Christmas Mystery Short

It was supposed to be a simple day of helping middle-aged Conrado Reyes after a knee replacement. Caela and Robin never suspected what was in store for them, or how Ann Essex, Bill Dancer, Tom Van Pelt, Che-Che Reyes, and the entire Central Bucks policing community would be working to save them. Follow Detective Ann Essex, her associates Bill Dancer and Tom Van Pelt, best friends Suzanne and Che-Che, and investigative daughter Robin and her ever present friend Caela, as they solve murders and piece together the mysteries they encounter.

With Christmas just around the corner and the discovery of the Renaissance diamond still fresh in their minds, Robert, Annie, Anton, and Ellie discover that things around Darvil Manor have been mysteriously disappearing. After tracing the culprit to a traveling circus, which set up nearby Devil's Leap, the children investigate, but is there more to the story than initially appears? And what do the mischievous clowns, Hubble and Bubble, have to do with this mystery?

In the happily hectic holidays, it's a treat to slip away to a comfy corner with a hot beverage and a tasty treat, and curl up in a favorite chair for a few moments peace with a cozy holiday story. The twelve short stories in this collection are in a variety of genres to provide something for every taste as you enjoy a short, sweet retreat on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Along with every entertaining story, the author has provided a favorite holiday recipe for the goodies enjoyed by her characters.

USA Today best-seller Debbie Mason's Christmas short story featuring characters from the Harmony Harbor series.

As Violet Sidhu and her friends prepare to sell hats at the Halloway Hills Middle School Christmas fair, they discover their hats have gone missing! In book two of the Halloway Hills Middle School Mysteries, after a box of crocheted hats goes missing, Violet and her friends must come up with an alternative plan to raise money at the annual Christmas fair. When Violet discovers what’s happened to her hats, thanks to the new guy at school, getting them back turns out to be harder than she thought. Will Violet get her hats back in time for the school’s Christmas fair?

A cozy, closed door holiday romance with small town charm, a protective werewolf and Christmas cheer, perfect for reading by the fireside as you curl up under a cozy blanket. Emma Clarke has just moved to Pinecrest. Taking over the library fulfills all of her dreams . . . well . . . almost. The only thing that’s missing is someone to share it all with. Lucas Greystone, a handsome stranger with an electric touch keeps finding ways to escort Emma home. After discovering a hidden room in the library, Emma is determined to learn the secrets of Pinecrest and Lucas. As a spark reignites between...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year," the old song tells us. But that doesn't mean the people celebrating it are always so nice. Criminals get the Christmas spirit, too! In this collection of hilarious short stories, you'll see what the thieves, killers, psychos and scumbags are up to come the holidays...and it's not caroling door to door. Well, not unless they're casing the neighborhood for a break-in, as a rag-tag gang does in the title story.

Test your young detective skills with these fun small-town mysteries. Can you solve the crimes before Carter does? Carter Calamity is just your average 12-year-old kid with a super detective brain. There isn't a case that he can't solve. From stolen Russian artifacts to missing singing snowmen, Carter can solve it all. Carter, together with his friends Naomi and Avi, brings every case to a close. They are the reason that Rosedale feels so safe. Can you join the team? Can you help them out? Pick up Carter Calamity's Mysterious Christmas Capers and keep Christmas safe!

Flagged down by Inspector LaStrade of Scotland Yard as they walk through the icy winter streets, Holmes and Watson are transported to the home of the aristocratic Lady Whitebread. Once there, she tells them her traditional holiday centerpiece has vanished in the midst of the Christmas dinner - right under the very noses of her guests. The decoration? An enormous work of the jeweler's art centered upon a three inch round emerald called...the Christmas Jewel.

From the twice CWA Dagger shortlisted author of The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas come 12 never-before-published stories to transport you to the macabre world of inexplicable phenomena. With returning characters from the Essex Witch Museum series and a weirdly wonderful tale for each day of Christmas, these spooky stories are the perfect companion for long, dark winter nights.

Christmas, the happiest time of year. Plum puddings, candy canes, carols by the fireside. But outside, the mist lies deep and still. Frost gnaws at your fingertips. Shadowy forms lurk in the evergreens. It’s the season for ghost stories.

In The Twelve Ghosts of Christmas, you will even be chilled by the stories in the introduction to the book, never mind the devilish dozen true tales about eerie time slips, gory premonitions, heart-stopping exorcisms, heartbreaking tales of lost love, graveyard tricksters, and sinister old hags. Listen to a story about the devil that tempted a bishop with pleasures of the flesh in "The Missing Room" and of the titanic, ominous force that turned a 3,000-ton ship upside down and sent its crew of 75 into limbo, never to be seen again.

A vicar nailed to a tree in Yorkshire. The theft of a priceless artefact during a fire. A detective forced to tell the truth for 24 hours. A body hidden in a basement. From the restless streets of London to the wilds of the Lake District, displaying all his trademark humour, playfulness and clever plotting, this landmark collection brings together the very best of Reginald Hill’s short stories for the first time, complete with a foreword from Val McDermid.

When her beloved dog passes away just before Christmas, Gloria isn't sure about her best friend's advice. Holiday hilarity ensues when a new cat shows up on her doorstep each day. Who's leaving the cats? And why? Will Gloria's Christmas go up a poof of pet fur, or will it prove to be the most purrfect holiday ever?

A VERY John Jordan Christmas! It's the most wonderful time of the year. And the most stressful. But John Jordan is determined to give his friends and family a very merry Christmas. In order to do so, he'll have to be the man his family and friends have come to expect him to be--a kind, wise, compassionate counselor, and an attentive father, son, husband, and friend--all while his own life lies in ruin. Can John bring joy to those he loves? Can he save Christmas and help his best friend to have a romantic and meaningful Christmas wedding? Find out in A John Jordan Christmas.

Max knows when his humans act funny--something is up. Normally, he'd team up with private investigator Nala to solve a crime. This time it's Max to the rescue when his best canine buddy goes missing. It will take all his skills to solve this mystery in time for everyone to be home for Christmas.

From an irresponsible baron whose body is discovered beneath a silver birch tree, to a classic detective duo solving a historic case as the lights go out across Europe, and an exclusive Tony Hill and Carol Jordan story, the characters McDermid conjures are enigmatic and dangerous. These evocative, atmospheric tales will shock and delight.

Private investigator Jade O'Reilly thought her worst Christmas dilemma involved finding the perfect gift for her significant other. That was before she agreed to help Agnes Sturgis, the crankiest old biddy in all of Sweetwater, NC. Every day, for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, Agnes wakes up to a yard filled with Christmas decorations. But in Agnes's opinion, "they're not decorations; they're property damage!"

Watson visits Sherlock Holmes at Christmastime and finds him contemplating a battered old hat, brought to him by the commissionaire Peterson after it and a Christmas goose had been dropped by a man in a scuffle with some street ruffians. Peterson takes the goose home to eat it, but comes back later with a precious carbuncle that his wife found in the bird's crop.

From the creator of Dalziel and Pascoe comes a fantastic collection of crime stories complete with a foreword by Mick Herron.