with the holiday baking, delectable crumbs are everywhere.Estes Park's new Christmas store is chosen to receive exclusive rights to sell a much-coveted collection of tiny elf figurines, but not everyone is thrilled, especially not the owner of the original Christmas shop. Bickering between local merchants is nothing new and doesn't dampen the Christmas cheer or holiday glee. However, when nightly break-ins begin to occur, Santa himself is caught in the act, Fred and Watson are pulled away from the bookshop to investigate the holiday mayhem. Unfortunately, while Santa keeps a list of nice and naughty children, he's allowed his elves to have free rein, and there's nothing nice about them...(This culinary cozy mystery includes a recipe for honestly delicious fruitcake.)

Three kids venture to the North Pole to help Santa defeat an army of evil elves in this holiday classic from the brilliant mind that brought you The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. Art Atchinson Aimesworth—inventor, crime fighters, and all-around whiz kid—journeys north with his sister, Esther, and his pal Spaulding, by special invitation from Santa himself. Why did Santa call them to the North Pole? Art wants to know. But when Esther is taken by the Queen of the Dark Elves, Art must put his questions aside and save his sister. This reissue of William Joyce’s epic Christmas adventure now comes complete with lift-the-flap letters from Santa himself!

This collection of stories by young authors covers a wide range of fiction and nonfiction topics. Here is a sampling of works: "The track looked like a huge water slide built of ancient wooden scaffolding. Instead of a plastic trough and running water, it was a bed of twisting, glistening ice. Now I could see that a sixty-foot run, after making a huge curve, merged into a forty-foot run. Then the run made multiple turns before one final downward plunge. For a second it seemed miraculous that the track wasn ́t littered with broken bodies.... I climbed the steep stairs to the lowest run and waited. I felt nauseous, and hoped no one could tell I was a little scared. Too soon it was my turn. There was no escape. I positioned myself on the sled. I fought panic while waiting for the operator to give me the ́go ́ signal. Off I went with my heart skipping a few beats. The wind whipped against my face." --from "Polar Bear Camping" "It ́s 6:50 a.m. I know this time all too well. The ritual has begun. My mom climbs the steps of the ladder to my top bunk to "tickle" my feet: a tactile alarm clock. Oh, it ́s Thursday, not just any day of the week. It ́s the day when exhaustion and fatigue will rule me and my only salvation will be a special place, on the most comfortable sofa in the family room, where the angle of the television screen is just right and the pillows outline the shape of my body. I call this place THE SPOT." --from "The Perfect Spot" "Aaron awoke disoriented and confused. Then suddenly he recognized his surroundings and remembered his fall. He quickly thanked god that he landed in bushes and was only bruised and scratched. He quickly looked down at his watch; it was 8:00 in the morning. He realized that his friends were gone. THEY THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD! He knew that to survive he needed his pack. He looked up and started to climb...without ropes." --from "Lost in the Australian Outback" "Suddenly, the ghost appeared and looked around the room impatiently. ́Where is that girl when I need her? ́ The ghost listened carefully and heard a gurgling sound. She went through the wall and gently tapped Kary ́s shoulder. Kary turned around and screamed, although the foam coating her mouth muffled her scream. She slowly picked up her cup and gurgled while staring at the ghost cautiously." --from "One ́s Pride is One ́s Courage" "The Tooth Fairy wasn ́t pretty at all. Her nose was warty and pointy. Her hair was gray and greasy. Then, all of a sudden, the Tooth Fairy picked up Cindy ́s favorite blanket from her grandmother and started to run away. The Tooth Fairy dashed to the window and Cindy raced after her. She could hear her heart beat so fast. She didn ́t feel shy at that moment at all; she just had to catch the Tooth Fairy. She just had to get that blanket back." --from "The Tooth Fairy" "I don ́t exactly believe in ghosts or monsters, but I strongly believe that there are strange creatures out there that no one knows about. I ́ve heard their cries many times, especially when lying in my bed at night. Sometimes, thinking about the strange creatures gives me the shivers up my spine.... There is no use in calling my mother or father when I ́m scared because they never believe me, of course. All they say are things like: "There are no strange creatures making noises, Becca. It ́s just your runaway imagination." Or, "We can have your ears checked next week." --from "The Grand Adventure" "He galloped down an alley, only to be cut off by a large black wall. The wall seemed to balk and shift. Then he realized it was not totally black, but had small planet-like dots that co