Gnome for Christmas: A Festive Short Mystery

by Celia Kinsey

When Mrs. Bamberger’s favorite garden gnome goes missing days before Christmas, she blames Anthony, her affable but scatterbrained gardener.It’s up to Ruth, Mrs. Bamberger’s long-suffering housekeeper, to find out what really happened to Fergal-the-garden-gnome before Anthony ends up jobless just in time for the holidays.Ruth is convinced that when Anthony says he has no idea what happened to Fergal, he’s telling the truth, but who is to blame?This is a gently humorous historical cozy mystery minus the murder. Every character gets out alive (with the possible exception of Fergal-the-garden-gnome). Gnome for Christmas is a very short (but complete) story, the perfect length to read at bedtime or during your coffee break.

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook

24 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2020

About the author

Celia writes quirky cozy mysteries.
Visit celiakinsey.com to sign up for periodic updates and get sneak peeks at Celia's upcoming books.

The Little Tombstone Mysteries:
The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly
Rebel Without a Claus
Lonesome Glove
Something Borrowed, Something Chewed
Tamales at High Noon
The Trifleman (Newsletter Bonus)

The Felicia's Food Truck One Hour Mysteries:
Fit to Be French Fried
Hamburger Heist
Pizza Pie Puzzler
Hotdog Horrors

Stand-Alone Short Mysteries:
Gnome for Christmas

Reviews

[Dez the Bookworm]

A right proper cozy mystery, this is…

A cozy little mystery set clearly in Europe, with proper English to boot. Writing was done well I suppose, and the storyline read like a short scene from “Gentleman Jack” or the “Gilded Ages”. Unfortunately, the reveal itself fell flat, and the reveal is always a huge part of these cozy mysteries.

[Crystal]

When Mrs. Bamberger’s favorite garden gnome goes missing, the line of suspects is long. Mrs. Bamberger is not well liked and has caused problems for many of the town’s residents. When she accuses the gardener and demands that it be returned or he will lose his job, her housekeeper Ruth steps in to investigate. She must find the gnomenapper before Anthony loses his job.
This is an extremely short story, just enough to fill a small break. The writing is good, the characters are ok, and the story winds up at the end without feeling rushed. I do wish that there had been more to the story, it would make a cute novella.
This was the first book by this author that I’ve read, I’ll have to grab another of her books to see if she’ll become another of my favorite cozy mystery authors.

**I read this book using my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

[Tish]

A cute little short story that isn't about Christmas and romance 😂 just a poor missing gnome

[Kathy Brackin]

Cute short story Xmas theme

[Nicola Michelle]

What a lovely little short cheeky read! Only 20 pages long but it immediately roped me into the quest to find the missing gnome, with the Gardner falsely accused and his head on the chopping block (so to speak), I was intrigued to find out ‘whodunnit’. Read in one sitting, it was perfectly entertaining and a great short story!

[Helen]

Recently I rediscovered my love for gnomes. Growing up my favorite cartoon was David the Gnome and I have always liked seeing them in years. This year there seemed to be a lot of Gnome holiday decor being sold, so this book was a perfect fit for me. This is a very short holiday novella about a missing gnome in a large family home. It is up to the cook/housekeeper to find the gnome quickly before someone is unjustly fired. It was cute and did what I wanted.

[Luanna I.]

See if you see a Christmas miracle in this mystery.

A charming and clever fun little read that encompasses good will to all mankind, and cleverly saving a young father's job..

[tia and all the books]

This story is super cute and cozy. There was no murder or romance which was a nice break from my other reads this month.

[Debra Hahn]

A Christms Shepherd

I liked this short story, because of its true Christms spirit. The love and true
magic that adults and children alike see in the Christms season. A mirical
every where they happen to be at the time they see or experience it. A cook
takes on a mystery of a missing statue, to save a man's job. She takes on the
help of six red headed children, and at Christmas eve service the miracle happens.
You must read the Christmas mystery story to see the wonder of Christms at its
Best.
Debra H.

[Holly Stone]

This is a very short story read by the author herself cute non murderous Christmas story...The story Mrs Bamberger's favorite garden gnome Fergal goes missing days before Christmas she blames Anthony her affable but scatterbrained gardener. It is up to Ruth, the Bamberger's long suffering housekeeper to find out what happened to Fergal the garden gnome, before Anthony ends up jobless just in time for the holidays. So, since Ruth is convinced Anthony is telling the truth when he says he has no idea what happened to Fergal, just WHO is to blame for the missing garden gnome then???

[Lynn]

“When Mrs. Bamberger’s favorite garden gnome goes missing days before Christmas, she blames Anthony, her affable but scatterbrained gardener. It’s up to Ruth, Mrs. Bamberger’s long-suffering housekeeper, to find out what really happened to Fergal-the-garden-gnome before Anthony ends up jobless just in time for the holidays. Ruth is convinced that when Anthony says he has no idea what happened to Fergal, he’s telling the truth, but who is to blame?” An adorable little Christmas story about a gnome!

[Laura]

A quick holiday read about a missing garden gnome.
Fergal was not the most valuable or most attractive garden statue, but his owner held him in great esteem. When she notices him missing she is very upset and angry.
Even though it is days before Christmas, she is willing to sack someone unless her beloved gnome reappears.
The household staff searches far and wide.
Rambunctious neighborhood children are suspects.
Where Fergal shows up is a huge surprise.

[Richard Goodrum]

A cute, little Christmas story. Ruth is a gutsy, matronly housekeeper. Willing to do what it takes to keep her help employed. This time she may need to orchestrate a miracle for her employer. Life around the Bamberger household sounds challenging.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Great world building. Twisted. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.

[Debra Hahn]

It was a interesting story about a missing nome.The owner is furious and and blames the young gardener for it. She threatens to fire him for it,that’s when
her long term house maid steps in. She works on her own time to clear
his name. Dose she do it or does he get fired. I’m going to look for more books
by this author and read them.
Debra H.

[Barbara Waloven]

Cute Gnome Short

Such a cute gnome short story. Made me smile. Crotchety old lady, faithful long time servant, and a missing garden gnome are main characters and there’s even a little (ah hem) Christmas miracle. It’s f you want a short read that’ll be sure to put a smile on your face, this one foots the bill.

[Karen]

This is a cute Christmas story about a missing gnome. A gardener is accused of breaking and then hiding the pieces of a gnome. If the gnome is not found he will be fired. The gnome is found in a special place.

[Cari]

A great little Christmas short story

I was looking for a quick Christmas cozy mystery, & stumbked upon this. I love gnomes, so had to give it a read. It satisfied like a Christmas dessert!

[Kandi A. Hudson]

Cute Short Story

This was a really short story but an amusing one related to a mystery surrounding a garden gnome. Nothing objectionable, set in the 1950's. Everyday life, a cute ending.

[angela tulloch]

Gnome

Great little story ,had me laughing out loud .. Fab Characters.with a bit of sleuthing required investigation after he for missing from the garden .the comedy involved in his return was quite worth the wait

[Donna]

A delightful short mystery to read anytime of the year! Try to solve the mystery of the favorite missing gnome in time by Christmas or the poor gardener will lose his' job and with 6 little children and a wife to support it surely would be a bleak holiday!

[Traci]

cute holiday mystery

This novella was a cute mystery but I found myself wanting for a bit more detail. The missing gnome was located but it wasn’t clear exactly what had happened in the end the story kind of left that out. But it is a fun read nonetheless

[Katie]

Delightful

Can you believe a gnome can be a Christmas miracle? A lost gnome that is a favorite one of the overbearing owner creates chaos just before Christmas. This chaos is the basis of this story.

[Marcia]

Cute, quick read.

[HappyGay Bakunzi]

Super cute

New to this author. Loved this cute and festive cozy short mystery. It was a nice change to have no murder too.

[Kay Oliver]

A Christmas Miracle

A sweet and short tale of a clever sleuth masterminding a Christmas miracle. Took me fifteen minutes to read and made me smile.

[Cathy Davis]

Who broke the broke?

How did the broke get broke and who did it? When Feral the broke goes missing everyone joins in finding him. But who got him to start with and why?

[Vicky Coughlan]

A very cute and interesting children’s short story about a missing gnome.

[Pam Papworth]

Short and Sweet

I was looking through my Kindle books for a shorter Christmas story, and this one popped up. It is just 18 pages, and it is quirky!

[Richard I. Preffitt]

Cute!

Fun read! Not a typical Christmas story , but a miracle indeed. Problem solving in a different way. You'll enjoy it.

[Terrie Stamey]

Gnome for Christmas

What a cute short story about a missing Gnome! I really enjoyed reading about where the gnome would up on Christmas Day!