Christmas Mystery Short

In this batch of sweet, short murder mysteries, three cooks don’t spoil the broth. New York Times best-selling author Joanne Fluke pens the title story, in which a box of Hannah Swensen’s gingerbread cookies is found near the corpse of her neighbor. Popular co-authors Laura Levine and Leslie Meier offer “The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies” and “Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots”, respectively.

Rebellious Christmas wreaths. Mysterious welly-dwelling eggs. A plague of irate water fowl. And ten ladies of a certain age who are by no means the least troublesome of Toot Hansell's residents, as far as Detective Inspector Adams is concerned. She's entirely certain her training never covered dealing with the Women's Institute, dragons, or festive magic spills. Not to mention invisible dogs with caffeine dependencies. But Christmas is almost here. Things can't go too wrong. . . can they? Well. It is Toot Hansell.

It’s Christmas Eve and Stella Hansen is broke. She is so broke that despite working two jobs, she can’t even afford a present for her husband on their first Christmas as man and wife. But then a mysterious storekeeper at a pawn shop offers Stella an intriguing trade. Stella wants more than anything to buy her husband the Christmas gift of his dreams. But will it come at a terrible price?

Silent Night turns deadly when a killer joins the chorus… When the Golden Ring Carolers arrive at Lena Larsen's Victorian guest house for their holiday retreat, she expects a peaceful week of seasonal songs and festive preparation. Instead, she gets a murder mystery wrapped in red velvet ribbon. The victim? Clara Whitmore, the group's controlling founder and lead soprano, whose talent for discovering secrets was matched only by her skill in wielding them against others. With a growing list of suspects—including a bitter ex-fiancé, an ambitious understudy, and a cousin trapped in ...

Someone is trying to ruin Christmas. Two of the town’s annual traditions have gone sideways so far. Now it’s starting to get personal for Zara Riddle, a witch who’s just trying to enjoy the season with her family. In a small town full of supernaturals, it’s going to be tricky to figure out who or what has been causing such a calamity. Zara has a list of suspects in mind, and the one at the top of the list happens to live under her own roof. Can the Riddle family’s first Christmas in Wisteria be saved?

Christmas in Paris… What could possibly go wrong? Ava Sext, an amateur sleuth and transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand that overlooks the Seine, has vowed that this Christmas will be the best Christmas ever. It has to be! It's her first Christmas in Paris as a Parisian. But when someone pushes a book dealer in the Seine at a Christmas Fair leaving him between life and death, Ava, with the help of her fellow bookseller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste, sets out to solve the crime before someone else dies. A little Paris ...

Mike Hunt: A Private Investigator’s Christmas Cases When Christmas cheer collides with crime, Mike Hunt, Private Investigator, is the man to untangle the mess. In this collection of five razor-sharp flash fiction stories, Mike takes on cases as unpredictable as a re-gifted fruitcake and as tangled as holiday lights. With his trademark wit, unmatched deductive prowess, and an uncanny ability to find himself in awkwardly sensual situations, Mike’s holiday caseload is anything but merry and bright. Each year when he offers his Christmas services pro bono, every weirdo and crooked freak in ...

OVER-THE-TOP INSTA-LOVE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN . . . FOR THE HOLIDAYS! My mom just got a new boyfriend and cancelled Thanksgiving because "reasons." So my sweet elderly neighbors invite me over. So far so good, right? Yeah, well, I'm not the only guest at their Thanksgiving table . . . But from the way this mystery guest is staring, I might be the only thing on the menu . . . His menu! Sweetness and darkness rolled into one. No cheating. No cliffhangers. Guaranteed HEA. Over-the-top with drama, madness, and steam because I just can't help myself. Sorry. This is insta-love, Annabelle Winters...

A Christmas party is punctuated by a gunshot under a policeman’s watchful eye. A jewel heist is planned amidst the glitz and glamour of Oxford Street’s Christmas shopping. And lost in a snowstorm, a man finds a motive for murder.... This collection of mysteries explores the darker side of the festive season, from unexplained disturbances in the fresh snow to the darkness that lurks beneath the sparkling decorations.

Leila is on her way home for the holidays. She has a big surprise for her family and friends…only to find out there is a surprise of a different kind waiting for her. Lizzie is so ready for Christmas…she’s also ready to solve the mysterious puzzle Harry found carved into the front of the saloon’s very antique bar. A suggestion from Leila has them searching the saloon yet once again for something else they might be missing. If it exists, it could help solve the old puzzle they were beginning to believe was an impossible feat. Kevin is ready for the holidays too. His and Lizzie’s ...

Who gave a baby away on Christmas Day? DNA tests seemed like perfect gifts for the elderly Perkins sisters. They can settle an old argument with bragging rights going to the winner—that’s the intent, anyway. But when the results arrive, everything changes, including the original question. One sister was born on Christmas Eve eighty-three years ago, but not to the Perkins family. So, who is she? The Nineteenth Gift is a heartwarming story of arguments, lies, and blackmail, and a special gift no one was expecting. This Eastern Shore Mysteries Short Holiday Read features Ellender York.

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Discover clean and fun best-selling cozy mysteries by Amber Crewes to enjoy! A light cozy-mystery series with an amateur female sleuth, mouth-watering culinary desserts, and 13 gripping murder mysteries!

Eugeena Patterson is marrying her neighbor and companion Amos Jones. Her family and friends are happy to finally see the couple walk down the aisle. But there’s something missing. Since his wife’s death, Amos has been estranged from his two daughters. Eugeena encourages Amos to reach out to his daughters by inviting them to spend Christmas with him.

Rumpole isn't particularly fond of Christmas; he finds it has a horrible habit of dragging on as he and She Who Must Be Obeyed go through the usual rituals in Froxbury Mansions. After the exchange of presents (lavender water for her, a tie for him) they settle down to a supermarket turkey with all the trimmings, followed by a glass of port. The only excitement comes in deciding whether to stand for the national anthem after the Queen's Speech.

Noelle Carter is looking forward to an uneventful holiday season at the office. But when a secret admirer starts sending her love poems signed, "Your Secret Santa," things take an unexpected turn. As Noelle navigates the mystery and mixed emotions, she's also juggling relationship issues for her best friend Karole. When Noelle suspects Karole's boyfriend is cheating, secrets threaten to ruin the holidays. Add in a hostile boss who seems to be out to get her, and Noelle has her hands full. Will Noelle be able to solve all her problems before Christmas comes? Or will they destroy her holiday ...

Christmas has come to Marquess House and, with it, an unexpected mystery for Perdita and Piper to solve. Will they be able to help devoted sisters from the past find each other again? The Convent of Llyn Cel Island, 1486 Mother Superior, Sister Non, returns from a family wedding to discover the bones of a saint have been revealed during a storm. As her ecclesiastical superiors make plans for a Holy Shrine to be erected, Sister Non knows she must stop them before her bitter secret is revealed. Present Day, Marquess House, Pembrokeshire Perdita and Piper Rivers are spending their first ...

Welcome to Frostvale, a picturesque town where holiday cheer meets magical intrigue! Holly Bell, a seasonal witch with a penchant for festive spells, returns home for the holidays expecting gingerbread cookies, sparkling snow, and the warmth of family traditions. But when Frostvale's beloved Santa impersonator, Jolly Jack, is found frozen in a mysterious block of ice, the festive season takes a chilling turn. Armed with her wits, her grimoire, and her mischievous black cat, Onyx, Holly dives into the heart of the town's secrets. Could it be the candy shop owner with a vendetta? Jack’s ...

Bill Vokes has played Santa at the children's Christmas show for years. But with the show just hours away, he vanishes with no explanation. The whole village is baffled. Did something bad happen to loveable Bill, upstanding citizen, churchgoer, life and soul of the party and the holiday season? Jack and Sarah are on the case - and soon discover there are secrets about this Santa that no one could have imagined.

A lonely, grieving woman, a quaint cottage by the sea, a mysterious painting on the wall, and the power of love. When Meg's sister dies, she is devastated. The last of three children, Meg misses her siblings and has never felt so alone. She's an author, but her emotional state hinders her writing ability, and she can't sit in front of her computer without trembling. A trip to Port Revere, MA, recalls memories of the summers spent there with her family when she was a girl, and Meg decides to buy the Christmas Cottage, an abandoned little house on a bluff near town. She refurbishes it and, ...