Strangle All the Way: A Christmas Mystery

Charlie Davies Mysteries #novella

by Clare Kauter

CONTAINS SWEARING. (Also contains jokes so hilarious you may snort out loud in an unflattering manner.)It’s almost Christmas, I have a broken air conditioner, and the repairman’s shown up dead at my front door.I wasn’t a big fan of the guy, but I need to get to the bottom of this. A girl can’t just ignore someone dumping a body on her doorstep. Especially if it means she becomes the main suspect for the murder.Clearly the man was on someone else’s naughty list too, and I’m determined to figure out whose. With the help of my pet pigs, I’m going to track this killer down. And while I’m at it, surely I can find someone to give me a reasonable quote to fix the air conditioner. Although that might take a Christmas miracle.In the sweltering heat of the Aussie summer, I need to figure out who the murderer is before I take the blame, or worse – before I’m also nogging on heaven’s door.Curl up with this hilarious Christmas mystery today and laugh out loud while getting in the holiday spirit. Download now to start reading.

This novella can be read as a standalone.

Genres: Christmas, Mystery

83 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2019

About the author

Clare Kauter writes laugh-out-loud funny books across genres, including mystery, romantic comedy and paranormal fiction. She is known for her loveable hot mess characters, dubious puns and occasional (OK, frequent) inappropriate jokes.

Clare isn’t going to tell you where she lives, because she always finds it weird when other authors do that in their bio. Why would you care? Unless you’re a stalker, in which case it’s probably better if she doesn’t give you a head start.

At any given moment she’s probably sipping tea while hunched over her pink keyboard in a super attractive posture, writing her next book and snorting like a piglet at her own jokes.

Clare posts regularly on her blog – drop by and say hi!

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some very amusing narrative in this unusual Christmas story, and the pet pigs were adorable. However, I just couldn’t take to Charlie Davies, the protagonist somehow, though it seems most reviewers love her, so perhaps it’s just me!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snort! ....... giggle ....... I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Clare Kauter's books and her very frank "Aussie-ness".

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so hot! Christmastime in Australia without air conditioning is no joke. The repairman sent to fix Charlie Davies' malfunctioning unit is, though. Still, it's a shock for her to open the door and find him dead on her doorstep the next day. Charlie's already none too popular with the police so she's going to have to do a bit of detective work of her own in order to find the real killer. Perhaps her pigs can help, too...

I read the non-anthology version of this story and it was (to me) hilarious. Charlie is a terrible person, but so very, very likeable. There was mature language in the story from which some people may want to steer clear - to me, this just sweetened the pot. This was a great start to the Christmas reading season and also a good introduction to Charlie Davies in general.

Recommended.

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strangle All the Way by Clare Kauter is part of the "Charlie Davies" series of cozy mysteries set in Australia. The main character is Charlie Davies, and the narrative is in her first-person pov.

It's nearly Christmas, but in this part of the world, it's the hottest time of the year...and Charlie's air conditioner is broken. The repairman whom she hired to fix it, and whom she subsequently argued with, has turned up dead on her doorstep, strangled with a strand of Christmas lights. Charlie can't believe the nerve of the man. Lest she be considered a primary suspect in his murder, Charlie takes it upon herself to find out who else she can point the police to. Charlie and her pet pigs begin visiting other suspects, partly in hopes of finding out who may have murdered the repairman, and also in hopes of finding some place cool to hang out. Charlie's not-so-subtle investigation turns the heat up even hotter when a killer targets her

This story was hilarious! Charlie reminded me strongly of Darynda Jones' Charlie Davidson, another wise-cracking sleuth. The pet pigs added additional hilarity, especially since both of them were females, yet given the names of Dave and Arnold. I chuckled all through the story and was bummed when it ended. Utter hilarity and insanity, and I loved it. Five stars! Will certainly be looking to read more in this series.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

AC broke and her repair guy couldn’t fix it. Now the guy shows up at her doorstep dead—strangled by Christmas lights. And the police suspect her, the bitter old crank? To keep herself out of jail, she resolves to find the killer.

I loved how obsessively neurotic she got about the heat. Such a relatable problem and anyone would react the same way. Being jealous of the lucky corpse for going to the nice, cool morgue. Classic! Naturally, I enjoyed the humor. Of course, it was kind of weird how she’d argue with her pigs. But, hey, to each his own.


A nice holiday mystery!

[Dawn Ireland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll pass on anything else

There’s nothing worse than reading something and the author didn’t take the time to give a brief explanation of characters. There was nothing to explain why the pigs were named as they were. Also, it’s very distracting to have so many parentheticals in a book. An editor could have made these and other problems go away.

[Linda Buzard-Moffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Story

I enjoyed reading this book. I really liked Charlie and her pets. This is the first time that I have read one of Clare's books and I will definitely be checking out more of her work.

[Sharon M. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An AC Repair Man Murdered on the Front Step

Got to go Find out who killed the AC repair man on the front porch with the strand of Christmas lights. Could it be the wife, the employee, or the lady with the two pet pigs? Bet you'll never guess.

[Janet L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short Christmas cozy. This is the first Charlie Davies book I’ve read and I enjoyed it. The fact that she has 2 pigs that seem to go everywhere with her is hilarious and their behavior is as well. Looking forward to reading more books in this series.

[Lottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entertaining. A quick, enjoyable read to celebrate Christmas and enjoy a mystery.

[Chelsea ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!!

This book was so funny and I loved the pet pigs! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 5/5 stars definitely a great cozy mystery book

[courtney mertens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, quick

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way more amusing than I expected, though the pigs are a bit odd. A lot of the writing reminded me of my own speaking style, which made much of it way funnier than it maybe would have been otherwise.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

First if the books I've read. An easy read. Quirky is putting it mildly.

[Kelly Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

An irreverent and fun look at the holidays in Australia. Not your typical fare, and all the more enjoyable for it!

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed so hard reading this one. The mix of humor and mystery was delightful.

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very juvenile

This could have been a good book, but Charlie was obviously very immature. I can handle a few swear words, but the f bomb is completely inappropriate. I will not be reading more.

[K Huskić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a Charlie story, and this was a short, but fun, one!