Part of Series
~ REAL ELVES is a short Christmas story ~ In a department store in London, a little girl called Sophie visits Santa’s magical forest with her grandfather. As they emerge from the forest, Sophie’s grandfather reports her missing… but the little girl’s right there. Is she a ghost, a twin, an alien abductee—or is there some simpler explanation? Twenty-six-year-old amateur sleuth Emily Castles has fifteen minutes to figure out the puzzle before the police are called and Christmas is ruined. This short mystery is a standalone story set in London. It first appeared in the anthology Naughty or Nice in aid of Kids Need to Read. The Emily Castles mysteries can be read in any order. PRAISE FOR THE EMILY CASTLES MYSTERY SERIES Helen Smith has created a great little cozy series with the charming Emily Castles. Criminal Element Emily Castles is one character you cannot help but fall in love with! Julie's Book Reviews Very funny indeed... There seems to be a winning line on every page. The Bookbag Helen Smith is a British crime writer who lives in London. Her books have appeared in "best of the year" lists by For Books' Sake, The Cult Den, The Independent, and the Guardian. This story was first published in the anthology Naughty or Nice in aid of Kids Need to Read. Readers of M. C. Beaton or Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy discovering a new mystery author. Buy the paperback and get the ebook free with Kindle Matchbook. Free to borrow from Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime.
Author
Sign up for Helen Smith's Book News and receive a FREE Kindle copy of one of Helen Smith's books: http://helensmithbooks.com/freebook Helen Smith is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, The Crime Writers Association and English PEN. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both – from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant – before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel. She's the author of Alison Wonderland, Being Light, The Miracle Inspector and the Emily Castles mystery series as well as children's books, poetry and plays. Helen Smith's books have reached number one on Amazon's bestseller lists in the US, UK, Canada and Germany. Her first book, Alison Wonderland, was one of Amazon Publishing's top five bestselling books when it was launched in the US in 2011. In July 2013, following the publication of Invitation to Die, Helen Smith reached the top spot as "America's most popular mystery author" on Amazon. Her books have been praised in The Times, The Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, Time Out and Wired.com. They have appeared on "best books of the year" lists in For Books' Sake, The Cult Den, The Independent and the Guardian. Helen Smith has been invited to read at literary events and festivals in London and New York and points in between – including, most recently, a cruise ship en route to California via the Suez Canal. Her work has been read or performed at the National Theatre, The Royal Festival Hall, the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, Amnesty International’s Headquarters, The Edinburgh Festival and The University of London. She’s a Literary Death Match champion and the recipient of an Arts Council of England award. Her work has been optioned by the BBC. She’s amazing! Please buy her books. "Smith is gin-and-tonic funny." Booklist
