The Fat Man: A Tale of North Pole Noir (A Dutton Guilt Edged Mystery) | 
so-soThemes: Christmas Noir Mystery (but satire), Over the top humor, Fantasy
This was a quirky read, I enjoyed it but it wouldn‘t need to be a yearly re-read. It really made me want to re-watch every Christmas movie it referenced, and there were a lot mentioned!
so-soOverall, not a bad book. Easy to read. I liked the general message that becomes more apparent at the end - mercy and compassion. It's handled well with misfit toys being given the opportunity to find love because their value is recognized, as is that of "bad" children. Not much of a mystery though.
This is a fast read, I'm almost finished and I've not committed much time to it overall. I like a fast read! There are quite a few mentions of Jesus and the religious underpinnings of Christmas, which are amusing and annoying because Christmas is also rooted in page beliefs.
The humor has toned down a bit, but there are still strong connections made to various Christmas stories/movies/etc. That's something I'm really enjoying because it's a little bit like reading Ready Player One and getting all the references. It adds another dimension to the story.
Oops! I have a library book I need to finish so...putting down the book with pirates and picking up one about an elf trying to solve a murder and save Christmas. So far I've learned Middle Earth elves are desperadoes and Munchkins are elitist elves.
