Part of Mario Balzic Detective Mystery, book 7
First published 1988
Christmas looms over Rocksburg, Pennsylvania, and police chief Mario Balzic knows the season brings trouble. The holidays amplify tensions in his small town, turning what should be a time of celebration into a nightmare for law enforcement. Citizens who barely hold themselves together during ordinary months crack under the pressure of forced cheer and family obligations. Balzic finds himself stretched thin, responding to domestic disputes, alcohol-fueled violence, and the desperate acts of people pushed beyond their limits. The mounting chaos doesn't just test his professional skills. It tears at something deeper inside him, forcing the veteran cop to confront his own relationship with the season and what it represents. As calls pile up and his officers struggle to maintain order, Balzic must navigate not only the external crisis but his own internal turmoil in this seventh installment of Constantine's acclaimed series.
Genres: christmas, mystery, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: police-procedural, small-town
Setting: Rocksburg, Pennsylvania
Period: Christmas
240 pages · Paperback · Hodder & Stoughton General Division