Holiday Thriller

"Eggnog Murder": When a gift-wrapped bottle of eggnog proves to be a killer concoction for a Tinker's Cove local, all Lucy Stone wants for Christmas is to find the murdering mixologist who's stirring up trouble. "Death By Eggnog": Food and cocktails columnist Hayley Powell has never cared much for Bar Harbor's grouchy town librarian, Agatha Farnsworth. But after the Scroogy senior has a fatal - and suspicious - allergic reaction to supposedly non-dairy eggnog, it's up to Hayley to ladle out some justice.

Death has come twice to Ravenbank, a remote community in England’s Lake District, each time on Halloween. Just before the First World War, a young woman’s corpse was found, with a makeshift shroud frozen to her battered face. Her ghost - the Faceless Woman - is said to walk through Ravenbank on Halloween. Five years ago, another woman, Shenagh Moss, was murdered, and again her face was covered to hide her injuries.

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.

It's the most picturesque time of the year in Santa Fe, and Chef Rita Lafitte of Tres Amigas Café hopes the twinkling lights and tasty holiday treats will charm her visiting mom. Rita is also planning fun activities, such as watching her teenage daughter, Celia, perform in an outdoor Christmas play. What she doesn't plan for is murder. Rita discovers a dead actor during the premier performance, but vows to keep clear of the case. Sleuthing would upset her mom. Besides, there's already a prime suspect, caught red-handed in his bloodied Santa suit.

Charlie and her husband begin the winter with hopes for a honeymoon in a secluded New Mexico mountain cabin. But their plans are disrupted when police locate an old pawn ticket identifying the gun used in a five year old murder. They trace the ticket back to ski instructor Elroy Romero, who work's for Charlie's husband, Drake. Elroy swears he didn't commit the crime, even though the gun has been in his possession all along. And when it turns out the murder victim was Elroy's brother, a priest, Charlie really begins to question her client's story.

The halls are decked, the deck is stacked, and here comes that jolly old elf. Junior Bender, divorced father of one and burglar extraordinaire, finds himself stuck inside the Edgerton Mall, and not just as a last-minute shopper (though he is that too). Edgerton isn't exactly the epicenter of holiday cheer, despite its two Santas, canned Christmas music, chintzy bows, and festive lights. The mall is a fossil of an industry in decline; many of its stores are closed, and to make matters worse, there is a rampant shoplifting problem.

This year, all Melanie wants for Christmas is a dull moment. Between her son Davey, her teaching job, and showing her Standard Poodle puppy, Eve, there just aren't enough hours in the day. But when Davey's usual bus driver, Henry Pruitt, disappears and is replaced by a surly, pierced, twentysomething, Melanie is concerned. The elderly, amiable Henry was a friend to all in the neighborhood, so she decides to check on him.... only to find that he died two days earlier, under suspicious circumstances.

Garwood would soon be captivated by this homeless man living on the streets of Montreal. What power did he have and why did Adam take him on with no retainer or promise of future payment? Much against the advice of his partner and friends, he delves into and uncovers the corruption, cover ups, and payoffs involving top executives working for one of Canada's largest pharmaceutical companies. As the story unfolds, Adam is disillusioned with Gritty when his true identity is revealed. Murder, exploitation, and the stealthy night life of the rich and famous come to play as Adam watches them navigate Montreal's secret passageways searching for lust and medicating themselves in order to deal with the light of day.

December in Savannah, Georgia, is a sight to behold. Twin sisters Tabby and Sage Winslow are busier than ever setting up for the big celebration. But that isn’t the only thing on the sisters’ minds. Both Sage and her fellow employee Mary Nicole are vying for the sought-after assistant-manager job at the plant nursery. But when Loren Lee, their boss, is found dead and Sage becomes the police’s favorite suspect, both Winslow girls know that they’ll need more than a flicker of magic and their sisterhood to solve the murder and clear Sage’s name.

Cupcake caterer Emory Martinez is hosting a Halloween bash alongside her octogenarian employer, Tillie. With guests dressed in elaborate costumes, the band is rocking, the cocktails are flowing, and tempers are flaring when the hired Bavarian Barmaid tries to hook a rich, hapless husband. Except one of her targets happens to be Emory’s brother-in-law, which bodes ill for his pregnant wife. When Emory tracks down the distraught barmaid, instead of finding the young woman in tears, she finds her dead.

Cara's life is spinning out of control. A double-wedding is canceled at the last minute. A baby comes early. Her son decides he hates college. But none of that is as upsetting as the death of a young acquaintance, a food service professional with her whole life ahead of her. The drive-by shooting has left the cops without a suspect. Maybe it was simply a random act of violence. But Cara's curiosity, and her innate sense of humanity, drive her to keep asking questions. Who killed the girl with the purple hair? And why?

The Christmas holidays are one of Lilah's favorite times of the year, filled with friends, family, and, of course, tons of food orders for her covered dish clients. But Lilah's Yuletide cheer ends when she sees a most Grinch-like crime: the murder of a Santa in a school parking lot. It turns out the deceased Kris Kringle was a complicated tangle of naughty and nice, with a long list of people who might have wanted him dead.

Fifties are the new forties and I'm living my best life ever. I may have a few more aches and pains, graying roots, and couple extra pounds, but I also have two quirky best friends who always have my back, business is booming, and my love life has never been better or hotter. That is until my sweetie Ezra Holden invites me home for Christmas to meet his family. The season is full of surprises in Ezra's hometown, like a missing cousin, a case of mistaken identity, and a slew of painful memories—none of them my own.

In book 16 in the series, Abby is offered the chance to participate in an author event being held at Firehouse Books with one of her own favorite authors. When the guest author turns up dead, Abby realizes that clues to the author’s death could be found in the new novel the woman had yet to release. Using her own sleuthing skills, Abby jumps into the investigation after it becomes clear that it just might take an author to find the meaning in the pages.

There is a new murder to investigate when a friend of Nikki's turns up dead. It seems that the death might be tied in with ghostly happenings at a new art gallery in town, but there are problems with that theory as well. Meanwhile, a whole new group of guests check in, including a man in town to investigate a century-old murder and a woman seeking answers to her past.

In book nine in the series, Abby works with Lonnie and Lacy to uncover secrets long buried in the mansion on the bluff Lonnie is refurbishing, Georgia meets a mysterious woman with a secret of her own, and a new group of guests check into the inn each with a story of their own.

After suffering a personal tragedy, Abby Sullivan buys a huge, old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine. In book nine, a newly engaged couple rents out the entire inn for their engagement party. As part of their "making memories" theme, they ask guests to take photos and share them with the group. Everyone is having a wonderful time, until one of the guests turns up dead.

In book seven in the series, a whole new group of guests check into the Inn, each with their own reason for being there and their own story to tell. Once of the guests, a single woman named Mylie, finds a long-forgotten letter to Santa in the mouth of the life-sized nutcracker Lacy purchased for Abby after a visit to an antique store. The list does not ask Santa for toys or games, but for time with her parents. Abby wonders what ever happened to the child who left the list, and why the list was still in the nutcracker years later. Her research pulls her into an unsolved mystery.

After suffering a personal tragedy, Abby Sullivan buys a huge, old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn't seem to convince to leave, and a new family she'd never be able to live without.

A woman is found dead in a local businessman’s holiday let. Detectives uncover some shady dealings. But did he kill her? The charm of a West of Ireland holiday home is somewhat tarnished when a woman’s body is found in the property. There are few clues as to her identity. However, in her hand is found a small solid-gold ingot. Galway-based DI Maureen Lyons is drawn out to the sticks to take on the case. Suspicion naturally falls on the property’s owner, who runs a large discount store, lives beyond his means and has an over-zealous interest in the ladies.