Book 120, 2024
Rebel Without a Claus : A Little Tombstone Novelette by Celia Kinsey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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I knocked back Rebel Without a Claus over the course of two evenings. It's the second book in Celia Kinsey's "Little Tombstone" series. The main character is Emma.
At Christmas in Little Tombstone, a local named Edgar Martinez always dresses up as Santa, to the delight of the children. This year, however, Edgar is a no-show, which is very much out of character for him. He never even notified anyone he wouldn't make it. Emma finds a substitute, but she can't help worrying about Edgar. When she goes to check on him, she gets differing stories from his various family members. Is Edgar safe, or has he fallen victim to foul play?
The story was cute and fun and perfect for the season. Characters were portrayed well, including Earp, the ancient pug that Emma inherited from her great aunt. I also adored her nephew, Maxwell, who was determined to celebrate a medieval Christmas. YE OLDE Christmas, as he called it. It was more of a holiday story than a mystery, but that suited me just fine. I often think that not all mysteries need to involve a murder.
Favorite line: She looked like she'd sucked a sack of lemons.
Four stars