Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Reprise Review: Real Elves / Helen Smith


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Short Story/Mystery/Christmas

Approximate word count: 6-7,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Helen Smith is a British crime writer who lives in London. Her books have appeared in "best of the year" lists by For Books' Sake, The Cult Den, The Independent, and the Guardian.”

For more, visit Smith’s website.

Description:

“In a department store in London, a little girl called Sophie visits Santa’s magical forest with her grandfather. As they emerge from the forest, Sophie’s grandfather reports her missing… but the little girl’s right there. Is she a ghost, a twin, an alien abductee—or is there some simpler explanation? Twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles has fifteen minutes to figure out the puzzle before the police are called and Christmas is ruined. “

Appraisal:

This is a Christmas themed story that is part of Helen Smith’s mystery series. As with the rest of the Emily Castles series, this story fits in the cozy mystery subgenre, but unlike the others, there is no body or murderer to find. Fans of Emily will enjoy this light-hearted short story while those who haven’t discovered her will find this a quick introduction. I enjoy Smith’s books for their wry sense of humor and her unique author’s voice. Real Elves is the perfect Christmas read for mystery lovers.

FYI:

Although part of the Emily Castles series, the books in the series are all stand alone and can be read in any order.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

2 comments:

Vicki said...

"I enjoy Smith’s books for their wry sense of humor and her unique author’s voice."

I second that. Excellent review, BigAl.

A very merry Christmas to you and the pals! xx

BooksAndPals said...

Thanks, Vicki. Merry Christmas to you as well.