Santa Goes Bananas: A Cozy Christmas Mystery Read online

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Christmas Dinner at Santa’s place couldn’t have been any more different from what he’d feared a day ago. Then he’d expected a depressing affair, dominated by the stony silence that existed between himself and Jissika, the festive meal a sorry ordeal. Instead, it was turning out to be the most poignant celebration that Santa could ever remember, such was the spirit of reconciliation and joy.

  Now he watched Jissika carry the large, steaming turkey through into the workshop and set the centerpiece down on the long trestle table. The golden-brown bird attracting plenty of admiring glances from the company as the heat smoked off its flanks and a scent of fragrant herbs filled the air.

  After checking the table was complete, and wanting for nothing, Jissika finally sat herself down, put her hands together and led the table in saying Grace. Then, with the timeless prayer concluded, she opened her eyes and looked off at the mouth-watering table.

  “Please, enjoy.”

  Obeying her instruction, the guests picked up spoons, tongs, serving forks, and started helping themselves to the seasonal goodies with undisguised glee. As they did so, Jissika turned to her husband, sat to her right, and gave him a smile that was absolutely priceless – telling Santa what he needed to know.

  That he’d earned her forgiveness. That he’d helped make things all right.

  For the next hour, the three families ate and drank heartily, none of them standing on ceremony, the mix of humans and elven-folk perfectly at their ease. Even Jon Moran, sat to Santa’s right, had surrendered to the friendly atmosphere and was not lacking in festive spirit any longer. It helped, of course, that he’d accepted several stiff drinks since arriving at the North Pole. But then it was a hell of a lot to take in. The existence of Santa and his reindeer, and the startling experience of sailing with them both through the early morning air.

  A mere twenty-four hours ago, Santa would have delighted in causing Jon Moran upset, but now he was full of sympathy for his one-time foe. As a self-made man, Moran had done things the hard way – keeping the bit between his teeth for years and years in order to prosper. No wonder it was so difficult for him to ease up on this tenacity and let anything go.

  And so Santa’s heart went out to the billionaire, as it kept on going out to everybody, still basking in the after-effects of the delivery run. A feeling so powerful and precious that he couldn’t believe he’d ever placed it in jeopardy or allowed it to fade from view.

  Spurred on by these fine feelings, Santa lifted his glass in Jon’s direction.

  “Cheers.”

  Clinking his own glass against it, Jon Moran completed the toast. “Cheers. And I’m going to kill that advert first thing tomorrow, you should know.”

  “Thanks. Much appreciated,” Santa replied. “Although you actually did me a favor.”

  “How so?”

  “By giving my ego the runabout. Which was exactly what it needed. Just about the only way I was ever going to wear the damned thing out.”

  Finishing off his table wine, Jon Moran nodded as he set his glass down. “You know, my own ego is pretty much indestructible, and I’ve always tended to think of that as a good thing, but now I’m not so sure. “

  As he said it, the billionaire looked slightly taken aback by the fresh doubt.

  “Well, it’s a devil to dismantle,” Santa acknowledged

  “Worth the effort, though,” Jon Moran continued.

  “Yup, definitely worth the effort,” Santa replied.

  And with that, both men looked across the table at what could happen once they set their personal issues aside. Amka and Kyle sat together, sharing a private moment in the midst of the gathering, staring deeply into each other’s eyes as if time had stopped for the pair and they were resting easy in this precious space. And to see them that way, spellbound by one another, was to realize the depths of their love and to recognize there could be no arguing with it. To do so was sheer folly. More than that, shameful. Especially on this of all days.

  ***

  Other Books By Me

  Dear Reader,

  I really hope you enjoyed reading Santa Goes Bananas, even to the point of checking out those other books I’ve written. If so, I thought I’d try to give some added sense of them here as they’re a mixed bunch, spanning all kinds of genres (I’ve included their covers and blurbs over the page).

  The closest in spirit to this one is Dog Rough, the full-length novel I’m working on at present, which is also funny and poignant (hopefully) and light-hearted for the most part. It’s available for pre-order now, and will be released on February 7th, and I’m pretty excited with how it’s proceeding. So with a bit of luck this will translate into a book for readers to enjoy.

  Aside from that, The Purpose of a Man shares a few similarities with this story in so far as it’s strong on the subject of rocky relationships between the sexes and the kinds of troubles that families can get themselves into. That said, its a good deal more gritty and realistic and therefore less uplifting overall.

  Then, on a completely different tip, there’s A Study in Revenge, a dark and twisted thriller about a young woman who wins the lottery and uses the lion’s share of the proceeds to take revenge on an old boyfriend who tore her world apart (yikes!).

  Equally stormy is Remote, a tropical mystery set on a remote Cambodian island that’s full of sinister skulduggery and murky goings-on, although there’s a wild romance at the heart of it.

  Lastly, I’ll give a mention to my Sci-Fi action adventure series, Rogue Hackers, which follows the adventures of Jacob Wylde and Rebecca Kent as they take on world governments, evil masterminds, alien conspiracies, and much else besides!

  Anyways, I hope this brief overview is useful. Although I certainly value your custom, I wouldn’t want anyone purchasing a different book by me expecting more of the same again.

  Finally, if you did enjoy Santa Goes Bananas then please consider leaving a few words to that effect over on Amazon and Goodreads as this would be a big help.

  Many Thanks (and a Merry Christmas to you!),

  J.M

  Dog Rough - Now Available for Pre-Order

  Scheduled for Kindle release February 7th, 2018 – Pre-Order HERE

  When a disgraced British spy goes under the knife at a secret research facility, he’s as surprised as anybody to wake up on four legs. But barely has the shock registered with Tony Dodds than a scientist is trying to stick a needle in his canine butt and put him out his misery.

  Still, escaping from the lab is only the first hurdle Tony will have to scamper over if he’s to clear his name and reclaim his manhood. There’s also the small matter of finding a safe place to hide out in the meantime. But when our plucky hero is adopted by a young couple, this only adds to the hilarious complications, and after developing a serious crush on his new mistress, all hell breaks loose . . .

  Spanning cozy mystery, romantic comedy, as well as being a loving pastiche of the great spy novels, Dog Rough is a feel-good story about friendship, espionage, and the tail that wags the dog.

  The Purpose of a Man

  Available through Kindle and Kindle Unlimited HERE

  Meet Michael Galvin, the luckiest man in town, living with the woman of his dreams and completely at ease with this big slice of good fortune. So maybe he hates his job at UK Avionics, and loathes his larger-than-life older brother, Robert, but all in all there’s a lot to feel thankful for and little reason for complaint.

  Unfortunately for Michael, things are about to get a whole lot more interesting as his comfort zone unravels spectacularly and the forces of love and hate go toe to toe . . .

  ‘So, one the one hand you could find yourself a gorgeous girlfriend and a creepy family and psychotic brother and work this all out for yourself, or you could enjoy this author’s playful, touching, and supremely well-crafted version while sitting on your couch.’

  – Pop Bop – Amazon Top 50 Reviewer

  ‘If you like David Nicholls a
nd Nick Hornby, you’ll love this – it’s SO well written, intelligent without being either self-consciously so, or overly wordy; it’s funny, realistic, beautifully observed, sad in parts. Easily as good as other works of this genre. ‘

  – Terry Tyler (Author of Dream On & You Wish)

  A Study In Revenge

  Available through Kindle & Kindle Unlimited HERE

  After winning a massive lottery jackpot, Sally Clarke uses her newfound wealth to exact justice and settle a deeply heartfelt score. Repaying the emotional abuse of a former boyfriend with a shocking act of revenge. Creating an elaborate timeline which Mark Chambers is forced to comply with or else lose everything, and everybody, that he loves.

  And as the clock ticks down on his frantic attempts to break free from the deadly schedule, the scene is set for a savage game of cat and mouse…

  “This book grabbed me on the first page with tension that was unbearable at times. The writing is amazing. The story is gripping. You’ll not want to put the book down until you’ve read every word!”

  Remote

  Available via Kindle & Kindle Unlimited HERE

  Reaching Paradise was the easy part . . .

  After losing his way in Thailand, Jack Sizemore stumbles upon a remote tropical island where he falls under the spell of charismatic entrepreneur, Dan Orison. With its close-knit group of digital nomads, secluded beaches, and breathtaking scenery, Metanoia looks like heaven on earth. But the project is founded on deep dark secrets and a sinister history of foul play. And when a mysterious young woman shows up and starts digging around for answers, Jack knows that following his heart will mean risking everything, including his own life.

  Code Red (Rogue Hackers Series)

  Available, with all other books in the series, through Kindle HERE

  Young hacker, Jacob Wylde, is plagued by strange visions which haunt his dreams and hint at a mysterious destiny. Caught red-handed with US military designs, he is sent to PROPS, a top secret research facility where a handful of tech criminals are trained for active duty as cyber spies. Here Jacob meets Rebecca Kent, a committed hacktivist with secrets of her own and a burning desire to escape the facility.

  As their relationship grows, dark forces are already at work, plotting the pair’s ultimate destruction. And once the attack is underway, the two of them are forced headlong into a deadly race against time…

  “A great debut novel; it has intrigue, compelling characters and romance.” – Jude Livingston

  “Good characters, exciting plot and believable technology. Fast paced with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.” – Amazon Reviewer

  “The plot itself is very strong, taking surprising twists and turns all the way through. There is one moment in particular that was a huge shock for me but I won’t spoil!” – Time To Shine