Fatal Fruitcake: A Christmas Short Story

Callahan Garrity Mystery

by Kathy Hogan Trocheck, Mary Kay Andrews

Atlanta cleaning lady/private detective Callahan Garrity, the protagonist of the author's eight critically acclaimed mysteries, returns from a long hiatus in this short story to track down the source of a killer fruitcake--and in the process discovers that some forms of Christmas spirit really can be lethal.

Also included with this short story is Mary Kay Andrews' personal recipe for a not-so-fatal fruitcake.

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Short Stories, Holiday, Chick Lit, Fiction, Cozy Mystery

15 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2012

About the author

aka Mary Kay Andrews

Kathy Hogan Trocheck is the author of critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series. A former reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, she is also the author of Little Bitty Lies and the Edgar®- and Macavity-nominated Savannah Blues, under the name Mary Kay Andrews.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Mystery Christmas

The owner of House Mouse cleaning company would rather do anything besides Christmas tree decorating with her mother. When an employee called about a dead man at the building she was cleaning, Callahan Garrity rushed to the scene. It wouldn’t be the first mystery she solved, and it got her out of the house.

Did the guy really die from fruit cake suffocation? Callahan is going to find out if it was a fruit cake plot.

Cute short story with a few laugh lines, but not very Christmassy. Three stars is generous.

[Allie Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I literally read this for its length but it really wasn’t for me lol. And I hate fruitcake btw.

[Cora Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this story just makes it worth reading. The ending was kind of lame but so possible in real life making it great!

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coastline Library | Fine for people who like the more modern mysteries, not my style | Always on the lookout for authors with a good back catalog I might enjoy, but this one isn't for me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short but funny and sweet "whodunnit" for the holidays. After an office party goes horribly awry, a gumshoe detective solves a case of "death by fruitcake" and, in a heartwarming twist at the end, does an extremely good deed in the spirit of the season that nicely wraps up the plot line. If you haven't read any of Mary Kay Andrews' other holiday novels such as "Bright Lights, Big Christmas," this is a nice introduction to her writing style.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fatal Fruitcake is short, yes — novella-length, bite-sized — but don’t let that fool you. It’s small, sharp, and dense, just like the weapon of choice in this festive little murder mystery.

We drop in on Callahan Garrity — former cop, current cleaning service boss, and part-time private investigator — right in the middle of that post-holiday haze, where glitter is stuck to your elbow and no one knows what day it is. She’s just trying to get her life together when one of her House Mouse employees calls her into a cleanup job that is absolutely not in the brochure.

What should’ve been a basic sweep-up after a tacky office Christmas party turns into an active crime scene when they discover a man dead — face down, no signs of struggle, just suspiciously surrounded by festive crumbs. Cause of death? Blunt force trauma… by fruitcake.

Yes. Someone weaponized a holiday baked good. And I’m not saying I approve, but I’m also not saying it wasn’t deeply satisfying.

Callahan, naturally, can’t leave this alone. She dives in — even though she promised herself she’d not get involved over the holidays, even though she’s up to her ears in client drama and family tension. But that’s Callahan’s curse: she can’t look away when something smells off, even if it smells like cinnamon and poor life choices.

There’s a sharp little cast of suspects: the office suck-up with a temper, the philandering boss, the assistant who knows too much, and the secretary with some seriously repressed rage. In just a few pages, Andrews manages to give each of them a motive that makes you side-eye your own coworkers.

But the real hook here? Is how Callahan juggles it all — not just the mystery, but her mounting exhaustion. Her employee is shaken, the cops are breathing down her neck, and she’s realizing (again) that being the only grown-up in every room is exhausting. She’s smart, sarcastic, and one step ahead — but you feel the weight of it all. The way she holds people together even when she’s barely got it herself? That’s what makes her compelling.

Also: The fruitcake recipe is included at the end. And it slaps. No actual murder involved, but there is a note about making sure it’s not structurally sound enough to become a blunt object. Iconic.

3 stars. Because Fatal Fruitcake is fast, funny, and festive murder fluff — but it’s also a reminder that even the smallest stories can carry a killer punch. Or, you know, a fruitcake to the face.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll preface by saying that the Callahan Garrity mystery series is one of my all-time favorites. I absolutely love those books and characters. When I'd read all the books in the series, I was so sad to reach the end, and in my opinion, none of the stand alone books written by Mary Kay Andrews even comes close to being as good as the Callahan books she wrote under her real name of Kathy Hogan Trocheck. I'd been hoping that MKA would eventually write more books in the Callahan Garrity series, so I was pumped when I saw Fatal Fruitcake pop up on Amazon. I immediately purchased the Kindle version so I could read it right away. But I'm sorry to say this fell flat for me. It just didn't have the same feel as the other full length Callahan books. It didn't give the reader any details about what the characters have been up to since the last full length book or tie up any loose ends from that final book. It really seemed like something MKA threw together to make money, without having to write an entire novel. Honestly, I wish she would have either written another full length Callahan story or just left the series/characters alone.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Callahan used to be a police officer and changed careers when she bought House Mouse, a cleaning service that she runs with her mother, Edna ... but she still does private investigating on the side.

It's the Christmas season and Callahan and Edna are putting up their tree. Callahan gets a call from Jacky, one of her House Mouse employees, that while cleaning after an office party, she came across a dead body in the boardroom. Panicked she called Callahan who advises her to call the police. When Callahan arrives, the coroner has found a piece of fruitcake lodged in the dead guy's throat and deems it death by asphyxiation. Callahan doesn't believe this and investigates and discovers what really happened.

This is a short story in the Callahan Garrity Mystery Series.

Also included is the author's recipe for a not-so-fatal fruitcake.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2022/08...

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🔰😀

Another will written mystery adventure thriller short story by Mary Kay Andrews about a death at a office holiday season party. It is declared a accidental death but is it? I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for a quick read and you will know. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye issues and damage from nerve damage. 🏡🔰😕👔 2022

[Lynn Wheeless]

Good short story

Enjoyed reading this short story, but it had me a bit confused. This short story was supposed to have been written after Irish Eyes, which is the book that the character, Bucky Dealers dies in. This story had him alive and well. When reading a series, I lime to read the books in TBE order that they are written and published so as to follow along with time line and story line of the characters.

[Cathy Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas Fruitcake fun as the mystery unfolds, Callahan is right in the middle of the trouble as usual. Callahan Garrity is an ex-cop that runs a cleaning business with her mother. The characters in this series are wonderful. The ending in this short novella was quite satisfying (and different) Beware when regifting that fruitcake this year. Enjoy.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an incredibly short story. It was called a novella so I’d settled down to enjoy a cozy mystery but the book ended before my tea even got cold! I liked the characters, will now see if the author has written any full-length novels about them.

[Annie Pisarello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella about Callahan Garrity, retired police officer and cleaning lady, who runs a detective agency on the side. One of her cleaners finds body and the police declare it to be death by asphyxiation. But Callahan is convinced it is something else, and tracks down the answers.

[Lorie Munger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short of a short story

I expected it to be a little longer than just the few pages. I like the characters, and already read Killer Fudge, so thought it would be along that length.

[Tina Spanos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and catchy

Ok...at first I didn't understand the spirit of this series.....I get it now....I'm in lol.
I need to update fatal fudge review. I love everything Mary Kay Andrews writes!

[Kait]

I don’t think I can rate this novella because it’s literally only 15 pages long. I’m going to be honest, I only read this to complete the spooky season kindle challenge 😂 Listen, it’s a 15 page short story. For what it was, I had a good time! I’ve certainly spent worse 15 minute of my time!

[Tina]

Unrated for two reasons: 1) it was too short and 2) the ending was rushed.

Had this been a full-length novel or perhaps a novella, I may have enjoyed it more. But the ending was thrown together and made the entire story pointless. There was no real resolution.

[Cheryl Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun Short Mystery

I enjoyed this fun, lighthearted Christmas mystery with a malice-free solution and a fruitcake recipe. I may check out this series.

[Honey · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute short story.

[Jennifer Margeson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished in 12 minutes - definitely a short story and not a novella!

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fruitcake from hell.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth the .99!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story of Callahan's ability to solve a murder committed at the office Christmas party

[Regina Belmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Ok for a quick read (less than 20 pages).

[Michelle Beese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gave me a whole new perception of fruitcake! Very short story that left me giggling!

[Nicole | · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series and this was a fun kick off to the light holiday reading I tend to get into every December.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story story mystery.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story - but too short. And ignored the events from the last full book (i.e. Bucky)

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute Christmas fluff mystery - all 15 pages. Good thing it was free on Kindle. Not my intention, but good way to reach your annual reading goal if you’re a few books behind. 🤣

[SANDYE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, Festive Cozy Mystery

A great cozy mystery set during the Christmas holiday. It's A quick read perfect for some quiet downtime. Fun, fast paced, with a great ending.