Amateur Sleuths Christmas

Francis Desmarais, a spirited baker with a passion for tradition, finds her world turned upside down when a Christmas parade ends in tragedy. The mysterious murder of Eleanor Wells, a cherished local and friend to Francis, unveils a labyrinth of long-buried secrets, simmering feuds, and a hidden heirloom with the power to change everything. Francis must whisk together her love for baking and her knack for sleuthing as she delves into the past, unearthing stories of forbidden love, familial strife, and ancestral ties that bind and break. With the townspeople eyeing her every move and the ...

Samantha Sweet is back at Sweet's Sweets, turning out her amazing cakes and pastries for the busy holiday season, when Emily Plankhurst, the new young librarian in town, stops in. Emily tells Sam a strange story involving a hidden niche in the library revealed to her in a vision, supposedly, by her dead grandmother. It turns out the hidden space contains a rare painting, The Ghost of Christmas, which was believed to have been destroyed in a fire twenty-five years ago at the luxury home of a hedge fund billionaire.

Sienna has returned to Tennessee, along with her new husband, Pierre, from the honeymoon of a lifetime in France, only to be hit with two diabolical cases. The cases were back-to-back, and both were much too close to home. Though clearly ethically criminal in nature, neither case of gross deceit would hold up in court, so Sienna was on her own, without the help of her local police department. Will this year’s Thanksgiving be a feast filled with giving thanks or a day of mourning two lost dreams, with Christmas just weeks away? [Now including the recipe for Sienna Monroe's Christmas Scone!]

Meet Marcia Banks...I’m a normal person. Well, I do have an unusual first name, pronounced Mar-see-a, not Marsha. And an abnormal vocation - I train service dogs for veterans with PTSD. But otherwise I’m normal...Except I tend to get sucked into other people’s messes, which has led to my unusual avocation - amateur sleuth. Romp along with me and my four-legged best friend, Buddy through our first three big adventures, plus a bittersweet Christmas tale!

As Mallory begins to plan a gala for an influential family, one of their employees is poisoned, and it's up to Mallory to solve the crime before time runs out.

As Melanie attempts to deck the halls in a house overrun by pampered poodles, her event planner friend, Claire, is busy playing Santa for the wealthiest clientele on Connecticut's Gold Coast. A personal shopper gig in the affluent town of New Canaan seems like business as usual. Except Claire's stylish stint comes at a higher price than she bargains for when she stumbles over her newest customer's dead body. Named a prime suspect for murder, she begs for Melanie's help, then vanishes like cookies and milk on Christmas Eve.

Sydney Nash is tangled in a Christmas mystery when a hired Santa collapses at a book reading and dies unexpectedly. With her clever cat Jinx, Sydney stumbles upon a rare coin that might hold the key to unraveling the truth. As she digs deeper, she uncovers secrets that could explain the man’s sudden demise and its dark motives. Can Sydney and Jinx crack the case before the holiday spirit turns to danger?

Whilst dining at the Bantrys, Miss Marple is asked to tell a murder mystery. She recounts the time she could tell from a man’s behaviour that he was planning to kill his wife. But at the time of the murder he had a perfect alibi.

When Iris Woodmore visits Winchester for their annual pantomime, murder is the last thing she expects to find. And there seems to be no valid reason as to why anyone would want to hurt lead actress, Rachel Lacey – kind and philanthropic, she organized the Christmas performance to raise funds for the Winchester Cathedral Great War Fund. Determined to uncover the sinister forces at play, Iris and her dear friend Percy embark on a perilous journey through the snow-lined streets of Winchester, where secrets lurk around every corner and danger looms in the shadows.

Dr. Georgia Thackery is back at home with her parents after finding a new adjunct position at Bostock College. Everyone is excited for their first family Christmas with nothing to hide. Why? Because Georgia’s daughter, Madison, is now in the know about Sid, their walking, talking family skeleton. But their Christmas cheer is interrupted when the Thackerys' dog, Byron, goes missing on a cold December night. When he’s finally found, he has a femur clutched between his jaws, and Georgia and Madison race to apologize to Sid for letting the dog gnaw on him yet again

Ross and Dorie are planning a Christmas Eve wedding. Someone wants Dorie out of the way, permanently. Could it be his mother, escaped from Central State Hospital? Ross really thought Dorie was imagining things while he was in California, but now that he’s home, though sleeping at Riley’s until the wedding, she continues to see things being moved and lights on in the attic. When someone steals his credit card and sends Dorie flowers from him with it, he just has to find out what is going on. Dorie finds out the secret about what happened with Ross’s mother on Ross’s 5th birthday ...

HO HO HOMICIDE? When the man who plays Santa for the Maycroft Christmas Festival goes missing, the committee turns to Deena Sharpe to find him. Her reputation for solving mysteries is legendary. But when the case becomes a kidnapping, she's worried something sinister has happened. Sharpe Claus has plenty of suspects and enough finger pointing to keep Deena on her toes. Follow along as she tries to solve the case of the missing Santa! This fun, cozy Christmas novella can be read as a standalone in the Maycroft Mysteries by USA Today Bestselling Author Lisa B. Thomas. Like all the books in ...

Meadowood has a new mystery and it's just in time for the holidays! Strings of miniature sparkling lights adorn tree branches and hang across the entrance to the holiday pavilion. Christmas carolers try to enhance the holiday mood, but it was murder in the air, not friendship and goodwill. What can Meredith Gardner do when suddenly her new friend plus the sheriff collapse after drinking cups of poisoned mulled cider? Suspicion and fear run rampant in the town of Meadowood as local businesses are burglarized and everyone becomes a suspect. Newly promoted Chief Deputy Sheriff Doug Gardner ...

A cosy mystery perfect for fans of Sally Smith, Steve Higgs, LJ Ross, Robert Thorogood, and Richard Osman. Karen McLaren has organised what she believes will be the perfect Yuletide celebration: a murder mystery evening based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s being held at Club Britannia; attendees are attired in period costume, and traditional food is on the menu. Everything has been planned to perfection… …one of the guests dying, however, isn’t something that’s been scheduled. A fictional murder mystery transforming into a real murder investigation throws Castillo ...

December 1935. Director Monty Harrison's production of A Christmas Carol has had a troubled run on its tour of regional theatres. With tensions amongst the cast running high, the company reach their final stop—London's Theatre Royale. Catastrophe, however, strikes on opening night: Scrooge dies on stage, the result (it is presumed) of a heart attack. But the show must go on. Until, that is, a leading theatre critic—and old rival of Monty's—is killed backstage.

It’s time for the first Christmas market at The Pearl Hotel, but when the festivities take a sinister turn, bestselling author and amateur sleuth, Serena Tate, must help find the assailant before they strike again. When Serena Tate’s twin daughters propose a unique holiday venture to Nina Takeda, the owner of The Pearl Hotel, Serena is reluctant to give her approval. Her friends, Mia and Lily, support the girls' plan, so Serena changes her opinion, and The Merry and Bright Christmas Market is underway. As the festive season kicks into high gear, the hotel is alive with holiday cheer—...

Christmas is just around the corner, and the ladies of the Cumberland Creek Scrapbook Crop are thrilled when Sheila wins the first place prize in a scrapbooking design contest: a ten-day scrapbook-themed cruise in the Caribbean. Vera and Paige decide to tag along, which should pose the perfect opportunity to learn some new techniques, mingle with fellow croppers, and get in some rest and relaxation before the chaos of Christmas.

When Lily returns home to her aunt's manor house, she discovers that in order to inherit, she and her estranged cousins must stay together over the Christmas week and take part in a family tradition: the annual treasure hunt. But as they are drawn deeper into the game, the clues seem to point not to the deeds to the manor house, but to the key to a 20-year-old mystery: what really happened to Lily's mother? As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, it becomes apparent that the game has turned deadly and that Lily is fighting for more than just an inheritance.

Christmas has descended on Lana Cove. It should be a time of merriment, but in one swoop, a news broadcast changes everything. Michael, an author, finds himself on the trail of a rogue Santa, intent on ruining Christmas and the lives of some residents. George is the usual Santa for Lana Cove, so who is the secretive newcomer, and why is he taking over all of George’s jobs?

Kiki is eight months pregnant and trying to cram as much ho-ho-ho into the holidays as possible. When a customer drops dead during an offsite event, this intrepid scrapbooking sleuth is left holding the bag. After her name is cleared, Kiki isn't one to sit around while her friends are threatened with false imprisonment. Instead, she vows to wrap up this case and tie it with a bow. Leave it to Kiki to determine who was nice, and who was very, very naughty, indeed. A nasty Christmas Grinch is targeting one of Kiki's friends—and that's just not kosher.