Twelve Books Of Christmas–Part 2

Between now and Christmas I will spotlight some Christmas books for your reading pleasure.  This is the second day of twelve Christmas books that I hope you will enjoy.  Happy Reading.

 

 

 

 

Katherine Hall Page is my favorite writer of the traditional mystery. Not only is The Body in the Sleigh a gripping whodunit, but it’s a classic tale of hope.”

—Harlan Coben

Caterer and minister’s wife Faith Fairchild is back to solve her eighteenth deadly mystery in The Body in the Sleigh—the latest perfect puzzler in author Katherine Hall Page’s multiple Agatha Award-winning series. Set on Sanpere Island in Maine’s Penobscot Bay, this atmospheric holiday whodunit is chock-full of suspense, surprises, real heart, and small miracles. And, as always, the mystery comes with recipes for delectable holiday treats from Faith Fairchild’s kitchen.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feline deadly this Christmas . . .

Whisker Jog, New Hampshire, celebrates all things Christmas, and few things are more beloved than the town’s annual holiday cookie competition. Lara Caphart, who runs the High Cliff Shelter for Cats with her Aunt Fran, is waiting for the green light for a brand-new category: pet-friendly cookies. But when the woman filling in as a last-minute judge dies after sampling someone’s Santa-themed treat, Lara’s recipe for healthy cat snacks will have to be put on the back burner.

The victim, Gladys Plouffe, was the town’s roundly despised former home economics teacher. The chief suspect is the mother of Lara’s best friend, who was hellbent on walking away with the bake-off’s cash prize. Cryptic clues from beyond the grave only deepen the mystery, pointing to a cat with striking blue eyes—a cat who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lara’s mysterious Ragdoll. As Lara begins a dangerous game of cat and mouse, not even her significant other may be able to stop a perfectly clawful killer from getting away with the purr-fect crime . . .

Praise for Linda Reilly’s Mysteries
 
“I was kept guessing until the final chapter. . . . A perfect cozy mystery.”
—Susan Furlong, author of the Georgia Peach Mysteries, on Escape Claws
 
“I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzler of a mystery. Reilly cooks up a perfect recipe of murder and mayhem in this charming cozy.”
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Hat Shop Mysteries, on
Fillet of Murder
 
“Smart, sassy, and a little bit scary. Everything a good cozy should be!” —Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, on Fillet of Murder  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Huntington had a way of offering jobs that were too good to be true. Mark Huntington made offers too good to turn down. Sedona had a habit of being caught in the middle; somewhere in the proximity of bad guys with guns and family members she was trying to avoid.Good thing the latest case involved a hospital. Then again, not all hospital personnel were interested in the lasting health of the patients…or that of their co-workers.Executive Sick Days is book three in the Sedona O’Hala series. Book one is: Executive Lunch. Book two is: Executive Retention.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Myrtle Crumb, the sassy, sixty-something sleuth from BETWEEN A CLUTCH AND A HARD PLACE and WHEN GOOD BRAS GO BAD, is suspicious when the mall Santa is found dead “on the throne”–the Santa Land throne, that is. The police are saying it was suicide, but Myrtle knows no self-respecting Santa Claus would let himself die in front of the children! She goes undercover to investigate the suicide and uncovers more than she bargained for!

About the Author: Gayle Trent is the author of two popular cozy mystery series–the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating Series published by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery imprint under her own name; and the Embroidery Mystery Series written for NAL/Penguin’s Obsidian imprint under the pseudonym Amanda Lee. Please visit Gayle’s website at http://www.gayletrent.com to find out more about her books, get recipes, print out free cross-stitch patterns, and sign up for her newsletter.   (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A humbug of a Shopping mystery…

From The Anthony and Agatha Award-Winning Author of Accessory to Murder

Includes insider shopping tips!

Mystery shopper Josie Marcus doesn?t get the appeal of the year-round Christmas shop. But when three such holiday houses pop up within two blocks, she?s assigned to rate them anonymously.

Easy enough, Josie thinks, until she realizes that shoppers at one store are finding a strange?even deadly?secret ingredient in their holiday cake. And Josie must get to the bottom of it all before someone else becomes a Christmas spirit.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tourist town of South Cove, California, is a lovely place to spend the holidays. But this year, shop owner Jill Gardner discovers there’s no place like home for homicide. . .

As owner of Coffee, Books, and More, Jill Gardner looks forward to the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. But when the mayor ropes her into being liasion for a new work program, ‘tis the season to be wary. Local businesses are afraid the interns will be delinquents, punks, or worse. For Jill, nothing’s worse than Ted Hendricks—the jerk who runs the program. After a few run-ins, Jill’s ready to kill the guy. That, however, turns out to be unnecessary when she finds Ted in his car—dead as a doornail. Detective Greg King assumes it’s a suicide. Jill thinks it’s murder. And if the holidays weren’t stressful enough, a spoiled blonde wants to sue the city for breaking her heel. Jill has to act fast to solve this mess—before the other shoe drops. . .

“Murder, dirty politics, pirate lore, and a hot police detective: Guidebook to Murder has it all! A cozy lover’s dream come true.” —Susan McBride, author of The Debutante Dropout Mysteries  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm.

When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn’t watch out, she’ll end up on Santa’s naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When murder silences the Christmas cheer in charming Arborville, New Jersey, Pamela and her Knit and Nibble pals must unravel the most bone-chilling mystery this side of the North Pole . . .

Pamela has been in merry spirits since her artsy daughter Penny returned home from college for the holidays. But their mother-daughter bonding time gets cut short when a terrified Penny stumbles upon the dumped body of Millicent Farthingale, a wealthy craft shop owner who was popular for all the wrong reasons. From a scheming business partner to a seedy husband several years her junior, Millicent attracted scammers so in love with her assets, they’d toss her down a chimney to get their paws on them. Now, with only a hand-knit red scarf connecting the killer to the crime, Pamela and the Knit and Nibblers could use some extra creativity as they find out who’s really naughty or nice in Arborville—because going up against a looming culprit is DIY or die!

Knitting tips and delicious recipe included!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Empty nester Merry Winters loves three things: Christmas, crafting and her family. To regain purpose and joy, Merry hits the road to a Christmas vendor event with her furry sidekick Ebenezer in her new mobile crafting sleigh, aka an RV.

But it soon turns into the nightmare before Christmas when Merry unwraps her Scrooge of an ex-husband’s body in one of the RV’s compartments. Add to that his missing winning lottery ticket believed to be stashed somewhere in the RV, leading the homicide detective and Merry’s stepdaughter to believe Merry is the one whodunit.

With visions of prison dancing in her head, will Merry be able to solve this Christmas calamity before she’s locked away?

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NOT A CREATURE WAS STIRRING by Christina Freeburn | A Henery Press Mystery. If you love one, you’ll probably love them all.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Christmastime again in Christmas River.
And all hell is breaking loose.
Pie baker Cinnamon Peters has plenty on her plate this season. Between running her popular pie shop, planning her upcoming wedding to the town’s sheriff, and trying to lose weight to squeeze into her oh-so-perfect and oh-so-tight wedding dress, it’s all Cinnamon can do to keep her head on straight.
But when Cinnamon’s cousin goes missing, and strange acts of violent vandalism start plaguing Christmas River, Cinnamon is quickly pulled into a shady world of danger that threatens to send her careening over the edge of sanity.
Will Cinnamon make it to her wedding without losing her mind? Or will she get dragged down into madness?
Madness in Christmas River is the third book in the Christmas River Cozy series, and is preceded by Murder in Christmas River and Mayhem in Christmas River.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Audiobook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A man dies during a dinner party Zak and Zoe are attending, Alex has a famous friend staying with her, a suspicious federal agent shows up creating more questions than answers, and what should be a fairly cut and dried murder investigation turns into a complicated mess which makes it difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Meanwhile, Levi and Ellie are thrilled when Baby Denton makes an early appearance, and Zoe’s mom Madison is at the end of her rope after taking over as chairperson for Hometown Christmas, which for unknown reasons, seems to be fraught with problems.

It’s funny, it’s family, it’s a Zak and Zoe holiday mystery.  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While Kay attends a Christmas tea at Hawthorne Hills Retirement Home, a beloved caretaker dies from an allergic reaction to peanuts. When the official coroner’s report rules the cause of death to be accidental, a small group of residents suspect foul play and call upon Kay to investigate.

Kay uncovers sinister plots of fraud, revenge, and corruption at the Home. During this season of peace on earth, good will to men, additional murders occur. Despite multiple attempts on her life, and with the support once again of her best friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, Kay continues her quest for bringing justice for the victims. Kay’s first Christmas in Sudbury Falls is an unforgettable one, with equal amounts of celebration and danger. ‘Tis the season to be sleuthing!  (Amazon)

Editions Available:  Kindle, Paperback