Naughty or Knife

Museum of Mysteries #4

by Jan Fields

Scarlett McCormick enthusiastically decks the halls of the Reed Museum of Art and Archaeology in Crescent Harbor, California. This is her first Christmas as head curator of the highly regarded museum, and she’s in charge of the annual holiday children’s event. Expectations are high, and Scarlett strives to make everything perfect. The actors playing Santa and Mrs. Claus delight the children with gifts and stories. The event appears to be a success until the Clauses disappear during their break. After a frantic search of the museum, Scarlett finds Mrs. Claus crumpled on the floor with Santa standing over her, clutching a knife. ’Tis the season for murder when it’s determined that Mrs. Claus was killed and Santa is the prime suspect. To make matters even worse, Scarlett and Winnie Varma, the head of security at the museum, discover the newest security guard is missing along with a valuable artifact. As Scarlett and her friends investigate the crimes, they learn that Mrs. Claus made more than her share of enemies. The list of suspects is long, and time is running out. Will they solve the mystery in the nick of time?

Genres: Cozy Mystery

Hardcover

Reviews

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, easy read.

[Chuck Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Naughty or Knife" is 4th book in the museum of mysteries series. The series centers around Scarlet McCormick, the new head curator of the Reed Museum in California. In this story, as usual, she is having problems at work. She is putting on the annual Christmas holiday event for children, and she seems to be messing it up. A lady college professor volunteers to be Mrs. Claus and Scarlet agreed, but this displeases the man playing Santa. On the night of the gala Mrs. Claus disappears and a search discovers her dead body in a wing of the museum with the Santa holding a knife. After "Santa" explains he just found her on the floor, it appears she may have been killed by a thief who was breaking into an exhibit. However, later they discover the lady was poisoned. As usual, Scarlet involves herself in the investigation with the help of her FBI friend. Scarlet isn't a Poirot, she seldom actually discovers who did it until the killer reveals themselves trying to kill Scarlet. That was the case here. I actually like this plot device; it doesn't make us feel so stupid. The plot was interesting, the suspects were quirky but interesting, and the regular characters (Allie, Winnie, Luke etc.) were enjoyable. I rate it a four for what it is, a fun cozy murder mystery with familiar characters and settings. This would make a good Hallmark Mystery series if that channel was still producing new mystery shows. A fun read.

[Victoria Marie Lees · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naughty or Knife by Jan Fields is part of the Museum of Mysteries series. This cozy features Scarlett McCormick, the curator of Reed Museum of Art and Archaeology in Crescent Harbor, California, as the amateur detective. Fields kept me guessing until the end of this mystery.

What I love about the Museum of Mysteries cozies is their logicalness. It takes real ingenuity to get a museum curator to be at the center of a murder mystery, and all the investigation, to be the one who truly solves the mystery.

Naughty or Knife has much going on during Scarlett’s first Christmas season at the museum. The murder happens during the holiday children’s event. The person who plays Mrs. Claus is murdered at the museum. But there’s a theft during the event as well. As the reader sifts through numerous clues along with the amateur detective, many logical suspects appear. Fields creates three-dimensional characters who all seem to dislike certain people for different reasons. Logical reasons.

Scarlett, with the help of her friend, FBI agent Luke Anderson, places herself in danger to solve the crime. A satisfying ending to a good mystery.

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wasn’t sure how this mystery was going to play out in the end. There’s no shortage of culprits and trying to figure out the why and how and who was fun. Good read.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Christmas mystery

[Amy Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A fun holiday cozy mystery with plenty of Christmas cheer. This is my first read from the series, and I look forward to reading more!

[Kyra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naughty or Knife is a short, light mystery with a simple storyline. Not much to it, but it’s engaging enough to pass the time on a long drive home.