Holiday Mystery

A Sweet Romantic Suspense for the Holidays! ~ Unlikely suspects with misunderstood agendas cripple the horse industry and leave everyone to question the motivation behind senseless killings. ~ A horse killer is on the loose and Doreen McConnell loses a couple of mares to a deadly concoction of frog juice and ketamine. When a wealthy neighbor hires a team of men to track down a criminal, Doreen finds herself relying on a mercenary to guard her farm. Nick Taylor is standing watch over Doreen McConnell’s Stables, determined to find the person responsible for destroying numerous horses, but ...

After five years of running the Holiday Haven Inn, Carolyn Highcrest thinks she can handle anything. She and her best friend Mercy are determined to make their festive weekend celebrations the best they can possibly be, despite being surrounded by scheming rivals, melodramatic theatre group members and overenthusiastic carollers.

Winter in Sea Harbor is a feast for the senses—crackling bonfires, the scent of snow in the salty air, carols ringing out on the village green. This year, the Seaside Knitters have a sack full of obligations in addition to their usual Christmas preparations. Meanwhile, the holidays are kicking off in style at Mayor Beatrice Scaglia’s holiday party, where a well-dressed crowd admires the mayor’s new home and celebrity chef. An additional treat for Ben and Nell Endicott is reconnecting with a dear college friend. But it’s not just reunions and the appetizers that are to die for.

Ruth loves her life in London—she has a high-powered career and a handsome and successful fiancé. This Christmas, she’s bringing him back to her home town to meet her family and school friends, one of whom, Holly Murphy, has a new baby. But, as the Christmas Eve party is in full swing, the unthinkable happens—Ruth drops the baby, injuring the little boy. Or did she? Ruth becomes convinced she didn’t cause the baby’s injuries, that they were inflicted before the party, that the Murphys are not the lovely family they appear to be.

On Christmas Eve, the Hardy Family are once again in a predicament on their horse farm. Someone or something has been stealing from them in the night. Was it human, or was it a ghostly presence who took all the coal? Or could it be Father Christmas, also known Santa Claus, Saint Nick, or Sinterclaas? And what was that giant beast that the farm workers saw galloping past? In a story that glances at Christmas myths from different countries, most of them scary, Sergeant Frank Hardy and his friend Hop Li search in the darkness to find out what's going on. Meanwhile, Mette gets to know Grace, ...

It's Christmas time once again in Holiday Haven, and Star Clearwater has a choice to make. Her generous fiancé, Everett, won't push her to make it, but she knows it's only a matter of time. In the middle of dealing with her own relationship woes, Star realizes that her mother's new boyfriend may not be what he appears.

Seville—the home of tapas, flamenco, and … murder? Tour guide Lana Hansen is finally leading a trip to Spain—and during Easter week, no less! To top it off, she is a speaker at a prestigious travel and tourism expo taking place in Seville during the tour. Luckily, her clients—all influential travel bloggers and writers—are also attending the trade show. Lana is excited to speak at the conference … that is, until Chet Rogers—an eminent travel writer being honored at the expo—publicly humiliates her and several of her guests. When Chet is killed during a workshop soon after, ...

As the holidays draw near in Caerphilly, Mother volunteers to take part in a big Christmas-themed decorator show house - each room of a temporarily untenanted house is decorated to the hilt by a different decorator for the public to tour. Of course, Mother insists that Meg pitch in with the organization, and she finds herself surrounded by flamboyant personalities with massive egos clashing and feeling their professional reputations are at stake.

With help from the Seaside Knitters, Mary Pisano converts her charming inherited home into a B&B, and the first week is booked by her very own family in town to discuss their grandfather's will. Mary is hoping the tranquility of the setting will smooth over ill feelings among them. But when her cousin Pam is found murdered, she realizes she was dead wrong. With the holiday cheer severely disrupted, Mary relies on the Seaside Knitters to set things right.

It was supposed to be a holiday to fix the cracks in our fractured family. I knew the seven days would be endless, but I never imagined that one of us would only survive for six of them… As I carry my case into the charming and rustic cottage and smile at my sister-in-law, Kelli, I allow myself a moment of hope. Perhaps this holiday will force our family to address our long-held grudges and leave with the promise of a happier future.

To Live or Die in Santorini It was supposed to be a fun Grecian holiday. Beaches. Babes. And booze. To offset the cost of the trip, Joe has an assignment from a local hotelier to fix a profitability issue. But after a short two weeks, Joe has problems with three women. The first woman loves him. The second woman hates him. And the third woman is dead. Of course, the murder is not really his business. The police are on the case, and Joe has his own project to work on. But every time Joe pulls a string from that tangled mess, he finds an even bigger issue, and eventually, the strings lead him...

In the haunted town of Oakdale, sparks fly between bartender Noah and shy photographer Allison amidst costumes and spooky decor at his tavern’s monster bash on All Hallows’ Eve. But Allison experiences unexplained supernatural events—glimpses of a shadowy figure that may be the legendary Irish Jack’s ghost. Are these just harmless paranormal tricks leading up to Halloween, or could the haunting be real? Amid lingering questions of the paranormal, cute surprises, and creative dates, Noah and Allison’s connection deepens, until they both begin entertaining ideas of taking their ...

Sixteen delightful holiday short stories by some of your favorite Soho crime authors! This captivating collection of short mysteries and crime capers - which features New York Times best-selling authors, Crime Writers Association Gold and Diamond Dagger winners, and Edgar Award nominees - contains laughs aplenty, the most hardboiled of holiday noir, and heartwarming reminders of the spirit of the season.

It was supposed to be the perfect holiday, dreamed up by Kate as the ideal way to turn 40: four best friends and their husbands and children in a luxurious villa under the blazing sunshine of Languedoc-Roussillon. But there is trouble in paradise. Kate suspects that her husband is having an affair, and that the other woman is one of her best friends. One of these women is willing to sacrifice years of friendship and destroy her family. But which one?

In a one horse open…sleighed The final pieces to the family business plan are falling into place. And Chloe’s mom has launched another hair-brained idea to open up a gnome museum back home. The feud between her mom and her loveable cocker spaniel over those quirky creatures had reached epic levels. While trying to keep the peace, Chloe was enjoying the joy of the season and looking forward to her boyfriend soon joining her to celebrate Christmas. Her match-making mother can think of no better setting to further her scheme than a romantic sleigh ride to seal the deal. But, the reindeer ...

The twelfth book in Melanie Jackson's bestselling Chloe Boston Cozy Mystery Series is a 31k-word book containing the stories "Snow Angel" and "High Society." "Melanie Jackson is a talent to watch." —WritersWrite.com In "Snow Angel," Alex and Chloe are headed out of town, ready to spend a peaceful Christmas at a ski resort in Bethlehem, Colorado. Once there, Chloe finds that all is far from peaceful and bright in the newly restored hotel with a dark history. Someone wants to keep the hotel from officially opening on New Year's Eve and is willing to sabotage the resort, even if it puts ...

When Santa’s visit to the Gulch is called off due to a bad storm Butterscotch Jones has to step in and save Ricky’s Christmas. While Butterscotch is busy in Manitoba, Miss Henry is in Quebec. She is trying to drum up some Christmas spirit while hunting for a missing lawyer. Nicodemus Smith has her hands full tracking down a lost philanthropist who fancies himself to be Santa Claus, and Jane Blackthorn is going her best to cope with a plum pudding thief who is vexing her first Christmas in merry olde England. While Kenneth Mayhew tries to restore order at the Mayhem Mansion revels, Chloe...

Following the butler's death and the cook's retirement, the ever-gullible Lady Lavinia replaces them with a power couple who are determined to thrust the crumbling estate into the 21st century. The Dowager Countess reluctantly agrees to hold a big-ticket Christmas gala and silent auction with a mystery celebrity flying in from Monaco as the guest of honour.

Krissy Hancock is staying in her adopted hometown of Pine Hills, Ohio, for Christmas this year - and she even has a whole week off from her combination bookstore-cafe. Unfortunately, she's been roped into filling in for a sick elf in the local holiday musical extravaganza. With a demanding director, backstage gossip, and two men in fierce competition for the starring role, it isn't all sweetness and Christmas lights. Then a murder puts a stop to the production, and Krissy is faced with a pageant of suspects.

A Halloween Mystery with a Killer Twist! "Melanie Jackson is a talent to watch." — WritersWrite.com Halloween is Chloe Boston’s favorite holiday, and this year, she’s certain her carefully crafted pumpkin carving will take first prize. But the night before the big competition, disaster strikes—someone uses Mr. Jackman’s giant pumpkin as a weapon to squash the town’s most unpopular dentist. Now, instead of celebrating the season with cider and candy, Chloe finds herself tangled in yet another mystery. Hope Falls doesn’t need this kind of publicity, and Chloe can’t let a rogue...