Reveals here please.

No :talk: or :fight: so :zip: it.

Moves history:
Gothamgal has Pepper reveal the Cat/Christie 3-fer
Molekilby asks SciFisstrs to reveal A Merry Little Murder
Luckaye asks Cherie to reveal Sugarplums and Scandal
Potok-fan steals Cat/Christie 3-fer from Gothamgal
GothamGal steals Sugarplums and Scandal from Luckaye
Luckaye asks mole to reveal O Little Town Of Maggody
Becky steals Cat/Christie 3-fer from Potok
Potok asks Candy to reveal The Christmas Mystery
Bluecat asks Lucie to reveal Silent Night
Cheesy steals Sugarplums and Scandal from Gotham
Gothams asks Shaunie to reveal A Holly, Jolly Murder
Elsi steals A Holly, Jolly Murder out of Gotham's hands
Gothamgal asks Elsi to reveal The Alpine Christmas
Ramson asks Cheesy to reveal Candy Cane Murder
EllyMae steals Candy Cane Murder from ramson
Ramson asks EllyMae to reveal Sugarplums and Scandal
Dae steals O Little Town Of Maggody from luckaye
Lucie steals Candy Cane Murder from EllyMae
EllyMae steals A Holly, Jolly Murder from elsi
So Elsi snatches O Little Town of Maggody right out of Dae's hands
Dae steals Sugarplums and Scandal (CP #1) from cheesy
Cheesy steals Sugarplums and Scandal (EM #2) from ramson
Ramson steals Candy Cane Murder from Luckaye
Lucie steals Sugarplums and Scandal (EM #2) from cheesygiraffe
Cheesy asks Franci to reveal Mistletoe Man
Candy steals Silent Night from bluecat
Cat steals the Cat/Christie 3-fer from Rebecca
Rebecca quickly grabs the Candy Cane Murder from Ramson
Ramson asks Blackadder to reveal The Last Noel or Wreck the Halls
Blackadder steals Mistletoe Man from cheesygiraffe
Cheesy asks Brat to reveal Drop-Dead Blonde
Sci steals A Holly, Jolly Murder from EllyMae
Ellymae snatches Candy Cane Murder away from Rebecca and runs out of the game with it
Rebecca steals Cat/Christie 3-fer from Bluecat
Bluecat asks ramson to reveal Two Cooks A Killing
Shaunie :whip: steals Sugarplums and Scandal (EM #2) from Lucie
Lucie steals A Holly, Jolly Murder from SciFisstrs
Sci steals The Alpine Christmas from Gotham
Gotham asks Bluecat to reveal The Christmas Mystery (BC #2)
Cherie asks Dae to reveal The Black-Headed Pins
Pepper snatches the Black-Headed Pins from Cherie
Cherie asks Rebecca to reveal The Stupidest Angel
Franci steals The Last Noel or Wreck the Halls from ramson
Ramson asks Gothamgal to reveal Mistletoe Murder
Brat steals The Last Noel or Wreck the Halls from FranciJo
Franci steals Mistletoe Murder from ramson
Ramson steals The Stupidest Angel from Cherie
Cherie steals The Black-Headed Pins from Pepper
Pepper steals The Alpine Christmas from Sci
Sci steals The Last Noel or Wreck the Halls from Brat
Brat steals The stupidest Angel from Ramson
Ramson steals Mistletoe Murder from Franci
Franci steals The Last Noel or Wreck the Halls from Sci
Sci steals Alpine Christmas from Pepper
Pepper steals Black Headed Pins from Cherie
Cherie steals The Stupidest Angel from Brat
Brats steals The Last Noel or Wreck the Halls from Franci and out of the game
Franci steals Mistletoe Murder from ramson
Ramson steals Two Cooks A Killing from bluecat
Bluecat steals the Cat/Christie 3-fer from rebecca
Becky steals Mistletoe Murder from Franci
Franci steals Sugarplums and Scandal (CP #1) from Dae
Dae steals O Little Town of Maggody from Elsi

Pepper's Reveal:

Cat/Christie 3-fer



Cat Deck the Halls by Shirley Rosseau Murphey

(from bn.com)

The cats who saved Christmas . . .

The charming seaside village of Molena Point, California, leads one to expect a quiet traditional Christmas surrounded by family and friends—but not this holiday season. Instead of singing carols and climbing into Christmas trees, Joe Grey, feline P.I., is faced with his most difficult case yet—and that's saying a lot for a wily tomcat who for years has been solving crimes the police can't even crack.

At midnight in the deserted gardens of the shopping plaza, a stranger lies dead beneath the village Christmas tree; the only witness to the shooting is a little child. But when the police arrive, summoned by an anonymous phone call of feline origin, both the body and the child have disappeared. As police scramble for leads, the grey tomcat, his tabby lady, and their tortoiseshell pal, Kit, launch their own unique investigation.

Together Joe Grey, Dulcie, and Kit face their most heartbreaking case yet as they care for the child who may be the killer's next target. Trying to sort out perplexing clues amidst the happiness of the season, they shadow a cast of colorful characters. But neither the police nor their unknown feline assistants are aware that they might have stumbled over the murderer and never known it, until an electrifying final scene when the killer's identity is revealed.

AND



A Holiday for Murder by Agatha Christie

It is Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture, followed by a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. But when Hercule Poirot, who is staying in the village with a friend for Christmas, offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man.

AND

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie

First came a sinister warning to Poirot not to eat any plum pudding...then the discovery of corpse in chest...next, an overheard quarrel that led to murder...the strange case of the of the dead man who altered his eating habits..and the puzzle of the victim who dreamt his own suicide. What links these six baffling cases? The distinctive hand of the queen of crime fiction.

A Merry Little Murder by Shelley Freydont

This Christmas, former dancer Lindy Haggerty leaves her toe shoes behind to hit the glitzy International Ballroom Competition in Atlantic City, where it takes two to tango—but only one to kill...

The stakes are high with hoofers from around the world converging on the seaside gambling town-and they’re about to get higher. The final evening of the competition is going to be filmed for network television, and the search is on for a couple to play Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in a multimillion dollar feature film.

Lindy and company barely have time to unpack before the backbiting begins. Dawn Gilpatrick, owner of a famous dance studio, clues Lindy in to the politics and gossip behind the scenes. Seems a rival studio owned by her ex-husband/dance partner is trying to steal one of Dawn’s top teachers, resulting in a lawsuit for breach of contract by Dawn. If that’s not enough, her top couple - Shane Corbett and Katya Andrejewsky - are about to break up, courtesy of Shane, and unbeknownst to Katya.

Lindy’s head is spinning more than the dancers are. Scandals and catfights are threatening to upstage the competition. Shane and Katya’s sudden disappearance is the last straw for Dawn - professionally and financially. And just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, a body is discovered, washed up under the boardwalk. Though clad in turquoise silk and dance shoes, the victim is Shane. And Katya is still nowhere to be found.

With jealous divas, disgraced dress designers, spurned lovers and possessive partners thrown into the mix, there isn’t a ballroom big enough to hold all the suspects. It’s up to Lindy to take the lead in solving a Christmas mystery…before anyone else dances with death.

Cherie's reveal:

[doHTML]
<a href="http://bookcrossing.com/journal/4677037" target="_blank"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QVDFB1RQL._SL320_SH20_.jpg" height="320" width="198" border="0" align="left" hspace="15" vspace="10"></a>

<p><b><font size="4" face="century gothic, verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><font color="#cc0000">Sugarplums and Scandal</font> by Dana Cameron, Mary Daheim, Lori Avocato, Cait London, Suzanne Macpherson, and Kerrelyn Sparks</font></b></p><br>

<center><font color="#cc0000" face="monotype corsiva, comic sans ms, cursive" size="+2"><b><i>Be of Good Fear, Christmas Is Here!</i></b></font></center> <p>And just in time comes this grand gift of seasonal mystery and romance from six of popular fiction's most supremely talented "Santas"—for 'tis the season for scandals, suspense, and all sorts of unexpected surprises! </p> <p>Enjoy <font color="blue">LORI AVOCATO</font>'s tale of the sexy fraud investigator and the delinquent dentist, and <font color="blue">DANA CAMERON</font>'s suspenseful story of a not-so-merry Christmas Eve at an English manor house. Savor <font color="blue">MARY DAHEIM</font>'s scrumptious gathering of lively loved ones and one ghostly guest, and <font color="blue">CAIT LONDON</font>'s blood-chilling tale of a menaced Christmas do-gooder. <font color="blue">SUZANNE MACPHERSON</font> delights with a Yuletide fable about a perky, persistent spirit and her haunted ex-fiancé. And take a walk with <font color="blue">KERRELYN SPARKS</font> on the otherworldly side to discover how the undead celebrate the holidays.</p> <p> More details on each story can be found at <a href="http://bookcrossing.com/journal/4677037" target="_blank">the BookCrossing journal page for this book</a>.</p>
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Mole's reveal

O Little Town Of Maggody by Joan Hess



When country music superstar Matt Montana returns to his small, depressed Arkansas hometown for a holiday benefit concert, a record company executive turns up murdered, prompting Sheriff Arly Hanks to investigate

Candy's reveal:



A startlingly original presentation of the nativity story, woven into an enthralling and mysterious novel, this is a book that opens eyes and minds to the wonder and mystery of Christmas, and transcends all barriers to reach adults and children, believers and non-believers alike. The qualities of wonder and enquiry that readers loved in SOPHIE'S World are as strong as ever in this beautiful new Jostein Gardner book.

Lucie's reveal



Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark

When her husband was diagnosed with leukemia, Catherine Dornan and their two young sons accompanied him to New York, during the Christmas season, for a life-saving operation.

Hoping to divert the boys from worry about their father, and to temper her own near despair, on Christmas Eve Catherine takes the boys to see Rockefeller Center's famous Christmas tree. When they stop to listen to a street musician, Brian, the younger boy, sees a woman take his mother's wallet, which holds a precious memento his grandmother has just given them, a St. Christopher medal that saved her husband's life in World War II, and which she and Brian believe will save his father's life now.

Unable to get his mother's attention, Brian impulsively follows the woman who has taken the wallet into the city's subways, thereby beginning a journey that will threaten his life and change that of his mother and of the thief, as well.

Written with warmth, yet set against a background of menace and thrilling suspense, Silent Night is about courage in the face of adversity, and faith renewed and faith rewarded.

A Holly, Jolly Murder - Joan Hess

In A Holly, Jolly Murder, Arkansas bookseller-sleuth Claire Malloy rings in the holidays with a Druid ritual, a run-in with a witch, and a far from ho-hum case of homicide. When Malthea Hendlerson, the self-proclaimed Arch Druid of the Sacred Grove of Keltria, wanders into the Book Depot looking for New Age titles, Claire Malloy assumes the elderly woman is a harmless eccentric. Then Malthea invites her to attend a winter solstice celebration at the Sacred Grove. Feeling restless, Claire is actually looking forward to a traditional bonfire in a fir grove. What she gets, however, is murder.

Elsi's reveal

The Alpine Christmas by Mary Daheim



Description from the back cover:

There's little cheer in the holiday headlines of The Alpine Advocate.

The pretty little town of Alpine looks like a Christmas card: deep, fresh snow, carolers, Christmas trees, even a sleigh. Until the discovery of a woman's leg in the lake, along with that of another young woman's nude, half-frozen body, deflates everyone's high spirits, including Emma Lord's.

But for Emma, the editor and publisher of <i>The Alpine Advocate</i>, a great story is still a great story. Strongly abetted by her assistant, who is a bottomless well of local history. Emma goes for it. Who are these young women who keep turning up in bits and pieces? What brought them to snowy Alpine at Christmas? And incidentally, why is a local family of some stature being pestered by pranksters, peepers, and thieves? Emma's reckless hunt for answers gets results, including a close encounter with a killer that may very well land her on her own obituary page....

Cheesy's Reveal:


Candy Cane Murder



by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meier

`Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, baking cookies, and curling up by the Yuletide waiting for Santa to drop down the chimney. But in this festive collection of holiday whodunits, murder is also paying a visit...

"Candy Cane Murder" by Joanne Fluke

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen feels a little stuffed in her elf costume--but it's too late to count calories. Lake Eden's annual Christmas gala is upon her and eager children are waiting. Wayne Bergstrom, owner of Bergstrom's Department Store, happily ho-ho-hos his way through the festivities in his Santa suit. But when a trail of candy canes leads to his corpse in a snow bank, Hannah must find Kris Kringle's killer.

"The Dangers of Candy Canes" by Laura Levine

When a wealthy suburbanite takes a lethal tumble off his roof while installing a giant candy cane, the roofing contractor being held responsible for murder asks freelance writer Jaine Austen to investigate. But solving this untimely holiday death means delving into the cutthroat Christmas decorating wars among scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stocking. It takes a fruitcake hiding a weapon and a stunning confrontation to expose the mastermind of this holiday murder.

"Candy Canes of Christmas Past" by Leslie Meier

Twenty-some years ago, Lucy Stone arrived in Tinker Cove, Maine, and discovered her knack for solving mysteries when she met Miss Tilly, the town librarian, whose mother took a fatal fall down the basement stairs one Christmas Eve. The "accident" left a cloud of suspicion on Miss Tilly's father and a slew of other suspects. The only clue was a glass candy cane found smashed to bits by the victim's body. Now Lucy must learn the mystery of the glass candy cane as she unlocks the doors of Christmas past, exposing secrets, scandal, and a killer who got away with murder.

Whether a gift for yourself or that special someone on your list, there's no better way to spend the holidays than with these tantalizing mysteries of murder...

Includes over 10 scrumptious holiday recipes!

EllyMae's Reveal:

Sugarplums and Scandal




Sugarplums and Scandal brings together the best of romance and mystery in one delightful collection of Christmas tales. In the expert hands of six of Avon's best storytellers, the holiday season takes on an air of love and scandalous surprises! Filled with Christmas miracles, romance, and suspense, this will make the perfect gift for both romance and mystery fans. Each author brings their own unique voice and characters to the collection, as well as their fan followings.

*All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth – Lori Avocato
*The Lords of Misrule – Dana Cameron
*The Ghost of Christmas Passed – Mary Daheim
*Partners in Crime – Cait London
*Holly Go Lightly – Suzanne Macpherson
*A Very Vampy Christmas – Kerrelyn Sparks

FranciJo's reveal:

Mistletoe Man
by Susan Wittig Albert



"I'll be home for Christmas," croons the old, sweet song. Fans of Albert's herbalist-attorney-sleuth, China Bayles, who have been lauding her spicy mysteries since Thyme of Death nine books ago, will feel they've come home (to delightful Pecan Springs, Tex.) with this ebullient yarn set during the Christmas season. The pace is peppy as a Texas two-step, Albert's dialogue and characterizations put her in a class with lady sleuths V.I. Warshawski and Stephanie Plum and her writing sparkles like Rudolph's nose. China has left the chaos of a Houston law firm to buy a century-old stone mansion, which now houses a tearoom (Thyme for Tea), an herb shop (Thyme and Seasons) and a New Age "Cave" run by her best friend, Ruby Wilcox. Business is booming, an inspired new chef has appeared and China's personal life is nearing perfection. But suddenly, Ruby suffers a personal disaster and disappears, while China's mistletoe supplier, cantankerous Carl Swenson, dies in a hit and run. Since the suspects in Carl's death are her flower growers - and friends - she puts on her 10-gallon detective's hat and begins to track the killer. Throughout this intricately plotted and deliciously descriptive tale, China proves herself intelligent, independent, persistent and compassionate. In the tradition begun with Thyme of Death, Albert shows great empathy for the ill - and little patience for layabouts and lawbreakers. This is a funny, human story that will give Albert's admirers a ringing jingle bell romp. (From Publishers Weekly)

Blackadder's reveal:

Winner's Choice


The Last Noel by Jean Hager

Murder Steals The Scene

Peace and goodwill go out the window at Tess Darcy's Community Church in Victoria Springs the minute out-of-town drama professor Sherwood Draper walks in the door. He's been asked to replace the former director of the annual Christmas pageant, and she's furious. The organist is humiliated to be replaced by taped music, and the husband of a parishioner is outraged when he finds Sherwood backstage playing love scenes with his wife.

But it turns out to be curtains for the unpopular professor before the show begins. His corpse is found in a dressing room and there's no shortage of suspects with both motive and opportunity. Now it's up to Tess to find out if the irreverent professor has been done in by the fury of a wronged wife or by the righteous indignation of a fellow parishioner willing to commit a deadly sin on sacred grounds.

OR


Wreck the Halls by Sarah Graves

"People hardly ever lock their doors in Eastport. So when Jake and her best pal, Ellie, arrive at Faye Anne Carmody's kitchen door, they knock and walk right in. But though Christmas is just two weeks away, what they find is far from festive: a dazed Faye Anne covered with blood, and her no-good husband - the town butcher, Merle - nowhere in sight. Nowhere, that is, until Jake discovers his body - tidily wrapped in his own butcher paper..." "It doesn't take long for news of the murder to race through the small town, and just about everyone has a theory about the grisly crime that has robbed Eastport of its least-liked citizen. But while police chief Bob Arnold considers it an open-and-shut case, Jake and Ellie aren't convinced of Faye Anne's guilt." "Jake has enough going on in her life without trying to investigate a murder. After all, she's just married her longtime love, Wade, and the pair plan to spend the winter rehabilitating the paint-encrusted windows in Jake's old house. But Jake has to admit that there are a lot of details that don't add up: for example, Faye Anne's complaint that she was being stalked, and blood-splattered evidence at the crime scene that just doesn't make sense. Then there is the diary that Faye Anne's secret, sometime boyfriend claims is hidden somewhere in her house. Could Faye Anne's own journal be the key to unlocking an even more fiendish murder plot, or is her double-crossing lover trying to frame her?" When yet another Eastport citizen turns up dead, Jake realizes the murderer's trail began long before the night Merle Carmody died. But what keeps eluding her and Ellie is the motive behind the mystery. The truth is so close, they can almost taste it - but can they stop the shrewd killer before he chisels another victim's name onto a tombstone?

Brat's reveal:

Drop-Dead Blonde by Nancy Martin, Elaine Viets, Denise Swanson, Victoria Laurie



They're Beautiful Blondes with style, money, and men falling at their feet. But now these perfect women are becoming perfect victims. In "Drop-Dead Blonde", four of today's top mystery authors spin all-new tales of fair-haired sirens, secrets, and seduction. Blondes usually have more fun, but not at the hands of these mistresses of mystery...... STORY #1 WAS A PERFECT FIT FOR THIS SWAP!

Story #1 Slay Belles by Nancy Martin
The Blackbird Sistersuntangle a personal vendetta against a personal shopper.

Story #2 Killer Blonde by Elaine Viets
Helen Hawthorne learns the truth about a battle of the blondes in an all new "Dead-End Job" story.

Story #3 Dead Blondes Tell No Tales
Skye Denison gets involved in a Marilyn Monroe look-alike contest and a mysterious disappearance in a new "Scumble River" story.

Story #4 Blind Sighted by Victoris Laurie
Professional Psychic Abby Cooper attends a psychic convention and gets inside the mind of a murderer.

This is TBR, but has only 1 book ahead of it (which I'm reading now).

ramson's reveal:


Two Cooks A Killing by Joanne Pence

Nothing could drag chef Angie Amalfi away from San Francisco and her beloved policeman fiance Paavo Smith –– except for a job preparing the banquet her all–time favorite soap opera characters will consume during an upcoming Christmas Reunion Special. So Angie eagerly takes off for the estate where the now–defunct "Eagle Crest" was originally filmed. Not thrilled to be staying in the very room from which the young actress Brittany Keegan took a real–life fatal tumble years earlier, Angie is equally disturbed –– and intrigued –– when another corpse turns up in the cellar. Both deaths have been ruled accidental, but the bitter accusations flying back and forth among the reunited cast suggest otherwise. And now that Angie's a guest star in this deadly serial drama, she's suddenly in serious danger of being written out of it permanently

Bluecat's reveal is:

The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Mystery-...96602637&sr=8-1

(different cover, which I couldn't open at amazon)

Synopsis
Fifty years ago a girl disappeared from her home in Norway. She ran after a lamb and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. There she met angels, shepherds, wise men and other biblical characters who joined her on her pilgrimage; and she heard of many of the things that happened in the world in the last 2000 years. In present-day Norway, a boy acquires a strange old Advent calendar. Hidden in each of the windows is a tiny piece of paper. Little by little these pieces unfold the girl's story and as we learn what happened to her, another story is revealed - that of the strange old man who made the calender.


sorry, another double!

Dae's Reveal:



The Black-Headed Pins by Constance & Gwenyth Little

With her bank account down to empty, orphaned Leigh Smith has no choice but to take a job as a paid companion and housekeeper to the miserly Mrs. Ballister. However, once she moves into the drafty, creaking old Ballister mansion in the wilds of New Jersey, Smithy has reason to regret her decision. But when Mrs. Ballister decides to invite her nieces and nephews for Christmas, Smithy sees the possibility for some fun. What she doesn’t expect is to encounter the Ballister family curse. It seems that when a dragging noise is heard in the attic it foretells the death of a Ballister. And once a Ballister dies, if you don’t watch the body until it’s buried, it’s likely to walk. The stockings are barely hung from the mantle when those dreaded sounds are heard in the attic, and before long, corpses are going for regular midnight strolls. Smithy and a pair of potential beaux turn detective and try to figure out why the murderer leaves black-headed pins at the scene of every crime. Filled with the eccentric characters and odd plot twists typical of a Little mystery, The Black-Headed Pins first appeared in 1938 and was the second book by the two queens of the wacky cozy.

I enjoyed reading this cozy. I've always liked old 30's and 40's black and white mystery movies and this read just like one of those.
This is a trade size paperback.

rebeccaljames' reveal:



The Stupidest Angel : A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore (TBR)

'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.

But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he's not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn't run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.

But hold on! There's an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It's none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel's not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.

Move over, Charles Dickens -- it's Christopher Moore time.

Gothamgal's reveal:



Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier


Book Description
Lucy Stone, the delightful heroine of Leslie Meier's mystery series set in rural Tinker's Cove, Maine, makes her crime-solving debut in "Mistletoe Murder".
As if baking holiday cookies, knitting a sweater for her husband's gift, and making her daughter's angel costume for the church pageant weren't enough, Lucy is also working nights at the famous mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers Sam Miller, its very wealthy founder, dead in his car from an apparent suicide, the sleuth in her knows something just doesn't smell right.

Taking time out from her hectic holiday life to find out what really happened, her investigation leads to a backlog of secrets as long as Santa's Christmas Eve route. Lucy is convinced that someone murdered Sam Miller. But who and why? With each harrowing twist she uncovers in this bizarre case, another shocking revelation is exposed. Now, as Christmas draws near and Lucy gets dangerously closer to the truth, she's about to receive a present from Santa she didn't ask for.

:cry: :cry: I don't want my reveal left out just because it ended the swap! Here it is:

Two Ballsy Women: Stephanie Plum & Kate Brannigan



I will send either or both books, as the winner requests.

Visions of Sugar Plums is a Christmas special, “between the numbers” holiday mystery by Janet Evanovich. The perfect escapist read if you can suspend disbelief. It’s five days before Christmas and things are not looking merry for Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum. She hasn’t got a tree. She hasn’t bought any presents. There’s not a twinkle light anywhere to be seen in her apartment – and there’s a strange man in her kitchen. Can he help her find a little old toy maker who has skipped out on his bail right before Christmas? Not to mention the fact that she needs to find a bunch of nasty elves, her sister Valerie has a Christmas “surprise” for the Plums, her niece Mary Alice doesn’t believe in Santa anymore, and Grandma Mazur has a new stud muffin. So bring out the plastic reindeer, strap on your jingle bells, and get ready to celebrate the holidays – Jersey style. (Different cover art, and with a big old BC sticker slapped right on the front, but not covering up any text.)

The plot of Star Struck doesn’t really have much to do with Christmas, but it does have “star” in the title and is set in December! Bodyguarding had never made it to Manchester [UK] PI Kate Brannigan’s wish list. But Christmas is coming and the goose is anorexic. So she sends her better judgement on an early Yuletide break and starts playing nursemaid to a paranoid soap star. Soon, offstage dramas overshadow the fictional storylines, culminating in an unscripted murder. What’s more, Kate’s tame hacker has found virtual love, her process server keeps getting arrested, and the ever-reliable Dennis has had the temerity to get himself charged with murder.

:nod: There. Now I feel better.