The Claus Conspiracy

Seven Ponds #2

by Tamara Berry

It's beginning to look a lot like murder in this holly-jolly mystery from award-winning author Tamara Berry!




Amber Winslow thought she'd left chaos behind when she traded bounty hunting for small-town life in Arizona. Between her job as a barista and recording a true-crime podcast with a lively group of retirees at Seven Ponds Retirement Community, life has finally settled into something resembling calm.

Until a battered, amnesiac teenager crashes into it―literally.

The girl knows only one thing for Amber's voice from the podcast. Clutching a Post-it note with Amber's address, she arrives with no memory of who she is…and a dead Santa Claus in her trunk.

Determined to uncover the truth, Amber and her sharp-witted octogenarian crew begin digging―and quickly discover this is no holiday mishap. Their search uncovers a trail of rogue Mall Santas, a dangerous drug operation, and secrets someone is willing to kill to protect.

As the bodies pile up and the past closes in, Amber must untangle a mystery that's far bigger―and far more personal―than she ever imagined.




"Riotous romp of a mystery!" ―New York Times bestselling author Leslie Meier for Murder Runs in the Family

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Holiday, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2026

About the author

Tamara Berry is an Edgar Award winning author of cozy mysteries. She has a B.A. degree in English Literature from Eastern Washington University. In addition to books, she has mad love for all things TV, movies, and pop culture.

She also writes romances under the pennames Lucy Gilmore and Tamara Morgan.

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can solving a murder be funny? Mm-hmm. Comfy, even. Ms. Berry makes this holiday whodunnit a warm cup of eggnog on a snowy day. Except, no, we’re in southern Arizona and it’s hot and there’s a bad Santa (or two...) out there, poisoning people, and a runaway (kidnapped?) kid with mad ninja skills. There’s also a chaotic, cocktail-swilling retirement community that doesn’t know it’s retired, and a private investigator with a penchant for causing as much trouble as she solves.

Wry and fun, with a bit of romance, The Claus Conspiracy keeps you guessing without ever seeming too convoluted. It’s a devil-may-care adventure with the rough edges hewn off; a fun trip you want to join, even if there’s the odd chance of being chloroformed, clubbed, or addled with arsenic. Plus, there’s a 99-year-old tortoise! Her name’s Tatiana. She’s my fav. -Eric S.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for our honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you to all involved.

I rated this book a 3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Things I liked about this book:
🎅🏻 I like Ambers character a lot. Shes funny and she makes smart choices- meaning what I would have chosen to do😂- most of the time. Also love Tatiana 🐢
🎅🏻 The mystery in the story was something I was interested in figuring out. I enjoyed following Mal and Amber and all of the podcast group trying to figure out why Mal wound up confused hundreds of miles from where she started with a Santa in the trunk.
🎅🏻This obviously has Santa’s all through the book, so it is Christmasy. But I like that it’s not SO insanely Christmas centered that you couldn’t pick it up anytime of the year if you read the first one in like May or June .
🎅🏻 I’m a sucker for a book with old people solving crimes. Enough said.

This is a solid and fun read and follow up to the first book!!!

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenage girl with amnesia recognizes Amber’s voice from a true-crime podcast, shows up at her apartment with Amber’s address on a Post-it, and says there is a dead Santa Claus in her trunk. Which is already enough Christmas for one book, but apparently Arizona had other plans.

This is also how I discovered, several chapters too late, that The Claus Conspiracy is book two. I had not read Murder Runs in the Family. I just wandered into Seven Ponds like, hi, who are all these people and why does everyone already have murder-related emotional history? Bold. Very on brand for me. There are clearly relationships, grudges, and prior chaos I was supposed to know about, especially with Ethan and Bones, but once somebody says DEAD SANTA IN THE TRUNK, orientation week is over.

Amber used to be a journalist, then a PI and bounty hunter, and now she is a barista recording the Death Comes Calling podcast with her grandmother Jade and a retirement-community crew of older adults who apparently hear “active investigation” and think “group activity.” Amber keeps claiming she wants a quieter life, which is adorable because she has surrounded herself with true-crime retirees and a ninety-nine-year-old tortoise named Tatiana. Peace was never invited.

Then Mal shows up. She is hurt, scared, remembers basically nothing, and the one thing her brain has managed to hold onto is Amber’s voice. That got me immediately. She does not know who she is, why she has Amber’s address, or how she wound up with a Santa-shaped corpse in the car. She just knows Amber sounded trustworthy in her headphones. Which is sweet and horrifying because imagine waking up with no identity and deciding your safest option is a woman from a murder podcast.

Except they open the trunk and Santa is GONE. There is blood. There is a tire iron. There is no body. So now we have an amnesiac teenager, a missing maybe-dead Santa, and Amber staring into a car trunk like Christmas has personally betrayed her. Then a Santa turns up alive in the drunk tank. Great. Wonderful. We can all go home. Except no, because this Santa has Navy SEAL ties and suddenly Bones, Amber’s PI ex, is circling the situation. And THEN Santa ends up dead for real. Sir. Commit to a condition.

From there, this whole thing turns into mall-Santa organized chaos. Rogue Santas. Drugs. Secrets. Navy SEAL connections. People showing up claiming things about Mal that may or may not be true. Every time Amber finds one answer, it opens three more doors and at least one of them contains a man in a red suit behaving suspiciously. By the halfway point I was ready to frisk every Santa in the state of Arizona.

Amber is exactly the kind of person who recognizes danger very clearly and then treats that information as a reason to lean closer. She does not know how to leave anything alone. If a clue appears, she follows it. If somebody lies, she keeps digging. If the situation becomes personally dangerous, she apparently hears that as confirmation she is getting warmer. Self-preservation is not a core competency here.

I really wanted more of Jade and the Seven Ponds crew because “retirement-community true-crime podcast team” is why I showed up with snacks. These people are funny, nosy, wildly invested, and clearly already have a whole established rhythm from the first book that I missed. Every time they appeared, I wanted them to take over the investigation. Give me eight octogenarians in matching podcast merch interrogating a mall Santa. I know what I came for.

Mal is what keeps the whole thing from floating away on pure ridiculousness, though. Under all the Santa nonsense, she is a kid who has lost access to her own life. Every clue Amber finds might tell Mal who she is, but it might also reveal something she does not want to know. That is brutal. Watching Amber get protective of her while also realizing the case is becoming more personal than she expected gave the whole mess a heart.

Skipping Murder Runs in the Family definitely caught up with me around the relationships. Ethan, Bones, Jade, the retirees, even some of Amber’s reactions have layers that I could feel but had not personally earned yet. It was like joining a group chat after everyone already survived one felony together. I understood enough to keep up, but I also kept thinking, ah yes, there is clearly lore here. My fault. I entered through the emergency exit.

The Claus Conspiracy gets 3.5 stars from me. I wanted more of the senior-citizen crime squad, and I probably would have felt more attached to some of the personal drama if I had started with book one like a civilized person. But the mystery kept getting stranger in exactly the right ways, Mal gave the chaos real stakes, and by the time Amber was knee-deep in rogue Santas, drugs, Navy SEAL history, and people lying directly to her face, I was fully along for the ride.

Merry Mayhem Prize: For Making “There’s a Dead Santa in My Trunk” Somehow the Least Reliable Piece of Information in the Entire Investigation

Huge thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC and for confirming that if a mysterious teenager recognizes your voice from a true-crime podcast and arrives with a bloody tire iron and a missing Santa, the correct response is absolutely to move apartments and change your phone number. Amber, naturally, did the opposite.

[Amy (ReadThisAndSteep) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't resist a holiday cozy mystery, and I also can't resist senior characters and Santa Claus. Throw in Tamara Berry's humorous writing., and I was immediately curled up with a cup of tea for this lighthearted whodunnit!

Amber Winslow, a young woman in her twenties who once worked as a bounty hunter, now enjoys a relatively peaceful life as a barista in Arizona, though she occasionally gets caught up in a murder case. She also records a true-crime podcast with a quirky, slightly unhinged group of her grandmother's octogenarian friends at their retirement community. Amber and the residents have one murder investigation under their belts now, and another one literally crashes into the retirement home. A girl with amnesia says she has a bloodied Santa in her trunk and a note with Amber's contact info on it in her hand. Chaos and shenanigans ensue as the group investigates!

Funny and fast-paced, with great banter between the characters, this is a fun read. I enjoy the generational friendships between Amber and zany seniors. These seniors are not sitting on the sidelines! Their dynamic is as heartwarming as it is entertaining. Amber is likable, with a good sense of humor, and tosses the occasional snarky comment that makes me laugh every time. The mystery is well plotted and kept me guessing.

If you like holiday cheer served up with an intriguing mystery to solve, snappy dialogue, and a dash of found family, you'll want to check out this cozy read!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber and her septuagenarian friends return in a mystery involving a lot of Santas and a girl with amnesia. The mystery gets complicated rather quickly.
Mal (the girl with amnesia) remembers very little not even her name. The seasoned members of the crew give her name options and Mal gains favor. Detective Vega is suspicious of the activities at Seven Ponds, but that’s not really news. Clues lead toward Bones, Amber’s ex-boyfriend, but he seems to have gone missing.
All I can say is the author’s mind would be a terrifying place to be. A cozy mystery about a true crime podcasting group was never really going to be very cozy.
I enjoyed reading The Claus Conspiracy. I don’t think I would make a very good detective. The twists and turn this story takes left me behind in knowing how to solve the mystery. Another thing, I would never do all the things Amber does or lets the septuagenarians do to her. But it’s a good thing to see different perspectives than our own.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of the book.

[Christine · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25 stars
This is the second book in the Seven Ponds series featuring Amber Winslow who is a barista but had been a PI in Seattle. She now lives in Arizona and helps her grandma, Jade, and her friends with a true crime podcast. When a young woman with amnesia seeks Amber out with a real life mystery, Jade and her friends see podcast material while Amber just wants to help the confused teen. This mystery has suspense, fun characters, including a 99-year-old tortoise, action, and a little romance.

The book would work well as a standalone, but the first book is fantastic, too. This fun mystery will get your holiday season off to a good start

I received an advance copy of this ebook from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

[Short, Sweet and Cozy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Claus Conspiracy is the fun and twisty 2nd book in Tamara Berry’s Seven Ponds series. Amber helps Mal who has amnesia and has obviously been through a tough time. There is a dead Santa involved and Amber’s ex Bones isn’t answering any calls. Amber’s grandmother Jade and her retirement community friends are fun sleuths and definitely add humor. The group has a crime podcast and they are always looking for new material. They have it with this case! The characters are interesting and the bond between Amber, Jade, Mal (Kikki), and the other members of the podcast group is warm and often funny. The cozy mystery kept me guessing especially with the twists to the story. This was a very enjoyable book! #TheClausConspiracy #SevenPonds #NetGalley #PoisonedPenPress

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun mystery. I did not read the previous book, and it did not effect my enjoyment of the characters and the mystery. It was very engaging with just enough twists and turns to keep it believable.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amber is at peace with her new life, recording a true-crime podcast with a group of retirees from Seven Ponds Retirement Community. Until, that is, a teen interrupts everything and nobody knows why – including the teen. She can’t remember who she is, why she’s there, what caused her injuries… or what happened to the body she knows was in the trunk of her car. Amber and her podcast mates begin asking questions, and what they uncover is far more dangerous and deadly than anyone ever expected.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series. I like Amber, a woman who stands firm in what she believes in. Her grandmother, Jade, played a less important role in this book than in the series starter, but that was ok. Jade’s friends, who make up the podcast crew, are an eclectic group of people that I’d like to have on my side when things don’t go according to plan. I even like Tatiana, the tortoise, although her role in the story isn’t as involved as the animals from other cozy series. At first, I didn’t care much for the mystery teen, but she grew on me (a bit) as the story continues.

Several red herrings threw me off track temporarily, making it hard to figure out what was actually going on. Each new revelation added another twist to the story, until I couldn’t decide which character/s to trust. The reveal was surprising, and the explanation complicated, but it all made sense in the end.

This is another series that I hope will continue, as I enjoy this core group of characters and would like to read more of their adventures.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I liked this one but didn't love it. The podcast team didn't play as much of a role in this one as they did in the first book so that lowered my rating. I don't mean to imply that they weren't involved in the action at all but they seemed to be more background players than true partners in the investigation. And I was hoping for more holiday vibes, which might be expecting a lot for a book set in the desert, but really the only holiday tie-in was the people in Santa suits. So it was a good book but it just fell a little bit short of my expectations since the first book was such a smash hit, in my opinion. In this latest installment, Amber and her tortoise Tatiana almost get run over by a girl driving into town with a dead Santa in the trunk. Except she has amnesia and can't remember why she was sent to Amber or what happened to Santa. Thus begins the next investigation of the Death Comes Calling podcast, much to the chagrin of Detective Vega. Can Amber solve the case before anyone else dies?
Amber and the podcasters nickname amnesia girl Mal. Mal tells them that she had Amber's address and was sent to her with a dead Santa in the trunk but she can't remember why. Except when they go to investigate the car, the trunk is empty. Amber goes to the local jail to see if they have picked up any Santas and sees that there are 5 in a holding cell, one of which she recognizes but can't remember why. And that Santa ends up dead hours later so Detective Vega wants to know why she was asking about him. She also wants Amber's advice because she is dating Bones, Amber's ex-boyfriend, and he has been MIA for several days. Talking of Bones makes Amber realize where she recognized the Santa from, he was one of Bones's former Navy SEAL members. Ethan, wanting to help Amber because they two have a crush on each other, offers to go up to Seatle to try to track down Bones. Meanwhile Detective Vega finds Mal's mother Jennifer who reported he missing six months ago. But Jennifer is acting shifty and Amber suspects something is up when she dons her own Santa suit for her shift collecting money for charity at the mall. Amber eventually figures out that Bones and the Santas were all buddies in the Navy and they all vowed to take care of Jennifer and her daughter once her husband and their fellow SEAL died in battle. But the Navy SEALs have been getting murdered one by one and now Bones is missing. The SEALs and Jennifer started a drug ring where they sell drugs while disguised as the Santas and one of them has gotten greedy and started killing off the rest. A kind of lame motive that didn't exactly seem to square up with everything. Amber goes off to confront Jennifer and she is kidnapped by her and Bones. Bones was the one to send Mal to Amber with a thumb drive that needed protecting. The drive contains the bitcoin or some such financial data that contains all of the gangs money and they want it back. But Amber has no idea what they are talking about because Mal never gave her any thumb drive. She and Bones are able to escape and Jennifer and the Santa SEALS are arrested and they finally find the thumb drive inside of the star shaped key chain that Mal bought at a rest stop. I'm guessing that Mal will become part of the crew now that her mother is in jail but we'll just have to wait and see.

[Tanya-Jayne · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

The Claus Conspiracy
Tamara Berry — ARC Review
⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5 stars — wry, fun, chaotic in exactly the right ways, and I wandered in through the emergency exit having not read book one and truly have only myself to blame)
Thank you to the Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How I Got Here
I cannot resist a holiday cozy mystery. I cannot resist senior characters. I cannot resist Santa Claus as a narrative device. Tamara Berry's humorous writing was already on my radar and when all of those things converged in one book I was immediately curled up with tea before I had consciously made the decision to start reading.
What I did not do (and this is entirely on me, I am owning this fully) was check whether this was book one.
It was not book one.
I discovered I had entered book two several chapters too late, approximately the moment I realised everyone already had murder-related emotional history and complicated feelings about each other that I had not personally witnessed or earned. I had wandered into Seven Ponds like hi, who are all these people and why is everything already this complicated and the answer was, obviously, book one. Which I had not read. Like a civilised person would have.

The Setup — Which Requires No Prior Reading To Appreciate
A teenage girl with amnesia recognises Amber's voice from a true crime podcast, shows up at her apartment with Amber's address on a Post-it, and announces there is a dead Santa Claus in her trunk.
Once someone says dead Santa in the trunk, orientation week is over regardless of how many prior books you have or have not read and we all just have to keep moving.

What I Liked
The mystery is well plotted and kept me genuinely guessing in the specific way cozy mysteries should, strange in exactly the right ways, escalating correctly, getting more elaborate without becoming convoluted. By the time Amber was knee deep in rogue Santas, drugs, Navy SEAL history, and people lying directly to her face with remarkable confidence, I was fully along for the ride and not getting off.
The humour has a devil-may-care quality, rough edges smoothed off, fun trip energy even when the trip involves a non-trivial chance of being chloroformed, clubbed, or addled with arsenic.
The generational friendships between Amber and the senior characters are the heart of this book and they deliver completely. These seniors are not sitting on the sidelines watching younger people have adventures they are in it, they are causing problems, they are occasionally solving problems, and the dynamic between them and Amber is as heartwarming as it is entertaining. I wanted more of the senior citizen crime squad.
And Tatiana. The 99 year old tortoise. My favourite character.

What I Didn't Like
Starting with book two. My fault. Established. Moving on.
It was exactly like joining a group chat after everyone has already survived one felony together. I understood enough to keep up.

Final Verdict
Funny, fast paced, found family adjacent, holiday chaos delivered with genuine wit and a tortoise named Tatiana who deserves top billing. I wanted more of the senior crime squad, I missed the emotional context of book one, and I had a genuinely good time anyway which speaks to how easy this book is to fall into even through the emergency exit.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berry’s formula for this novel is not a totally new one, but it is an enjoyable one, to which she adds her own twist.  20 something Amber Winslow has left her private eye boyfriend and moved to Arizona, where she’s near her grandmother and her grandmother’s bossy and intrusive retirement community friends.  Between them, they’ve started a very of the moment true crime podcast, Death Comes Calling.  In this second instalment in the series, a mystery lands at their literal doorstep.

As barista Amber (she has to have a real job to supplement the podcast) delivers morning coffees to the retirement community, Seven Ponds, a car crashes into the community gatehouse.  Inside the car is a girl with blood coming out of her nose, who says all she remembers is to find the Death Comes Calling podcasters.  After that, it’s only moments before there’s an army of retirees taking the girl under their wing and getting her pronto to the Seven Ponds doc.  The only person the girl – who appears to have amnesia – wants to talk to is Amber.  She manages to tell Anber that the other thing she remembers is a dead Santa in her trunk.

On investigation it turns out there’s no Santa in her trunk but mysteries remain. The retirees nickname the girl Mal, but who is she exactly? Why was she looking for the podcasters?  What happened to Santa? Amber takes Mal back to her apartment to sort things out. The two girls get along well with one another and Amber and her senior friends turn to sleuthing, using a bit of leverage with the local detective to get a look at recently arrested Santas.  None of them look too promising, but the thread has been pulled, and there’s no going back, much to the annoyance of the police.

As Amber and her friends delve further into the mystery, they uncover a “Santa Conspiracy” as well as some family connections for both Amber and Mal that aren’t so great.  Mal’s skill is that she knows when people are lying, and it comes in handy.  The story is complex but not overly complicated, and Berry’s sense of humor keeps things on the lighter side.  It’s the humor and sharp plotting that sets her books apart.

While this is the second in the series I wasn’t confused by the setting, though the retirees are definitely more in the background than perhaps they were in the first outing.  This is really Amber and Mal’s story which has some heartbreak, some violence, and some redemption involved.  While there is a Santa that kicks things off and the book is set during the holiday season, it’s not really a Christmas read, though it is a smart, fun read that might lighten your holiday stress. 

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Claus Conspiracy is a holly‑jolly whirlwind of a mystery — sharp, funny, and delightfully chaotic in all the best Tamara Berry ways. Amber Winslow has finally carved out a quieter life for herself after leaving bounty hunting behind, settling into a routine of barista shifts and recording a true‑crime podcast with her wonderfully sharp‑witted retirees at Seven Ponds Retirement Community. It’s cosy, it’s calm… until a battered, amnesiac teenager crashes into her life with a Post‑it note, no memory, and a dead Santa Claus in the trunk.

It’s a brilliant opening, and the author keeps that momentum going. The mystery unfolds with a perfect blend of humour and tension as Amber and her octogenarian crew start digging into the girl’s past. What they uncover is far from a quirky holiday mishap — rogue Mall Santas, a dangerous drug operation, and secrets someone is clearly willing to kill to protect. The stakes rise quickly, but the book never loses its charm or its sense of fun.

Amber is a fantastic protagonist: capable, warm, and just chaotic enough to be endlessly entertaining. Her retirees are scene‑stealers, offering sharp commentary, unexpected skills, and the kind of loyalty that makes the group feel like a found family. Their dynamic adds heart to the story, even as the danger creeps closer and the past begins to catch up with Amber in ways she never anticipated.

The pacing is brisk, the twists are clever, and the festive backdrop gives the whole mystery a wonderfully off‑kilter sparkle. Berry balances humour with genuine tension, making the darker turns hit harder without ever losing the book’s buoyant energy.

Fast, funny, and full of holiday mayhem, The Claus Conspiracy is a delightfully twisty Christmas mystery with heart, humour, and a heroine you can’t help rooting for. A perfect seasonal read for anyone who loves their festive cheer served with danger, dead Santas, and a retirement community ready to crack the case.

With thanks to Tamara Berry, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[RhiWilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC ebook 🎄

✨️ 3.7ish ✨️

This is the second in the Seven Ponds Series, cosy murder mystery novels centered in a retirement community with the main character and her grandmother's podcast solving murders with their emotional support tortoise.

❤️ Loves: ❤️

● Emotional support tortoise
● The podcast gang
● Finally some movement in the slowburn romance sub-plot
● Main characters relationship with her mother, gods it gut punches me every time, so bloody realistic.
● The characters all have lots of flaws, so you are left at times wondering if you really should be on their side in certain situations, makes for a very interesting book.

👎 Dislikes: 👎

● The main character can come off a little insufferable and condescending at times, and while its good to have layers it seems conflicting at times with other personality traits she's displayed. She did get a little better as the book went on at least.
● Feel like I'm missing something about her relationship with her ex because she knew what she was getting into with him, but the level of hate and distrust towards him at times seems more like something you would give to someone much more vile. But maybe its meant to be a character flaw of her's to show levels and letting her own feels cloud her perspective of reality just like real people.

🎁 Hopes for the series: 🎁

● That tortoise must outlive them all 🤞🐢
● That the main character sets some healthy boundaries with her family and sticks up for herself a little more when it comes to their put downs of her
● More background on the podcast members always love every new bit of info we get on them


Now NetGalley website doesn't always show when a book is a series, and goodreads hadn't updated to show it as part of a series when I requested the book so I ended up having to scramble and listen to the first book as an audio book before reading the second, so that might have impacted some of my perceptions of characters and settings.

All in all i'm excited to read the next book in the series after that juicy little cliff hanger.
🎄🎅🎁✨️❤️🐢

[Just Blue Through Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Murder Runs in the Family, and this second book was also a hilarious hit.

We join Amber a few months after the events of the first book, where she is now living nearby the retirement home in her own apartment working as a barista. She is still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her career outside of the successful podcast with the retirees, and still trying to define her relationship with Ethan. Lucky for all of us, she is still wearing Tatiana on her chest, and Tatiana continues to thrive as only a 99-year-old tortoise can. When an amnesiac teenager arrives with a body in the trunk and no memory of why she was looking for Amber or what led her to Arizona, Amber, her grandmother, and all the crew join together to solve another mystery.

This book was just as hilarious as the first, and seemed to try to dive more deeply into a complex, multilayered mystery. I think this made the story more twisty and harder to pinpoint and solve early, which was a lot of fun and developed in some very interesting and comical ways. I do think the more complicated mystery did mean less overall attention on the individual members of the retirement home, including with Amber's grandmother, and even, to an extent, with Ethan, This is much more about Amber leading and pushing to solve the mystery with Mal, the amnesiac teenager, in tow. It's great character development for her to maybe define what it is she wants out of her life in the next book, and I hope, given the way the book ended, it also expands more into her relationships, with both Ethan, the retirees, and her estranged-ish family.

The holiday vibes are excellent, even if it's hot in Arizona in December, and the overall whodunit of the Claus Conspiracy are an ideal cozy mystery for the winter season.

[Julianne Harkleroad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A standalone sequel to Murder Runs The Family, The Claus Conspiracy is even better than the first! I do recommend reading them in order for a) more hilarity and b) background information on the characters.

What a wild ride! A male tortoise names Tatiana, lying to medical professionals, a tea party, an arsenic self-dosing Grandma, a slew of criminal santas and innumeral jokes! 

"Handcuffs are not a toy" 🤣

"We're not amateurs"

"Before using the end of her beard to dab at her eyes."

"It's your fault Amber ...." 😮💔

"Hey, I don't commit the crimes. I just uncover them." 

"Or, God forbid, a proton pump inhibitor."

"Do the no pants dance." 

"I was afraid one of the olds might have a heart attack... They are more likely to cackle with glee."

"Not again..."


Fall into this delightful PI world of undercover investigation and intrigue. Amber once again steps in the save the day, but this time for a murderer?? Mal has no idea who she is or what is going on but immediately the two women band together to solve the mystery- and prevent death! Is Amber creating drama as content for her podcast or is this actually real life? I loved when Amber Wilson and Detective Vega verbally sparred over skills and intelligence as they each seek to solve the case (before the other?). Respectfully, of course, at least for Amber who wants the best for Vega... Can't say that's a two-way street! 

While the antagonists are Santas, this story can be enjoyed year-round as it's not overtly Christmas themed. The ending definitely surprised me and I already can't wait for book 3 to come out! 

Troupes: amnesia, murder mystery, PI amateur sleuth, big reveal

Spice: 1/5 🌶️  
Gore: 1/5 🩸 
Language: 0.5/5 👀
Triggers: drugs 

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC!

[The Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

🚨 SPOILER ALERT: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
​I am giving The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry a clever, festive 4-star review! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
​Get ready to mix holiday cheer with a twist of mystery, because this clever seasonal whodunit brings all the festive intrigue, witty banter, and cozy investigation vibes right to your Kindle screen!
​ARC Disclosure: A huge thank you to NetGalley, publisher Poisoned Pen Press, and author Tamara Berry for providing an early digital review copy (eARC) of this book! All thoughts, fanatical reactions, and honest reflections shared in this review are entirely my own.
​The Review
​The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry is such a fun, sharp, and festive mystery! Berry delivers a wonderfully engaging holiday investigation packed with humor and clever twists. One of my absolute favorite details was the addition of the quotes at the beginning of each chapter—they added such a fun, witty touch that perfectly set the mood for what was to come!
​The narrative keeps you guessing while wrapping you in a cozy, festive atmosphere. The character interactions are clever and lively, making unraveling the holiday mystery an absolute blast. If you love cozy mysteries with a Christmas backdrop, witty chapter openers, and plenty of festive charm, this 4-star read is a total treat to sink into!
​The Good
​The chapter-opening quotes add a fantastic layer of humor and flair to the storytelling! The festive setting combined with a snappy, engaging mystery makes for a super entertaining read.
​The Not So Good
​The clue trail gets a bit intricate around the midpoint, but the thrilling payoff and festive atmosphere make it completely worth following along.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently I like my Christmas books with less mistletoe and more dead Santas.

The Claus Conspiracy was so much fun. We have an injured teenager with amnesia, a dead Santa in the trunk of a car, a true-crime podcast, rogue mall Santas, a bunch of retirees who have absolutely no intention of minding their own business, and somehow all of this is happening in Arizona at Christmas.

Basically, holiday chaos. My kind of festive.

Amber is trying to live a somewhat normal life when this girl shows up looking for her with no idea who she is or why she came to find Amber. Oh, and there’s that whole dead-Santa-in-the-trunk situation. Personally, I would have immediately decided this was above my pay grade. Amber obviously makes different life choices.

The retirees were probably my favorite part. I love older characters who are allowed to be funny, messy, nosy, inappropriate, and completely ready to insert themselves into a murder investigation. Retirement apparently just means more free time for amateur detective work.

There is A LOT happening in this book. At times I was just along for the ride because I had no idea where we were going, who was involved, or why there were so many suspicious Santas. But I was entertained, and the mystery kept me guessing.

It’s funny, quirky, slightly ridiculous, and exactly the kind of cozy mystery I enjoy because apparently I still want people to die in my cozy books. I just want everyone to have a good sense of humor about it.

Four stars for murder, mayhem, and completely ruining the innocence of the mall Santa for me.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great example of when the second book in a series is just as good as the first. You don’t have to read *Murder Runs in the Family* before this one, but I do think it helps you understand who these characters are and why you care about them.

*The Claus Conspiracy* takes place about six months after the first book. Amber Winslow has settled into her life in Arizona, though she’s still not dating Ethan Adler even if she wants to. And we want her to!

Then a car comes screeching into the Seven Ponds community and a young woman gets out looking for Amber and the *Death Comes Calling* podcast. The problem is, Mal has amnesia. What she does remember is that there was a dead Santa in her trunk.

What I really enjoy about Amber is how chaotic and funny she is. She jumps headfirst into an investigation before she knows much of anything, which keeps the story moving and usually creates even more problems. She also feels everything with her whole heart, and I loved watching Amber and the rest of the group immediately take Mal under their wing and decide they were going to protect her.

If you need every part of a mystery to feel completely believable, this one might not be for you. But if you want to have a really good time with Amber, a group of elderly snoops, and her tortoise while they try to figure out what happened, pick this one up.

And even though it’s called *The Claus Conspiracy*, you don’t have to save it for the holidays. It’s hot in Phoenix, so the book never feels overwhelmingly Christmas-y.

[unruly_rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just a really fun read. It’s a little weird, a little chaotic, and honestly that’s probably what I liked about it.

You’ve got a dead Santa, an amnesiac girl, a true-crime podcast with a bunch of retirees who absolutely cannot mind their own business. There is A LOT going on, but its a cute entertaining story

I really liked Amber and the crew. The older characters were probably my favorite part because they were funny without feeling like the author was trying too hard to make them funny. I also liked that even though this is definitely on the lighter side, there was still an actual mystery that kept me guessing.

Was it perfect? No. There were a few times where I felt like there were so many people and different things happening that I had to remind myself who was who. But it never got to the point where I wanted to put it down. I wanted to know how the whole crazy thing was going to come together.

And apparently Christmas murder mysteries are a thing I enjoy now. Who knew?

I gave this one **3.5 stars**. It was funny, entertaining, a little ridiculous in the best way, and just an easy book to get lost in. I would definitely read more of this series. There were some slow spots but its not a super long book and worth the read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenager crashes her car at the Seven Ponds Retirement Community, she can't remember anything except Amber Winslow's name. Amber, former PI, now a podcaster with her own show Death Comes Calling, lives with her grandmother Jade in the community. The teenager thinks her name starts with an "M" so becomes Mal. Now the good part, there is a dead Santa in her trunk and a bloody tire iron, except the Santa body disappears!

Amber uses her podcast to hopefully find Mal's identity and solve Santa's murder. Of course the retirement community jumps right in to help. Much chaos and madness ensues, we have Navy Seals, drugs, many Santas people who claim to have information about Mal, true and not true and secrets to unravel. Amber learns some things that relate to her as well.

The Claus Conspiracy is a total delight filled with humor and witty dialogue. I would recommend reading the first book, Murder Runs in the Family, to get the full backstory on Amber, Jade, Bones, Ethan, and the rest of the gang. The brisk pacing doesn't let up and we are rewarded with a satisfying conclusion. My favorite character, Tatiana, the 99 year old tortoise-best side kick ever! Can't wait for the next adventure with the Seven Ponds Retirement Community.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for an ARC. The opinions in this review are my own.

[Ali Bunke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry is the second book in the Seven Ponds cozy mystery series, and I may have enjoyed it even more than the first. While returning readers will appreciate seeing the familiar cast again, you do not need to read book one to enjoy this story.

Amber is back, working as a barista and recording a podcast alongside her grandmother and her friends from the retirement village. Things take an unexpected turn when a teenager shows up with a body in the trunk of her car and no memory of why she was trying to find Amber. From there, the whole group gets involved in solving another mystery.

The mystery itself is entertaining and layered, with plenty of twists to keep the story moving. Amber takes center stage as she works to uncover the girl's connection to her and possibly her ex bones, and I enjoyed following her investigation. She brings just the right amount of bravery and snark to the story, making her a fun lead without ever feeling over the top.

I was invested in both the characters and the whodunit. The humor adds to the charm, and the developing relationships between the characters give the series a nice sense of community.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next book in the By the Book series, THE CLAUS CONSPIRACY by Tamara Berry, is a humorous cozy mystery. Amber Wilson has the Death Comes Calling true-crime podcast with her grandmother and her grandmother‘s friends at the Seven Ponds Retirement Community. A teenaged woman, who is a fan of Amber’s true-crime podcast, drives up to Seven Ponds Retirement Community. She is injured and suffers from amnesia. A dead Santa, with blood on his face, is in her trunk with a note taped to his forehead telling the woman where to find Amber. I want to know how and why Santa got stuffed in the trunk of the woman’s car.

I am happy to be in Amber’s world again. Tamara Barry writes in a humorous manner, so it is fun to read this story. I like that each chapter begins with a quote from a previous episode of the Death Comes Calling true-crime podcast. The people at the Seven Ponds Retirement Community are entertaining
characters. The plot progresses to a satisfying conclusion, and I look forward to reading future books in the By the Book series. Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Claus Conspiracy is the second in a new mystery series by Tamara Berry. I really enjoyed this book. If you have never had the pleasure of reading a Tamara Berry book, I encourage you to do so. They are witty, well written and plotted and above all else funny! The first book in this series was a little hard to get into, but book two is so much fun! I love Amber and her patience with all that is going on in her life, I love the feisty senior citizens and I love Tatiana the tortoise!
This book has everything from Santa, to Navy Seals, to the aforementioned tortoise and a great mystery as well! It was well plotted with lots of twists and turns and at the heart of it all people who really care about the victims and each other. As much as I laughed out loud reading this book, I also was touched by the compassion that is underneath the humor. This is a great book to read at Christmas time or anytime and if you haven’t read Tamara Berry’s other series yet, I recommend checking those out also. She’s a great writer!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

[PJ S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*.
This book was really slow to get me hooked. Maybe it’s because I didn’t read book 1. Maybe I was just in a mood. I don’t know.

This is a classic cozy mystery, complete with the cliche geriatric investigative partners. I love cozy mysteries, but I think I’m tired of the exact same characters and same tropes over and over again. It took me way too long to decide if I liked Amber or not—if she was an annoying ditz or if she was a comic genius. And that struggle was probably a lot of what held my interest back. It was just too distracting.

But somewhere around 50-60% the mystery got a lot more heated, after a slowly paced start, and I got more invested. The ending was satisfactory and wrapped things up well.

I like the Ethan character, but again the romance situation was impossibly slow and uninteresting.

Will I read the next book? Will I go back and read the first? I genuinely don’t know. I picked up this book because I thought it’d be a fun holiday festive read, but it didn’t bring much of that. I stayed for the cozy mystery and felt meh.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen for this ARC.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I enjoy Tamara Berry's books, I actually didn't love MURDER RUNS IN THE FAMILY, the first book in this series. I actually wasn't planning to continue with it, but THE CLAUS CONSPIRACY looked entertaining and I needed a book set in Arizona for a reading challenge, so...I requested an e-ARC, read it, and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! The Only Murders in the Building/Thursday Murder Club-ish setup is a lot of fun. Amber is a bit much for me, but I still find her a likable heroine. Her associates can be a bit over-the-top as well. They make me laugh, though. The premise of THE CLAUS CONSPIRACY is intriguing, leading to an interesting investigation, and an engrossing story. I zipped through this quick read because it's a fast-moving, amusing ride. After enjoying it, I'm now looking forward to more books in this series. Huzzah!

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and sexual innuendo (no actual sex or spice, just references to it)

[chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of The Claus Conspiracy by Tamara Berry.

I went into this book, not knowing not what to expect. When I was reading this ARC, it was the middle of summer, in August…. However, I honestly really thoroughly enjoyed this Christmassy murder mystery book which was such a fun read!

I loved the elderly residents characters and their relationship to the main character, Amber who is much younger! I felt these characters were really charming (especially the 99yr old Tatiana the tortoise), and by the end of the book, I was honestly rather attached to all of them. The characters of Amber’s octogenarian friends reminded me a lot of The Thursday Murder club by Richard Osman, and I would really recommend this book to you if you have enjoyed that book and it’s humorous, yet exciting mysteries.

The plot was very unexpected to what I would have expected! The first part of the book felt a bit slow, but the pace picked up and I found it very exciting! I think this would be a perfect Christmassy light hearted read to enjoy :)

[Roben]

I must admit I was thrilled to see that there was a second book in the Seven Ponds series! Amber thinks things are beginning to settle down a bit now that she has moved to Arizona to be closer to her grandmother and her gang at Seven Ponds Retirement Community. But then a Subaru literally crashes into a cactus at the front gate. It's driven by an eighteen year old girl who is in pretty bad shape. Amber doesn't know her - but the girl has the Seven Ponds address on a sticky note. And a strange star shaped key chain with the letters A R Y E L. She also has amnesia - she can't remember anything about why she is there. Except she insists that there is a dead Santa Claus in the trunk of the Subaru. That information sets the octogenarian murder podcast crew in motion and they are on the case! Much to the dismay of Detective Vega. But our tortoise friend, Tatiana, is up for a new investigation. Even if he has to dress like an elf.

Lots of fun - I am looking forward to the next book in the series.!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎄🔪 What do you get when you mix Christmas, murder, a podcast, and a pack of wildly unhinged senior sleuths? Absolute chaos.


At the center of this story is a podcast-style murder mystery that takes its time unfolding. And while I’m realizing that slow burns aren’t usually my favorite, this one kept me entertained thanks to its unforgettable cast.

These geriatric detectives are sharp, nosy, fearless, and completely willing to throw themselves into increasingly ridiculous situations in the name of solving a murder. Their banter is quick, their schemes are chaotic, and their collective lack of self-preservation had me giggling more than once.

Although the story takes place during Christmas, I wouldn’t call it an especially Christmas-y read. It’s also technically part of a series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

If you enjoy a slow-burn murder mystery packed with witty characters, quirky sleuths, and gloriously chaotic energy, this might be a fun addition to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC! ❤️

[Paloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amber Winslow is settling down in Arizona as a barista while she looks after her grandmother and her ever hilarious friends. Seven Ponds Retirement Community is a magnet for murder mysteries and unsolved cases. So when a young woman crashes into the community claiming to have amnesia and may have a dead man dressed as Santa Claus in the trunk of her car, it is up to the group to help the young woman while also seeking for the would be Santa.

I absolutely love this bunch of meddling senior citizens who love nothing more than a juicy mystery. Tatiana,the male tortoise, makes an appearance and I always enjoy his
quirks. I always enjoy Amber's grandmother's friends. They are fun, quick minded and brilliant at solving crimes. Amber brought the witty, funny and likeable moments to the book. She was my favorite this time around and she really stood out while helping the victim figure out her identity and what happened to her.
Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.