Amateur Sleuths Christmas

CHRISTMAS MIRACLES ABOUND Lily, LauraLea and the rest of the Artzy Chicks crew are busy preparing for another merry white Christmas at the Massanutten Mountain resort. Their art gallery has taught dozens of glitter classes and served gallons of Mulled Wine to their patrons. Their friend and local medical examiner, Dr. Kenzie Zimbro stops by to shop. Lily and LauraLea invite her to join them for a celebration but she turns them down, and informs them she will be working through the holiday season. The ladies detect a sadness in Kenzie they hadn't noticed before. A few days later, during a ...

Jill and Mrs V are both in big trouble until salvation comes from the most unlikely quarter.

Something’s baking at Ginger Snaps Bakery… and it’s not just cookies. When beloved small-town baker Ginger Lawrence discovers a dead body in her kitchen, her cozy world in Haversham Falls crumbles faster than a day-old scone. Caught in a murder investigation, Ginger must fight to clear her name, protect her family bakery, and uncover the truth hiding beneath layers of small-town secrets. Armed with a quick wit, a piping bag, and an unlikely alliance with the town’s newest grumpy-but-hot detective, Ginger dives headfirst into a case where every neighbor could be a suspect—and the ...

On 1st of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Edie O’Sullivan finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene – blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. Included in the parcel is a message: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.’ It’s signed, Rest In Pieces.

Ainsley decides to set aside her search for answers to her past and enjoy her first Gooseberry Christmas by volunteering along with the rest of the gang for the Christmas festival on the boardwalk. Normally Ainsley didn’t bother much with Christmas and all its trappings, but this year she is excited to join in as most of the locals are prone to do. Of course it does put a bit of a damper on the festivities when a body is found in the tree lot where the gang had offered to help out.

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!]

Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants. She's already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town's festivities. With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate.

With only days to go until Jackie's wedding, the unthinkable happens, and murder wreaks havoc on the best-laid plans! Christmas is fast approaching, and Harmony's festive Winter Wonderland is in full swing. Everyone is getting in the holiday spirit. The ice-skating rink is bustling, the vendors are busy selling ornaments, and the hot chocolate is flowing. But Jackie Parker is focused on her upcoming nuptials. Her custom-made wedding gown and crimson velvet evening coat are almost complete. The horse and sleigh are reserved to take Jackie to her wedding reception. And soon she will be ...

Aggie is hired to be a private nurse to an ailing millionaire’s wife. But she's not the one who dies. The couple is ensconced in a mansion in the small town to evade their enemies in the city. The marriage is anything but happy and she grows attached to the wife while repelled by the husband and baffled by the numerous silent servants who don’t seem to do anything but scuttle away. As Christmas approaches, everyone’s peace is shattered by a death at the big house. It isn’t who anyone expected would die, and it certainly wasn’t from natural causes. There are plenty of suspects ...

**Holiday Heist** is a cozy mystery set in the charming town of Holiday Corner, Vermont. The story revolves around Celeste and Edwin, who are eagerly preparing for their wedding. However, their celebration takes on a deeper meaning when they decide to host a fundraiser in conjunction with their nuptials to support the Sutton family, who have fallen on hard times. As the town comes together to help, the excitement builds for what promises to be the biggest event Holiday Corner has ever seen. But the festive atmosphere is shattered when a priceless necklace, generously donated by the wealthy ...

A snowy pile-up and rescue scam. A theft accusation and two murders. Can Sue clear her name before she’s the next victim? Distanced by her children and determined not to spend another Christmas alone, Susan Belcroft books a stay at a ski resort, hoping to rekindle her sagging spirit. With travel to the lodge interrupted by a sudden snowstorm, she and three other stranded drivers accept a seemingly kindhearted rescue, only to find themselves charged with theft. The stakes increase when police find the accusers’ dead bodies. No Gifts to Bring is an endearing cozy mystery of love and hope,...

Tommy and Evelyn Christie are looking forward to a quiet Christmas holiday at the home of Hugh Norton-Cavendish, the 9th Earl of Clifford, who recently married Tommy's cousin, Elise. However, the suspicious death of Albert Lewis, a businessman hoping to buy land from Hugh, means the Christmas festivities are quickly over. Tommy is distracted by his sister's new relationship with a man he distrusts. Evelyn is busy with her pack of dogs, brought for the traditional Boxing Day shoot.

A baker who sees the dead. One too many suitors. And a killer. Living in Honey Hollow can be murder. MURDER IN THE MIX Cozy Mystery Christmas Special A laugh out loud standalone cozy mystery by New York Times Bestseller Addison Moore ***Includes RECIPE*** My name is Lottie Lemon, and I see dead people. Okay, so I rarely see dead people, mostly I see furry creatures of the dearly departed variety, who have come back from the other side to warn me of their previous owner’s impending doom. The holidays have arrived, and the Jolly Holly Tree Lot is hosting a special event that has pets and ...

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.

In the New England town of Frog's Ledge, the Holiday Light Festival is a Christmas tradition. Killing Santa is not. To bring joy back to the season, organic pet patisserie owner Kristan "Stan" Connor will have to find another Santa before it's too late . . . To the townspeople's delight, the annual lighting of the tree is a spectacular success. Unfortunately, Santa pulled up in his sleigh, DOA. At first Stan is sure it's Seamus, her boyfriend's uncle, inside the red suit. But the victim turns out to be an employee from the town's Christmas tree farm.

Snow, Stars - and murder! When Bernie, the star of breakfast show TV Rise & Shine, is murdered in her dressing room, Celebrity Crimes Investigation Agents Abi and Jake are sent undercover just before Christmas to catch the killer. With suspects aplenty, the snow building up outside and the holidays fast approaching, they’ve certainly got their work cut out!

Melanie Travis has her hands full with her two young sons, a part-time job, and a half dozen poodles to her name. But even with the busy holiday season approaching, she still has time to sniff out a Christmastime killer.... There's nothing lovelier than Christmas in Connecticut, but Melanie can scarcely find a moment to enjoy the festivities.

A stolen necklace, a famous actress with a secret, a jewel thief, and an attempt to bake an edible Christmas cake send Lizzie's holiday plans spiraling into danger, chaos and disaster... The holiday season means the chance to bake lots of yummy festive goodies – well, that’s the theory! When it comes to baking, Lizzie Carter’s still battling to make cakes that people actually want to eat as every recipe she’s tried so far has turned out completely inedible! Thankfully, Lizzie is saved from spending days slaving away in a hot kitchen in an attempt to create a perfect mince pie by a ...

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

Enjoy the holiday season with three festive mysteries set in coastal Maine. This anthology includes "Yule Log Murder" by Leslie Meier, "Death by Yule Log" by Lee Hollis, and "Logged On" by Barbara Ross.