Holiday Mystery Thriller

Claudine Burroughs, a volunteer in Hester Monk's clinic for sick and injured prostitutes, no longer expects closeness with her coldly ambitious husband and dreads the holidays. Then, at a glittering Yuletide gala, she meets the attractive poet Dai Tregarron, and suddenly her spirits lift. But an hour later, this fascinating man is enmeshed in a nightmare - accused of killing a young streetwalker who had been smuggled into the party.

DI Tom Stonem’s peaceful holiday is cut short when a body is discovered nearby, in the shadow of the Angel of the North. The dead man is bound, his arms outstretched in the sculpture’s iconic pose. In the man’s pocket is what appears to be a little girl’s Christmas list, with the first item – 1. Angel delight – crossed off. When a second body is found – a woman, stabbed in the abdomen after her work Christmas do – Stonem can’t help but notice a grim connection between the crime scenes and the items on the seemingly innocent list. 2. Red party dress. Could this be a murderer’s twisted code?

Quilt appraiser Keely Fairchild is thrilled that the Danger Cove Quilt Guild has teamed up with the Historical Museum to make miniature quilts to decorate the museum's Christmas tree. To join in the holiday spirit, she offers free appraisals of holiday quilts during the ornament-making workshop.

Christmas lights twinkle throughout the cozy coastal town of Rocky Point, New Hampshire, and Prescott's Antiques auction venue has been transformed into a winter wonderland for Josie Prescott's annual holiday party. Josie is especially excited this year - Ian Bennington, a recently discovered distant relative, will be joining the fun. Both Ian and Josie are, it seems, descended from Arabella Churchill, a 17th-century royal mistress. The party is a success and Ian is a hit. It gives Josie an unexpected thrill to have family - and unexpected dread when he vanishes.

It is no ordinary Christmas at Lexham Manor. Six holiday guests find themselves the suspects of a murder enquiry when the old Scrooge, Nathaniel Herriad, who owns the substantial estate, is found stabbed in the back. Whilst the delicate matter of inheritance could be the key to this crime, the real conundrum is how any of the suspects could have entered the locked room to commit this foul deed. For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard, 'tis the season to find whodunit.

It’s a cold and snowy Christmas Eve in the rowdy mining town of Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. Rather than enjoy some drinks in front of a warm fire with her friends, contracted Slayer Clementine Johanssen has her horse saddled and weapons packed to head out into the hills and hunt down some deadly scallywags—alone. When her friends catch wind of her intentions, they set out to waylay her long enough to change her way of thinking...in spite of her mule-headedness.

Ainsley Holloway finally meets Adam Winchester. Intent of finding the answers she came to Washington to unveil, she begins to initiate herself into his life. Adam seems to have his own set of demons to deal with, but Ainsley had dealt with men harboring inner demons before, and she knows that with enough time and the right approach, she could get him to open up and share what he knows for both their sakes.

There's more to celebrate this Halloween when Bailey's college friend Raven prepares to walk down the aisle in spooky seasonal style. As a bridesmaid, Bailey is overwhelmed helping with wedding preparations while the annual holiday festival scares up business for her bookstore. She also finds herself playing peacekeeper between fellow bridesmaids Colby and Ivy, whose arguments add even more conflict to the already simmering tensions within the wedding party between the groom's traditional family and the bride's bohemian parents.

With the remodel complete, Lou and the gang have settled into what Lou hopes will be a regular weekly routine including the new senior sleuthing group Murder on Tuesdays. When the investigation into the authenticity of the haunted house the group selects begins to create modern-day problems for Lonnie, who has won the bid to remodel the mansion, Lou is forced to admit that the group may have gotten themselves in to something they likely shouldn't have.

When a traveling Egyptian exhibit stops in picturesque Pomme Valley, all hell breaks loose when a valuable artifact is stolen and a dead body turns up in an unexpected location. The prime suspect has already been identified, but there's a catch: He's more than 3,000 years old. Pomme Valley's newest crime-fighting crusaders are on the case with Sherlock, new packmate Watson, and their reluctant human, Zack. Can they solve the murder and locate the missing loot before any more misfortune can befall the town?

The remodel is almost complete, and Abby and Georgia are planning a huge grand opening. The only thing left for Abby to do before Lonnie can wrap things up is to go through the items left in the attic by prior residents. Abby is just about to get started when a woman named Trinity Roswell shows up claiming to be the great-great-great niece of Abagail Chesterton, the wife of the man who built the house, Chamberlain Westminster. They visit an old cemetery and come away with more questions than answers.

It's Christmas in Albuquerque; Charlie and family are ready for a quiet holiday at home. But right away, her hopes fade when Charlie's brother and PI business partner, Ron, brings in two new cases, one of which made national headlines. Five years earlier, with the tide of media attention and public sentiment against her, Tali Donovan was acquitted of killing her two children and went into hiding. Now, on the anniversary of the children's disappearance, their father wants answers.

Cara's life is spinning out of control. A double-wedding is canceled at the last minute. A baby comes early. Her son decides he hates college. But none of that is as upsetting as the death of a young acquaintance, a food service professional with her whole life ahead of her. The drive-by shooting has left the cops without a suspect. Maybe it was simply a random act of violence. But Cara's curiosity, and her innate sense of humanity, drive her to keep asking questions. Who killed the girl with the purple hair? And why?

Miami is a hotbed of criminal activity, but no one expects to be robbed by Santa himself! With the big jolly man in the bright red suit doing a few B&Es in the neighborhood, Maggie's vacation is soon swapped out for a criminal investigation. And she's teaming up with a new neurotic partner. Holiday hilarity ensues when Damaged Goods and the Laundry Hag join forces for a takedown you won't want to miss!

Chloe and her husband Scott are holidaying with their families on the beautiful Greek island of Mykonos. But Chloe has a secret... She has hired a hitman to kill Scott when they return home. This week, her plan is to pretend to be such a happy wife that no suspicion can possibly fall on her after the murder. But she's reckoning without Scott’s meddlesome sister, Tori, plus the rivalries and demands of both families. Can she deal with them all while keeping her murderous intentions hidden?

At age 65 widower David Roche has finally had enough. Sick of the hurtful insults hurled at him by his own elderly mother, and tired of being hit up for endless loans by his younger brother and sister, David leaves his small home town in Maine looking to start a new life. David will soon discover that he isn't the only one who has been stuck with a vile family when he meets Sharon Crane who desperately needs to escape her own control-freak daughter. Their chance meeting results in a tale of love and unexpected danger. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donald W. Desaulniers is a retired Canadian attorney ...

In book five in the series, the new bank president, who happens to be the son of the man who founded the community bank, is found dead and buried in his own grave. The man was not popular in the small community after making a lot of changes with his father's passing, and the list of possible suspects who might want him dead is extensive. Meanwhile, it is October, and the inn is hosting Halloween-themed events. The haunted weekends are just for fun, but when guests report hearing noises in the hallway, Abby wonders if the inn might actually be haunted for real.

With just two weeks until the highly anticipated Christmas on Main event, the tiny town of White Eagle, Montana, is all decked out for the season. With the annual tree lighting just around the corner, Tess and Tony are busy with their own holiday preparations, until someone close to Tess is shot and killed in front of her own home.

There is a new murder to investigate when a friend of Nikki's turns up dead. It seems that the death might be tied in with ghostly happenings at a new art gallery in town, but there are problems with that theory as well. Meanwhile, a whole new group of guests check in, including a man in town to investigate a century-old murder and a woman seeking answers to her past.

Detective Alex Cross is called into action on Christmas Eve - and he'll be lucky to see the New Year. Christmas celebrations with his family are cut short when Detective Alex Cross receives a phone call. A drug-crazed man has taken his own family hostage and their lives depend on Alex. But it's not just them. As the suburban nightmare unfolds, a greater threat arises - a terrorist attack like Washington has never seen. And Alex is caught in the middle.