First published 2016
Christmas should bring peace and joy, but murder has other plans. Detective stories unfold across snow-covered landscapes and cozy holiday gatherings, where familiar sleuths find themselves solving crimes between carol singing and gift wrapping. Mary Higgins Clark brings her signature suspense to the season, while Marcia Muller and Aaron Elkins craft tales where tinsel and terror intertwine. Each story follows detectives who must balance holiday obligations with deadly puzzles. Family dinners turn sinister, Christmas parties become crime scenes, and seasonal celebrations mask darker motives. The investigators work through clues hidden among wreaths and ribbons, questioning suspects who should be spreading cheer instead of secrets. These detectives join the ranks of Holmes, Poirot, and Wolfe, proving that no holiday is safe from homicide. The collection captures the strange comfort of familiar detective work set against the warmth of Christmas traditions, where solving murders becomes an unexpected gift.
Genres: short-stories, christmas, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, cozy, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, holiday-murder-mystery
Period: Christmas
276 pages · Kindle Edition · Open Road Integrated Media