CozyCon 2018, Part One

As our niece Daisy's time with us was drawing to a close, one of the last things we did together was to attend The Poisoned Pen's annual CozyCon which showcases authors who write cozy mysteries.

We arrived early-- as we always do-- and Daisy took the time to go shopping on Scottsdale's famous Main Street. When she got back, she said she wished she'd had more time, so I'm envisioning her next visit to include a longer shopping expedition there.


This year nine authors were attending CozyCon, and they were split into three panels. I'm going to do one panel per post due to time limitations. The authors in the first panel were Jane K. Cleland, Vicki Delany, and Teresa Dovalpage.

L to R: Jane K. Cleland & Barbara Peters

While telling us how things were scheduled, host Barbara Peters told us that her husband Rob had made curd and marmalade from the lemons on their tree. We would be able to have the lemon curd with cake during the breaks, and the lemon marmalade would be one of the prizes handed out during the event. I'll tell you now before I forget: that lemon curd was to die for-- absolutely the best I've ever eaten. (Now that I've reminded myself of it, I'd dearly love to drive over to their house, knock on the door, and say, "Please sir, may I have some more?" But my momma raised me with some manners. One does not go begging at 1 AM!)

In the photo to the right behind Jane Cleland, you can get a glimpse of a Japanese print which figures in Cleland's latest mystery, Antique Blues. We got to see an original print, which was lovely and showed us what Jane was talking about in the different shades of blue.

Jane K. Cleland

"One of the reasons why I like Jane's books so much is that I get to learn stuff," Barbara Peters said. "I have always trusted Jane's research because she's very diligent in that regard.

"One of the things I found interesting in this book is that you're forever striving to expand the lives of your characters and of Prescott Antiques, which started out when she was involved in an auction house scandal in New York and moved to New Hampshire to reboot her life.

"Josie's creating her own little empire. I don't want to spoil anything in the book for you, so I'll just say that Josie makes an interesting decision or two that is going to open up the theater for Prescott Antiques in future books."

Teresa Dovalpage

Barbara turned to the next author. "So, Teresa, here you are from Santa Fe, and your book (Death Comes in Through the Kitchen) is set in Cuba but not recently, just a little further back, right?"

"Yes, because I left in '96, so I did a bit of research to make sure that some of the things I mentioned in the book are still standing and had not been demolished because the book is set in 2003."

"So some of the things involving the transfer of power with the Castros had not occurred."

"That's for the next book," Teresa said.

"Oh, you don't want to move that far ahead!" Barbara replied. "Tell us a bit about the CIA. I loved that!"

"A character is entering Cuba, and one of the ID cards he has says 'CIA'--Culinary Institute of America-- but he is detained for hours because the customs agents at the airport believe he's from the Central Intelligence Agency," Teresa explained. "I've had people tell me that that couldn't have happened, but it really did!"

"This well-intentioned, naive American comes to Cuba to meet a young woman who writes a food blog," Barbara said. "I wouldn't describe this book as a cozy in the traditional sense, but it does have really great food. Did you yourself vet all the recipes?"

L to R: Vicki Delany & Teresa Dovalpage

"Yes. Actually, the book started because of the recipes," Teresa replied. "I didn't want to lose all the recipes my grandmother used to make, but I didn't want to write a cookbook. I don't cook that well anyway. But I could incorporate the recipes into a story. It was a challenge, but a challenge I enjoyed. I tell people that I know I have an accent when I speak, but I assure them that I do not have an accent when I write!"

Then it was Vicki Delany's turn. "Vicki is here from Canada," Barbara told us. "In the past, we've talked about your Constable Molly Smith mysteries and your three standalone books, which are terrific, but you've now embarked on a new path in writing cozies. Tell us about your Lighthouse Library mystery coming in June."

"The Lighthouse Library series was published by Penguin Books under the pen name Eva Gates, and they're set in an actual place-- the Bodie Island Lighthouse outside Nags Head, North Carolina," Vicki said. "As I say in my introduction to the books, there's no way the real building could house a library, offices, a children's library, an apartment, and even a room for a cat, so it's my interpretation of the Tardis or Hermione Granger's handbag-- far far bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside.

"I liked writing that series, and it was my first attempt at writing cozies, but it fell victim to the Great Penguin Massacre..."

"In which they dropped six hundred series," Barbara said. "Six hundred of nine hundred series."

"Well, that was the end of that I thought," Vicki continued, "but the new publisher, Crooked Lane Books picked it up, and I'm absolutely delighted that the newest book in the series, The Spook in the Stacks, will be out in June. My year-round Christmas series survived at Penguin. The third one, Hark the Herald Angels Slay, came out in November, and they have contracted for the fourth."

Vicki Delany

"So you're just basically sitting around making stuff up," said Barbara with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well, that's what we do here, Barbara!" Vicki said.

"Tell us about your Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series," Barbara prompted.

"Actually, it's my favorite of all the things I've written simply because I'm having so much fun with it," Vicki said. [I can attest to this because Vicki showed me the pair of Sherlock Holmes socks she'd just purchased, and she told me they would be making an appearance in the next book she writes.]  "It's set in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium. I knew I wanted to write a series set in a bookstore, but I knew I needed a hook. It didn't take long for me to realize that it would be totally feasible to have a store dedicated solely to Sherlock Holmes and all the pastiche as well as all the merchandise.

"I've loved creating this series, and the main character is Sherlockian. She has that Sherlock Holmes mindset. I feel that it's a typical cozy with a bit of an edge. It's set in a nice town on Cape Cod, in a nice bookshop, and Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room is next door. Gemma Doyle has a bit of an edge because she's not that sweet as cozy characters generally are. She can be rude and she can be abrupt."

"And she's probably not a cocaine user which would be really Sherlockian," Barbara added. "Although with medical marijuana...."

"There's a thought!" Vicki exclaimed. "The Sherlock Holmes Bookshop, Emporium, and Marijuana Dispensary. Jenn McKinlay, I have the next big thing in cozy mystery series-- the Marijuana Dispensary Mysteries!"

"It's a cash and carry business," Barbara quipped.

"Don't forget about the marijuana brownies for Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room," someone in the audience said, who shall remain nameless (but she must have been channeling a certain episode of Barney Miller).

"I'm making a mental note of that as we speak," Vicki said. "I could even have the recipe in the back of the book."

"And Teresa can write it out for you in Spanish," Barbara added. "You can see how addictive series like these can be when you start making stuff up."

And you can see how addictive attending CozyCon can be, can't you? Stop by next Monday when you'll be able to attend part two of The Poisoned Pen's CozyCon 2018!

At The Poisoned Pen with Ellen Crosby & Jane Cleland!

Saturday, December 10, was a busy day at my favorite bookstore, The Poisoned Pen. When I arrived and stood at the counter to pick up the books I'd ordered, I could see that author Jane Cleland's writer's workshop was in full swing in the back. All the workshop participants were so engrossed in what Cleland had to teach that getting the chairs set up for the author event turned out to be rather interesting. 

As I was helping get chairs into position, I was wondering how the renovations were going because bookstore owner and event host Barbara Peters had told us weeks before that a portion of the new space was going to be used for these workshops. Barbara was standing right next to me, and she must've read my mind because she told me that the new space was filled with books. 95% of The Poisoned Pen's business is done by mail order, and this is the time of year when they're swamped. I filed that tidbit of information away while I finished with the chairs and then was able to chat for a couple of minutes with the second author, Ellen Crosby.

Before the event officially started, several people wanted to record the event for social media posterity, so I took advantage for this group shot.

Back L to R: Barbara Peters, Ellen Crosby. Front: Jane Cleland.

 Ellen Crosby has come to The Poisoned Pen for each of her Wine Country mysteries which are set in Virginia. Her newest, The Champagne Conspiracy, is book number seven. Cleland's newest book, Glow of Death, is the eleventh in her Josie Prescott Antiques series and it exposes her main character to television. 

When Peters mentioned that one normally doesn't think of Virginia as a place where wine is made, Crosby told us that Thomas Jefferson had tried to grow grapes, bringing vines back from his trips to France, but they were the wrong types of grapes for the Virginia climate. Writing this series with a "French connection" was a conscious decision Crosby made because her husband is French, and she wanted to be able to have at least one of the books set in France. 

Ellen Crosby

"There are lots of vineyards in Virginia now," Crosby said, "but most of the wine is drunk at the vineyards because their yield is so small. Lots of celebrities seem to want their names on wine bottles, too."

What was Cleland's impetus to start writing the Josie Prescott series? "I had written one book, but it didn't sell and it wasn't worth fixing because the market just wasn't there for it," Jane told us. "Someone said, 'Why don't you try writing a cozy?' I'd owned a rare book store for a few years in New Hampshire... and Josie was born."

Her setting for the first books in the series was Rocky Point, New Hampshire, which is 300 miles from New York City. She wanted someplace far enough away from Manhattan, but not "too" far in case Josie's work and/or investigations sent her there.

Available Now!

Peters then asked about the relative smarts of their main characters. "Lucie Montgomery is not smarter than the police!" Crosby said while Cleland pointed out that "Josie has specialized knowledge, so she is smarter than the police." The author went on to tell us that the hardest part of writing her Josie Prescott books is often finding the pivotal antique.

Now Josie is #1 in her time slot on cable with her own version of "Antiques Roadshow," and this brings her in contact with a Tiffany lamp.

"Both your characters have strong relationships with men," Peters observed. 

"Yes," Cleland said. "Josie has a relationship with Ty Alvarez who is a former police chief. I quickly learned that I'd made an error in the early books because readers were seeing Josie as being too dependent on men. I had to work on that."

Crosby's Lucie Montgomery has a relationship with her winemaker, Quinn Santori, and we get to learn about his backstory in The Champagne Conspiracy. Then Peters wanted to know more about the passage of time in the two authors' books.

"There's a five-year gap between The Sauvignon Secret and The Champagne Conspiracy," Crosby said, "but in literary time only about six months have passed."

"I'm a bit casual with time," Cleland admitted. "Josie doesn't age. Some of the characters around her do, others don't. I happen to think thirty-four is a good age!"

Jane Cleland

Cleland went on to tell us that her next Josie Prescott mystery would be out in 2018, and several people in the audience made disappointed noises and asked her to write faster, please!

"I'm a full-time college professor, and I wrote two books in one year-- one non-fiction on how to write and the second one fiction. My husband is a professional musician, and we don't see enough of each other as it is, and there's a third reason why I won't write faster: I don't want to." Everyone laughed and appreciated Cleland's honesty.

Crosby said, "I've learned that there's a rhythm to marketing. A two-year gap between books is better for me, but things may change now that I'm with Minotaur. Another thing that writers need to remember: if you don't publish often enough, readers can forget that you exist." (That earned her nods from both Cleland and Peters.)

Both women write outlines before beginning their books. Crosby's previous publisher, Scribner's, "is the New Yorker of fact checkers," and that taught her to outline. Cleland tends to "write short" and gets notes from her editor to add more detail. 

Available Now!

One thing that Crosby finds helps her a great deal is to read what she's written aloud. Her critique group does this, too, and they've all found that it helps with cadence, doubled words, and other errors.

Peters added something from her experience as an editor. "I have an author who uses eight words when one will do. This person will not learn and now just expects me to take care of it. I just finished editing a 92,000-word manuscript down to 78,000 words, and there's more to come. It's exhausting!"

Peters added that authors should "never write down to people. Always think you're writing for a roomful of geniuses... which means that you don't have to include every tiny detail."

Cleland agreed. "Never get up from your computer or put down your pen until you know the next thing that's going to happen. It's one of the best ways to avoid writer's block."

"I solve a lot of writing problems in the shower," Crosby said.

Barbara Peters then told us what Lee Child does to solve similar dilemmas, but I think now is a good time to practice circumspection. See? You can miss out on some good stuff by not coming to these author events!

An all-too-short event ended with more about these two authors' next books. The next Josie Prescott book is called Antique Blues and involves a Japanese woodblock print and a 1930 Martin guitar. It will be out in the winter of 2018. The next Wine Country mystery, Vineyard Victims, will be released in November of 2017.

As I'm heading out the door, I'll show you the books I took home with me....

Go home empty-handed from The Poisoned Pen? No way!

New Christmas-Themed Mysteries for 2015!

Once I started doing some research, it didn't take me long to realize that November has a bumper crop of excellent new crime fiction. Whether buying for yourself or other book lovers, here are my picks for the top Christmas-themed mysteries. There's a good range for almost any taste from vintage to present day. Just so you know, following this post will be my regular one with more New Mystery Goodness!

All the books are grouped by release date and have the information you'll need to find them at all your favorite book procurement locations. Synopses are courtesy of Amazon.  Happy Reading!

=== Available Now ===

Title: The Santa Klaus Murder

Author: Mavis Hay

Standalone, originally published in the 1930s, set in England

ISBN: 9781464204951

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Paperback, 252 pages

Synopsis: "Aunt Mildred declared that no good could come of the Melbury family Christmas gatherings 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. Various members of the family have their private suspicions about the identity of the murderer, and the Chief Constable of Haulmshire, who begins his investigations by saying that he knows the family too well and that is his difficulty, wishes before long that he understood them better. In the midst of mistrust, suspicion, and hatred, it emerges that there was not one Santa Klaus, but two. The Santa Klaus Murder is a classic country-house mystery that was rediscovered by the British Library and became one of the first novels in the Crime Classics series." 

Title: Jingle Bones

Author: Carolyn Haines

Digital Short Story, part of the Sarah Booth Delaney cozy series set in Mississippi

eISBN: 9781250089069

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

eBook, 53 pages

Synopsis: "Jingle Bones, an e-original Christmas story featuring Mississippi PI Sarah Booth Delaney, offers all the Southern charm and zany adventure Carolyn Haines's fans have come to expect--and more.

Sarah Booth just wants the perfect Christmas holiday. Even with the dissolution of her engagement, she refuses to lose her Christmas spirit. But when Theodora Prince--an ex classmate and current Pastor's wife--comes calling with a year-old case and cash upfront, Sarah Booth must find the truth about the boys who ruined last year's Christmas pageant in time to stop them from doing it again."  

Title: A Christmas Howl

Author: Laurien Berenson

Digital Short Story, prequel to the Melanie Travis cozy series set in Connecticut

eISBN: 9781496703507

Publisher: Kensington

eBook, 75 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Ever wonder what Melanie and Aunt Peg were up to before solving murders? Let’s step back in time, when college-aged Melanie and her indomitable Aunt Peg were little more than strangers…

It’s Christmas in Connecticut, and Peg Turnbull can’t wait to spend her favorite holiday cozying up to husband Max and their clan of pedigree Poodles in Greenwich. But Peg’s spirits drop when the family of Max’s estranged brother Michael invites the pair over for Christmas dinner. Could her in-laws want to settle the long-standing feud over Nana’s will? Peg isn’t expecting any miracles, but it’s been ages since Peg last saw her niece and nephew. Little Melanie must be out of pigtails by now…

When they arrive at the Turnbull’s, Peg is not just surprised by how much Melanie has grown up. The family has spared no expense in preparing for the festivities—unusual, considering Michael blew his inheritance after years of financial troubles. Peg suspects there’s an awful secret tucked beneath her brother-in-law’s ostentatious good cheer, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. Once she does, someone’s ending up in the doghouse…" 

Title: The Bark Before Christmas

Author: Laurien Berenson

Series: #18 in the Melanie Travis cozy series set in Connecticut

ISBN: 9780758284587

Publisher: Kensington

Hardcover, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Melanie Travis has her hands full with her two young sons, a part-time job, and a half dozen Poodles to her name. But even with the busy holiday season approaching, she still has time to sniff out a Christmastime killer…

There’s nothing lovelier than Christmas in Connecticut, but Melanie can scarcely find a moment to enjoy the festivities. With her youngest son approaching toddlerhood, she’s decided to return to her old job at Howard Academy, a posh private school attended by the children of Greenwich’s well-heeled gentry. Balancing work, motherhood, and the hectic dog show circuit takes some fancy footwork, especially when the headmaster taps her to be the chairman of the school’s Christmas Bazaar.

The Christmas Bazaar is Howard Academy’s biggest and most important fundraiser, so Melanie feels the pressure to make it a huge success. She even enlists her longsuffering sister-in-law Bertie to help with the Santa Claus and Pets Photo Booth. But everything goes awry when a prize show dog goes missing and Santa turns up dead. The dog’s owner is one of the school’s most perfectly pedigreed alums, and she enlists Melanie to help find the purloined pooch. But just as Melanie starts pawing at the truth, she digs up a sleighful of sinister secrets that leaves everyone feeling less than merry…" 

=== November 3 ===

Title: White Colander Crime

Author: Victoria Hamilton

Series: #5 in the Vintage Kitchen cozy series set in Michigan

ISBN: 9780425271407

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Queensville has great expectations for their Dickens Days festival. A tourist-trade boon boom means a big turnout for the opening of Queensville Historic Manor and for Jaymie Leighton, food columnist and vintage cookware collector, a chance to promote the manor and give away homemade goodies.  At the end of a long day of festival fun, Jaymie discovers the battered body of local woman Shelby Fretter.

Shelby predicted her own murder in journal entries—and all clues point to Cody Wainwright, the troubled son of Jaymie’s beleaguered newspaper editor. But considering the entire Fretter family had its share of dirty secrets, Jaymie’s not convinced  by the case against Cody. With twists all over, she’s going to have to work like the Dickens to wrap up this investigation before Christmas—especially with the real killer ready to kill again." 

Title: The Candy Cane Cupcake Killer

Author: Livia J. Washburn

Series: #10 in the Fresh-Baked cozy series set in Texas

ISBN: 9780451416711

Publisher: NAL

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "‘Tis the season in Weatherford, Texas, and everyone in town is gearing up for the annual holiday parade and tree-lighting ceremony in the town square, where Phyllis Newsom will be serving her much-anticipated candy cane cupcakes. Local rancher Barney McCrory manages to charm one away from her before the ceremony begins. But unfortunately, when the minty confection is finished, so is he.

This isn’t the first time someone has dropped dead after eating one of Phyllis’s treats. But when the paramedics determine the rancher was shot, suspicion swiftly falls on McCrory’s daughter and her husband—who both stand to reap some sweet rewards from his death. Though Phyllis doesn’t want to get mixed up in another murder investigation, something about this case doesn’t sit right with her. With a little help from a tabloid TV news crew, Phyllis must unwrap the truth and restore good cheer to Weatherford before it’s too late…" 

Title: Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen

Author: Vicki Delany

Series: #1 in the Year Round Christmas cozy series set in New York state

ISBN: 9780425280805

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "As the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, Merry Wilkinson knows how to decorate homes for the holidays. That’s why she thinks her float in the semi-annual Santa Claus parade is a shoe-in for best in show. But when the tractor pulling Merry’s float is sabotaged, she has to face facts: there’s a Scrooge in Christmas Town.

Merry isn’t ready to point fingers, especially with a journalist in town writing a puff piece about Rudolph’s Christmas spirit. But when she stumbles upon the reporter’s body on a late night dog walk—and police suspect he was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie crafted by her best friend, Vicky—Merry will have to put down the jingle bells and figure out who’s really been grinching about town, before Vicky ends up on Santa’s naughty list…" 

Title: Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries

Edited by Martin Edwards

Standalone Short Story Collection, Vintage British mysteries

ISBN: 9781464204999

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Paperback, 298 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Christmas is a mysterious, as well as magical, time of year. Strange things can happen, and this helps to explain the hallowed tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireside as the year draws to a close. Christmas tales of crime and detection have a similar appeal. When television becomes tiresome, and party games pall, the prospect of curling up in the warm with a good mystery is enticing – and much better for the digestion than yet another helping of plum pudding.

Crime writers are just as susceptible as readers to the countless attractions of Christmas. Over the years, many distinguished practitioners of the genre have given one or more of their stories a Yuletide setting. The most memorable Christmas mysteries blend a lively storyline with an atmospheric evocation of the season. Getting the mixture right is much harder than it looks.

This book introduces of readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards’ selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans. The result is a collection of crime fiction to savor, whatever the season." 

=== November 10 ===

Title: A Christmas Escape

Author: Anne Perry

Series: #13 in the historical Christmas Mysteries series

ISBN: 9780553391411

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Hardcover, 176 pages

Synopsis: "Lonely Charles Latterly arrives at his small hotel hoping that the island’s blue skies and gentle breezes will brighten his spirits. Unfortunately, there’s no holiday cheer to be found among his fellow guests, who include a pompous novelist, a stuffy colonel, a dangerously ill-matched married couple, and an ailing old man. The one charming exception is orphaned teenager Candace Finbar, who takes Charles under her wing and introduces him to the island’s beauty. But the tranquility of the holiday is swiftly disrupted by a violent quarrel, an unpleasant gentleman’s shocking claims of being stalked, and the ominous stirrings of the local volcano. Then events take an even darker turn: A body is found, and Charles quickly realizes that the killer must be among the group of guests." 

=== November 24 ===

Title: Santa 365, A Chet and Bernie Mystery eShort Story

Author: Spencer Quinn

Digital Short Story, an addition to the Chet and Bernie Private Investigator series set in Arizona

eISBN: 9781476703671

Publisher: Atria Books

eBook, 64 pages

*Upcoming review on Kittling: Books

Synopsis: "Santa doesn’t just deliver gifts—he takes them too!—in this delightful holiday e-short featuring New York Times bestselling sleuths Chet and Bernie.

He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. This year, jolly old St. Nick knows Bernie has been sleeping on preparations for a special Christmas celebration with his son Charlie. Enter Plumpy Napoleon, fresh from a short stint in prison, to save Bernie from the naughty list. Plumpy calls his latest business plan “Santa 365.” For a small fee (that only gets bigger), he’ll fill your life with holiday cheer, including elves, a festive party, gifts, and even a Christmas tree delivered right to your front door. Bernie signs on for the full yuletide experience. But after the blowout holiday bash, Bernie and Chet the dog discover one of Santa’s helpers helped himself to more than Christmas candy. The intrepid duo sets out to find the sticky-fingered perp and reclaim the stolen goods. Add in a surprise visit from Bernie’s mom, two elderly sisters seeking their own brand of justice, and an elf with a stocking full of secrets, and you have a Christmas mystery that only Chet and Bernie could possibly unwrap." 

=== December 1 ===

Title: Ornaments of Death

Author: Jane K. Cleland

Series: #10 in the Josie Prescott Antiques cozy series set in New Hampshire

ISBN: 9781250074539

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Hardcover, 304 pages

Synopsis: "Christmas lights twinkle throughout the cozy coastal town of Rocky Point, New Hampshire, and Prescott's Antiques auction venue has been transformed into a winter wonderland for Josie Prescott's annual holiday party. Josie is especially excited this year-Ian Bennington, a recently discovered distant relative, will be joining the fun. Both Ian and Josie are, it seems, descended from Arabella Churchill, a 17th century royal mistress. The party is a success and Ian is a hit. It gives Josie an unexpected thrill to have family-and unexpected dread when he vanishes.

Ian doesn't keep his dinner date with Josie's good friend, Lavinia, or his lunch date with her. Surely, he would have done so-if he could. Ian has given his daughter two priceless 17th century watercolor miniature portraits, one of Arabella and one of her lover, King James II, and they've gone missing, too. Knowing that after her nasty divorce, Lavinia is facing financial ruin, Josie can't help wondering if her friend is behind the theft-and Ian's disappearance.

Determined to find Ian, Josie uses her knowledge of antiques to track the miniatures. In doing so, she learns the true meaning of Christmas-and the true meaning of family."

Title: Murder at Whitehall

Author: Amanda Carmack

Series: #4 in the Kate Haywood historical series set in mid-sixteenth century England

ISBN: 9780451475695

Publisher: NAL

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages 

Synopsis: "1559. The Twelve Days of Christmas at Whitehall Palace will be celebrated as a grand affair. But there are those who wish to usher in the New Year by ending Queen Elizabeth’s reign....

Despite evenings of banquets and dancing, the European delegates attending Her Majesty’s holiday festivities are less interested in peace on earth than they are in fostering mistrust. Kate, the queen’s personal musician, hopes she can keep the royal guests entertained.

But then Queen Elizabeth receives a most unwanted gift—an anonymous letter that threatens to reveal untoward advances from her beloved Queen Catherine’s last husband, Thomas Seymour. Tasked with finding the extortionist, Kate has barely begun investigating when one of Spain’s visiting lords is found murdered. With two mysteries to unravel and an unsettling number of suspects to consider, Kate finds herself caught between an unscrupulous blackmailer and a cold-blooded killer...."

Title: The Iced Princess

Author: Christine Husom

Series: #2 in the Snow Globe Shop cozy series set in Minnesota

ISBN: 9780425270813

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Synopsis: "It’s that time of the year again—the Christmas rush is about to begin, and curio shop owner Camryn Brooks and her BFF, coffee shop owner Alice “Pinky” Nelson, need to hire additional help. Their former high-school classmate, Molly Dalton, is not exactly who they had in mind. Has the rich socialite worked a day in her life? But Molly practically begs for the job.

On her first day, Molly seems to be in her own little world, and Cami worries that her new employee may flake out. The problem turns out to be far worse than that when Cami discovers Molly dead in the back of the shop, after drinking a poisoned cup of coffee. Soon there is an avalanche of suspects as Cami starts shoveling through the clues—including a shattered snow globe of Marilyn Monroe. Now Cami will have to venture out of her safety zone before the pathological poisoner stirs up more trouble..." 


Well, these should satisfy your cravings for holiday murder and mayhem. I know I'm looking forward to reading a few of them myself! Did any of them get added to your wish lists? Which ones? You know inquiring minds would love to know!