Christmas

Elizabeth Penney: Madrigals and Mayhem

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Cambridge Bookshop #4

In Madrigals and Mayhem, the fourth Cambridge Bookshop book by Elizabeth Penney, Molly Kimball is an American ex-pat who has made her home on Magpie Lane in Cambridge, England, with her Aunt Violet and her bookshop. Her mother also lives there and helps out at the bookshop as well. Molly has established herself with a bit of a reputation for solving mysteries in town. Friends and family are well aware that if they run into trouble, Molly will be more than willing to jump in to try and help prove their innocence. While the local authorities are not thrilled to have her poke around, they will not turn down a good lead or ignore any clues she offers to them. Madrigals and Mayhem focuses on Molly’s first English Christmas, and meeting her new neighbor and owner of a toy store, Charlotte Pemberly. read more

Benjamin Stevenson: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret

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Ernest Cunningham #3

This amuse-bouche of a Christmas read features intrepid detective Ernest Cunningham.  In the first book, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, murders piled up at a family reunion; in book two, Everyone on This Train is a Suspect, Ernest is on a train trip through Australia featuring mystery authors, when – you guessed it – bodies pile up.  In the Christmas version Ernest is summoned by his ex who is sitting in jail, covered in blood, accused of killing her partner. read more

Liz Ireland: Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s

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Mrs. Claus #5

As August comes to a close, I’m sure we’re all sick of the summer heat and more than ready for cooler weather. Liz Ireland takes readers on a winter vacation in Mrs. Claus and the Nightmare Before New Year’s, the fifth book in the Mrs. Claus series. The fantastical town of Santaland is where April, the current Mrs. Claus, makes her home with the current Santa, Nick. The whole town is alive with Christmas cheer as Nick is about to head out on his yearly excursion. All the elves are ready for the celebrations, already singing carols, well into eggnog, dancing with abandon. April is a little less enthusiastic simply because she worries about Nick making it home safely. He’s done the trip plenty of times, but the idea of him rocketing about the world in an old sleigh without seatbelts and only flying reindeer to keep it steady has April uneasy. read more

Catriona McPherson: Hop Scot

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Last Ditch #6

This hilarious breath of fresh air from Catriona McPherson has rocketed on to my all time favorite Christmas mystery list.  This series centers on Scot Lexy Campbell, who has settled in the strange land of California, and lives in a motel surrounded by an array of interesting characters who often help her solve crimes.  Her “real” job is working as a life coach, but honestly, sleuthing takes front and center stage for her.

In this outing McPherson has flipped the script, and sent Lexy and her buddies home (Lexy’s home, anyway) to Scotland for Christmas.  While it was a trip planned for just her and her fiancée, their buddy Roger the doc says he needs to get out of town and buys them all swanky airplane tickets – how can they refuse? read more

Clara McKenna: Murder on Mistletoe Lane

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Stella & Lyndy #5

Murder on Mistletoe Lane is the fifth book in Clara McKenna’s series about a newly-married couple, Stella Kendrick and Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst, set in the New Forest region of England in the early 1900s.  Lyndy is the son of an impoverished aristocrat, and Stella is a wealthy American who grew up on a horse farm in Kentucky.  Their marriage was arranged by their fathers and, happily, they fell in love not long after they met.  But Lyndy’s mother, Lady Atherly, has always disapproved of Stella and her American ways, even though she needed Stella’s money to make improvements to the crumbling family estate, Morrington Hall.  Stella and Lyndy share a love of horses, and some of the best scenes in the book are the ones where Stella takes her beloved mare, Tully, for a ride.  Lady Atherly sees that her son and Stella are in love, and recently the two women have come to an uneasy truce, but they are still far from being friends. read more

Donna Andrews: Dashing through the Snowbirds

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Donna Andrews’ Dashing Through the Snowbirds will have readers dashing to solve the crimes alongside Meg Langslow. Christmas cheer abounds in Caerphilly, only broken up by a few grumpy guest programmers, who work for the small AcerGen company. Ian Meredith, the head programmer, seems determined to make everyone around him as miserable and uncomfortable as possible. Meg does her best to manage her constantly active family and their house guests, but thanks to Mr. Meredith she and her Mother are finding hosting more of a chore than a pleasure. read more

Rhys Bowen: God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen

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Poor Lady Georgie.  She’s at last married to Darcy, in residence at a lovely estate, and all she wants is to have a happy family Christmas at her new home.  A typical wish for any young bride, but Georgie seems to have left her planning late, and her invitations are unfortunately declined as all and sundry seem to have made other plans.  Luckily Georgie’s grandfather is able to come, and sadly for Georgie (but happily for the reader) her brother and sister in law, Binky and Fig, also plan to make an appearance. read more

Cate Conte: Christmas Traditions

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Author Cate Conte/Liz Mugavero joins us with this nostalgic look at Christmases of her childhood and Christmas as it appears in her Cat Cafe books.  Time to get in the holiday spirit…A Whisker of a Doubt will be published on December 1st.

Christmas, to many people, means the most wonderful time of the year. (Note: in my view Halloween takes that award, but I’ve always been a bit off-the-beaten-path…)

Regardless, I understand the appeal and I do love Christmas myself. Growing up, my family always made sure we had the best holiday season, full of traditions, family, and yes, gifts galore. I was very blessed. read more

Ann Cleeves: The Darkest Evening

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This book will be published on September 8.  You can pre-order it here.

Along with Deborah Crombie, Peter Robinson, and Louise Penny, Ann Cleeves is one of the very best writers of traditional detective fiction at work at the moment.  With now three strong series to her credit, one of the most delightful features the cranky Vera Stanhope, whose hopelessly messy and unstylish appearance conceals a sharp and perceptive mind.  She’s Columbo in the British countryside, just a shade less congenial.  This installment finds Vera face to face with the fancier branch of her family, impoverished landholders who can’t keep up the stately family home. read more