Twelve festive crime stories set in New York City’s beloved mystery bookstore The oldest mystery specialty bookstore in the world, The Mysterious Bookshop, has for most of its forty-five-year history commissioned an original short story as a holiday gift for its customers. Written exclusively for the store and never published elsewhere, the stories were given as a holiday gift to its customers as a thank you for their business, handed out or mailed between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. The prompt for the story requires three elements: that it be set at Christmastime, that it involve a crime of some kind, or the suspicion of one, and that it be set at least partially in the bookstore. And from these loose structural guidelines, diverse tales took flight. The dozen tales included in this volume are among the finest to be produced in this annual tradition, sure to charm any reader looking for a holiday-themed escape. Included herein are the ingenious “Snowflake Time” by Laura Lippman; Lyndsay Faye’s tale of vengeance “A Midnight Clear”; the challenging brainteaser, “A Christmas Puzzle,” by Ragnar Jónasson; “Hester’s Gift,” an impossible crime story by Tom Mead; the suspenseful “The Christmas Party” by Jeffery Deaver; Thomas Perry’s hilarious comedy of errors, “Here We Come A-Wassailing;” and other tales appropriate for the season, collected and introduced by Otto Penzler. The result is, objectively speaking, the finest “stocking stuffer” that a mystery fan could hope to find.

The Edgar Award-winning editor collects sixty of his all-time favorite holiday crime stories—from Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Hardy, to Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain. • “Anyone who cares about the best mystery writing of the past century and beyond would be lucky to receive this thick volume during the holidays." —The Washington Post This collection touches on all aspects of the holiday season, and all types of mysteries. They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant. Included are puzzles by Mary Higgins Clark, Isaac Asimov, and Ngaio Marsh; uncanny tales in the tradition of A Christmas Carol by Peter Lovesey and Max Allan Collins; O. Henry-like stories by Stanley Ellin and Joseph Shearing, stories by pulp icons John D. MacDonald and Damon Runyon; comic gems from Donald E. Westlake and John Mortimer; and many, many more. Almost any kind of mystery you’re in the mood for--suspense, pure detection, humor, cozy, private eye, or police procedural—can be found in these pages. FEATURING: - Unscrupulous Santas - Crimes of Christmases Past and Present - Festive felonies - Deadly puddings - Misdemeanors under the mistletoe - Christmas cases for classic characters including Sherlock Holmes, Brother Cadfael, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse, Inspector Ghote, A.J. Raffles, and Nero Wolfe.

A dozen of the best mystery writers in the business get into the holiday spirit in Avon's The Twelve Crimes of Christmas. They will be decking the halls, trimming the tree--and burying the bodies. Includes works by Dorothy L. Sayers, Stanley Ellin, Ellery Queen and others.

’Tis the season for a pair of Christmas novels that add a dash of murder to the Yuletide spirit. “Perry’s Victorian-era holiday mysteries [are] an annual treat.”—The Wall Street Journal A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING “Could have been devised by Agatha Christie . . . [Anne Perry is] a modern master.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Charlotte Pitt’s mother, Caroline, is spending the holiday with her young husband, Joshua Fielding, in Whitby, the fishing village where Dracula first touches English soil in Bram Stoker’s sensational novel. Joshua has arranged to produce a stage adaptation of Dracula, written by the daughter of millionaire Charles Netheridge, but tempers flare after a disastrous first read-through of the script. As wind and snow swirl around Netheridge’s lonely hilltop mansion, a black-cloaked stranger emerges from the storm. At the same time, a brooding evil makes itself felt, and instead of theatrical triumph, there is murder—shocking and terrifying. A CHRISTMAS GARLAND “In Anne Perry’s gifted hands, the puzzle plays out brilliantly.”—Greensboro News & Record The year is 1857, soon after the violent Siege of Cawnpore, and India is in the midst of rebellion. In the British garrison, a guard is killed, a prisoner escapes, and a luckless medical orderly named John Tallis is arrested as an accomplice simply because he was the only soldier unaccounted for when the crimes were committed. Though chosen to defend Tallis, young Lieutenant Victor Narraway is not encouraged to try very hard. His superiors merely want a show trial. But inspired by a simple Christmas garland, and his own stubborn faith in justice, Narraway is determined to figure out the truth, despite the appalling odds. In an alien world haunted by massacre, he is the accused man’s only hope.

In this clever reimagining of Charles Dickens’s life, he and fiancée Kate Hogarth must solve the murder of an old miser, just before Christmas . . . London, December 1835: Charles and Kate are out with friends and family for a chilly night of caroling and good cheer. But their blood truly runs cold when their singing is interrupted by a body plummeting from an upper window of a house. They soon learn the dead man, his neck strangely wrapped in chains, is Jacob Harley, the business partner of the resident of the house, an unpleasant codger who owns a counting house, one Emmanuel Screws. Ever the journalist, Charles dedicates himself to discovering who's behind the diabolical defenestration. But before he can investigate further, Harley's corpse is stolen. Following that, Charles is visited in his quarters by what appears to be Harley's ghost—or is it merely Charles’s overwrought imagination? He continues to suspect Emmanuel, the same penurious penny pincher who denied his father a loan years ago, but Kate insists the old man is too weak to heave a body out a window. Their mutual affection and admiration can accommodate a difference of opinion, but matters are complicated by the unexpected arrival of an infant orphan. Charles must find the child a home while solving a murder, to ensure that the next one in chains is the guilty party . . . Praise for the Dickens of a Crime Mysteries! “Mystery fans and history buffs alike should cheer.” —KirkusSTARRED Review “Sharp, incisive, and delightfully twisty. I’m sure I won't be the only reader exclaiming, ‘What the Dickens?!’” —Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author. “As easy to read as one of Mr. Dickens’ actual novels and as entertaining.” —New York Journal of Books “Fans of Anne Perry will love this one.” —Dianne Freeman, award–winning author

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Crime at Christmas" by C. H. B. Kitchin. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

New York Times Bestselling Author Christmas season is marred by violence In a once peaceful town. Christmas is a magical time for Parson Molly Canton. But savage attacks on several women in her parish threaten that joy. Assisting Detective Callum McCloud’s investigation, Molly is drawn to the tortured man, embittered by a devastating loss. Once the detective realizes these attacks are a smoke screen obscuring the real target—Molly—the stakes escalate…especially now that Molly's goodness has breached Callum’s calloused heart. From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served. Discover more action-packed stories in the Conard County: The Next Generation series. All books are stand-alone with uplifting endings but were published in the following order: Book 1: A Soldier's Homecoming Book 2: Protector of One Book 3: The Unexpected Hero Book 4: The Man from Nowhere Book 5: Her Hero in Hiding Book 6: A Soldier's Redemption Book 7: No Ordinary Hero Book 8: The Final Mission Book 9: Just a Cowboy Book 10: The Rescue Pilot Book 11: Guardian in Disguise Book 12: The Widow's Protector Book 13: Rancher's Deadly Risk Book 14: What She Saw Book 15: Rocky Mountain Lawman Book 16: Killer's Prey Book 17: Deadly Hunter Book 18: Defending the Eyewitness Book 19: Snowstorm Confessions Book 20: Thanksgiving Daddy Book 21: Reuniting with the Rancher Book 22: Undercover Hunter Book 23: A Conard County Baby Book 24: The Lawman Lassoes a Family Book 25: Playing with Fire Book 26: A Cowboy for Christmas Book 27: Conard County Witness Book 28: A Secret in Conard County Book 29: Conard County Spy Book 30: An Unlikely Daddy Book 31: Conard County Marine Book 32: Undercover in Conard County Book 33: His Pregnant Courthouse Bride Book 34: A Conard County Homecoming Book 35: Cornered in Conard County Book 36: A Conard County Courtship Book 37: Conard County Revenge Book 38: A Bachelor, a Boss and a Baby Book 39: Conard County Watch Book 40: Murdered in Conard County Book 41: Stalked in Conard County Book 42: Conard County Justice Book 43: Conard County: Hard Proof Book 44: Conard County: Traces of Murder Book 45: Conard County: Christmas Bodyguard Book 46: Conard County: Mistaken Identity Book 47: Conard County: Christmas Crime Spree Book 48: Hunted in Conard County Book 49: Conard County Conspiracy Book 50: Conard County Protector Book 51: Conard County: K-9 Detectives

A Christmas Criminal. A Priceless Letter. A Theft To Remember. Elizabeth State Dies. Now her identity lives again. Elizabeth State loves stealing. She needs the money for a sick mother. Elizabeth targets an exhibition. Can Elizabeth steal her price? If you enjoy enthralling, unputdownable crime mystery short stories, you’ll seriously love this one! BUY NOW! Available in Criminal Christmas Complete Collection.

Christmas is not always the season of goodwill. As this hugely entertaining collection shows, it can also be the season of mysterious deaths, hidden poison bottles and blunt instruments. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. The stories in Classic Christmas Crime Stories have been selected and introduced by writer David Stuart Davies. This collection of eleven stories from the Golden Age of British crime writing features festive whodunnits by Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. There are unexplained deaths by all manner of suspect means from famous writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Marjorie Bowen, and dastardly Christmas crimes to be solved from esteemed crime writers such as Robert Barnard, Nicholas Olde and H. R. F. Keating. Each story is brilliantly plotted – some deliciously tense, others laced with humour – and each is bound to thoroughly entertain.

Starting over has never been more dangerous. Charlotte Dean loves her new job at the bookshop in the small town of Kingfisher Falls. One day she will buy the store when Rosie retires, but for now she's content to learn the ropes and forget her troubled past. Even the snobby book club ladies can't dampen her spirits. But when a strange series of crimes casts suspicion on all the wrong people - including Charlotte - she can't stand back and watch. With Rosie more than happy to help, Charlotte begins her own investigation into Christmas tree thieves and a vendetta against a local family. With the community divided and criminals on the loose, the annual Christmas Eve street party is about to change lives forever, and Charlotte is the only one who can prevent a disaster. So much for keeping her head down. IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a rewritten version of a book previously published under the titles DEADLY START and before that THE CHRISTMAS TREE THIEF. Since rights reversion, this book has been freshly edited with some new scenes and has a new title and cover.