Have Yourself a Killer Christmas

"The sleigh bells are jingling, and the clock is ticking for Maggie and Rufus, who must catch the killer or it will be the opposite of a Joyeux Noël in A Cajun Christmas Killing, the recipe-stuffed third installment of author Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country mysteries. Maggie Crozat is back home in bayou country during the most magical time of the year. In Pelican, Louisiana, Christmastime is a season of giant bonfires on the levee, zydeco carols, and pots of gumbo. Except, this year, the Grinch has come to stay at the family-run Crozat Plantation B&B. When he floods travel websites with vicious reviews, Maggie thinks she’s identified him as rival businessman Donald Baxter. That is, until he’s found stabbed to death at Maggie’s workplace. And Maggie and her loved ones become top suspects. The Crozats quickly establish alibis, but Maggie’s boyfriend, Detective Bo Durand, remains under suspicion. With Bo sidelined during the investigation, Maggie finds herself forced to work with an unlikely ally: longtime family enemy Rufus Durand. Her sleuthing uncovers more suspects than drummers drumming, and lands her in the crosshairs of the murderer." (from Goodreads.com)

"Liz McCall grew up in a playful winter wonderland but it was never her dream to manage her father's vintage toyshop. However, after he sank his entire police pension into the business, someone needed to help him turn his dreams into reality—and keep him from sneaking off to patrol the not-so-mean streets of East Aurora, NY. The mood goes from nice to naughty when a nervous man, who was trying to have his antique toys appraised, is found in the shop with a lawn dart through his chest. Suddenly, Liz's business plan is plunged into deep freeze, while she and her father find themselves toying with a cold-blooded killer who's playing for keeps. Now, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled for the neighborhood kids if Liz can't wrap up the case in Barbara Early's delightful debut Death of a Toy Soldier." (from Goodreads.com)

Murder in Season is by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land. "With the renovations on her beloved home nearly complete, Jessica Fletcher is in high spirits and ready to celebrate Christmas. The joyful festive atmosphere, however, is broken by a disturbing discovery: bones emerge from the land of her property. Apparently, they don't all date back to the same era; However, Jessica suspects that, despite the centuries that separate them, the remains may be connected. When reporter Tad Hollenbeck is murdered, the murders don't seem destined to remain in the past. More clues, or rather, more corpses give evidence and as Jessica digs deep to find the connection between those bones and Tad's death, everything seems to lead back to a mystery that has long tormented Cabot Cove. Even the idyllic Maine town hides a dark secret and Jessica will have to bring it to light to save Christmas... and prevent it from being her last." (from Goodreads.com)

"The Yuletide-themed murder mystery is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. But in 1936, Mavis Doriel Hay wrote 'The Santa Klaus Murder', one of three detective novels she published in the 1930s. A classic country-house murder mystery, 'The Santa Klaus Murder' begins with Aunt Mildred declaring that no good could come of the Melbury family Christmas gathering at their country residence Flaxmere. So when Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered — by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus —with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day, the festivities are plunged into chaos. Nearly every member of the party stands to reap some sort of benefit from Sir Osmond’s death, but Santa Klaus, the one person who seems to have every opportunity to fire the shot, has no apparent motive." (from Goodreads.com)

"A dark spirit threatens the Pennyfoot Hotel's shiny and bright Christmas in Herald of Death by Kate Kingsbury. The Christmas Angel is a welcome sight during the winter season--but not this year. A killer is afoot in Badgers End, cutting a lock of hair from the victims and sticking a gold angel on their foreheads. Cecily Sinclair Baxter already promised her husband that she'd take a hiatus from sleuthing. But three killings have created a blizzard of bad publicity--and guests are canceling their hotel reservations. Cecily pokes around, but the victims seem unrelated. Then the killer claims a fourth and fifth victim, obviously not slowing down for the holidays--so neither will Cecily. She will have to stop the angel of death from striking again, leaving murder under the tree..." (from Goodreads.com)

Cozy Christmas Mysteries

Wagging Through the Snow is a Melanie Travis Canine Mystery by Laurien Berenson. Melanie Travis is juggling her demanding teaching job at Connecticut's prestigious Howard Academy, her five poodles scampering around the house, and the demands of the Christmas holidays. When her brother and her ex-husband announce their plans to expand their successful country cafe by buying a dilapidated pine tree farm, she has even more on her plate. The ten-acre plot had, at one time, been a popular seasonal destination, but when the previous owner died, it fell into disrepair and will require more than a little tidying up. When a squatter is found dead on the land, it is assumed that he met his end when a fir limb fell on his head. Melanie and Aunt Peg aren't convinced that is what happened, however, and they go digging into Pete the squatter's history. What they find is a terrible habit that cost him everything and probably got him killed.

A Cajun Christmas Killing is a Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron. Maggie Crozat is back home in Pelican, Louisiana and looking forward to the Christmastime traditions of bonfires on the levee, zydeco carols and pots of gumbo, but a dark cloud descends over the Crozat Plantation B & B. Travel websites are being flooded with vicious reviews of the B&B and Maggie thinks she has identified the culprit as rival businessman Donald Baxter. Well, that is, until he is found stabbed to death at Maggie's workplace and she and her loved ones become prime suspects. Maggie and the rest of the Crozat clan are able to establish alibis, but her boyfriend, Detective Bo Durand, remains a person of interest. With Bo sidelined in the investigation, Maggie finds herself making an unlikely alliance with family rival Rufus Durand. Maggie and Rufus are hot on the trail of the killer, but their meddling hasn't gone unnoticed. Will it be "Joyeux Noel" or "Bon Nuit" for Maggie?

Murder on the Toy Town Express is a Vintage Toyshop Mystery by Barbara Early. Liz McCall has come to love running her father's vintage toyshop in East Aurora, NY, so she is excited when the train and toy show comes to town. Craig McFadden has set up his booth right next to Liz's. The only problem is that Craig was Liz's childhood bully and he's now her business rival. When Craig falls from the ceiling in a publicity stunt gone wrong, everyone believes it's a horrible accident. The evidence, however, points to something much more sinister and the brother of Liz's high school sweetheart, Jack, becomes a prime suspect. Pulled into the case by her feelings for both Jack and the police chief, Ken, Liz dives in headfirst only to find that the actual target may have been her father.

How the Finch Stole Christmas is a Meg Langslow Christmas Mystery by Donna Andrews. At home in Caerphilly, Meg's husband has decided to expand his one-man show of Dickens's A Christmas Carol into a full scale production with a larger cast, Meg as stage manager, and their sons Jamie and Josh playing Tiny Tim and young Scrooge. When the famous--and obviously over-the-hill--actor hired to headline the play comes to town, he brings with him a sleigh full of baggage and more enemies than you can shake your jingle bells at. On top of all this, Caerphilly seems to be overrun with more than its share of beautiful caged finches. What is up with that? Meg and company are in for one interesting holiday.