The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir

The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir by Ken Harmon    288 pages 

When Santa's elf, Gumdrop Coal of the coal patrol, who delivers coal to the naughty children on Santa's list becomes disillusioned with the increasing number of naughty kids he becomes a one elf vigilante and goes after the naughty kids parents for raising such vile little monsters.  Unfortunately the first parent he goes after a former naughty list alumni and what was a road house beat down turns into a case of murder with Gumdrop going on the lam to prove he wasn't the murderer just the hooligan who beat the sugar plums out of the guy.   It is a fun story with lots of Christmas characters and references throughout.   A joyful read with lots of laughs and a wonderfully 1940s noir take on the story of Santa being misused and abandoned while Gumdrop does everything in his power to restore the fat man to his former beloved state.   A great story I recommend for all ages.   A dark twist on Santa's story but a brilliant one.   A new holiday classic perhaps.

 - Shirley J.

Noelle

Noelle by Greg Kincaid    288 pages

It’s been a long time, five years, since readers have gotten to take a peek inside the McCray family’s lives. With this fourth installment in the series, it’s the holiday season. Of course.

When we last saw Todd and Laura, their friendship had taken a romantic turn.  Both have returned to Crossing Trails to run an animal shelter, whose funding has been donated by Doc Pelot. It’s an ideal situation. As they move back, the decision on where to live is a pressing issue. Do they each return to their parents’ homes, or do they make the leap and move in together?

Todd returns with a dog, Noelle, who gets her name in a humorous fashion. She is a mixed breed---the head of a golden retriever and the body of a wiener dog. She is the happiest dog on the planet, energetic, with the cutest smile that will melt the heart of even the most cynical of people.

That’s just two of the threads that run through this touching holiday tale. The other threads include matriarch Mary Ann McCray’s decision to be the first woman Santa Claus in Crossing Trails. Ol’ Hank is just too old to do it any longer...at ninety-something he’s on oxygen and in a wheel chair. Mary Ann even shakes up the notion of children asking Santa for their hearts’ desire, a notion that immediately captures the attention of the entire state of Kansas.

The other thread is the breakup of the Robinson household. Parents Abbey and Link are doing their best, but Keenan and Emily are struggling as their world collapses around them. It’s the McCrays and Noelle to the rescue.

I always like reading a Greg Kincaid holiday story. It put me in the mood and always makes me smile. There are also several laughs. Noelle gets 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. Why, since I seem to write glowing about the story?  The first four-five chapters set up the threads, but they seem so disconnected---at first---that it slowed down my ability to care for the characters, and I wanted to see more of Noelle in those early pages.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.