Christmas Mysteries for 2010

I had a delay in getting my round-up of new Christmas releases posted, but I'm back now! Many thanks to the publishers who responded with information about new releases! Here we go:


A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum
About the Book: With the fourth book in her national bestselling knitting mystery series, Sally Goldenbaum is back to entertain readers. With A HOLIDAY YARN, featuring the Seaside Knitters of Sea Harbor, Massachusetts, who stitch and sleuth together. Sea Harbor at holiday time is a magical place and all the Seaside Knitters are participating in the cheer. Mary Pisano, a longtime resident of Sea Harbor, is about to open her very own Bed and Breakfast establishment and has already sold-out her first week to her extended family, who plans to hold their annual family business meeting at Mary’s charming B&B.

However, the charming appeal wears off as trouble and danger lurks on the horizon for the Pisano family. Soon after they settle in, Mary’s snooty cousin Pamela is found dead on the grounds. A heavy cloud gathers over the town, and the impending holiday season grows gloomy. But Nell, Izzy, and the other Seaside Knitters are more determined than ever to solve the crime, restore joy to the season and bring peace to Mary’s family and the town.
Published by Obsidian and available now!


Mistletoe and Mayhem by Kate Kingsbury
About the Book: MISTLETOE AND MAYHEM is the sixth Pennyfoot holiday mystery by Kate Kingsbury and readers will again meet the sleuths from the Pennyfoot Hotel. While Cecily is decorating the hotel for Christmas festivities, her husband informs her that a serial killer is terrorizing London. Even in the midst of this dreadful news, she is determined to make her guests feel at home. When Madeline arrives with her new baby and guests start arriving, the holiday spirit is drummed up. However, when someone is found dead and another is missing, the sleuths of the hotel are determined to find the killer and restore holiday cheer. Published by Berkley Trade and available now in trade paperback.


Merry Merry Ghost by Carolyn Hart
About the Book: Being dead can't put a damper on spirited, holiday-loving Bailey Ruth Raeburn.

Christmas is a time for family and giving, and a wealthy woman in Adelaide, Oklahoma, is about to embrace both. Discovering that she has a young grandson, the dowager decides to change her will to leave the bulk of her fortune to the young boy—an alteration that stuns the rest of her family. But a scrooge of a determined heir makes sure she never signs the new document. When she is found dead, it's up to that irrepressible spirit Bailey Ruth, on assignment from Wiggins and Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, to protect a little boy, foil a murderer, and save Christmas.

There's only one teeny hitch: how can Bailey Ruth figure out which family member was desperate enough to kill when everyone has a motive?

Available now in mass market paperback from Avon.


The Body in the Sleigh by Katherine Hall
About the Book: It's Christmastime, and the Fairchild family is spending the holidays on idyllic Sanpere Island in Maine while the Reverend Thomas Fairchild recuperates from surgery. His caterer wife, Faith, is rejoicing in the rare, holiday family-time together—watching ice boaters, snowshoeing, and doing plenty of reading in front of the fire.

But Faith's high spirits are dampened when she discovers the body of a young woman in an antique sleigh in front of the Sanpere Historical Society. The victim, Norah, was a teenage drug addict who apparently died by her own hand. Beloved by many, her untimely death rocks the isolated, tight-knit island community.

Meanwhile, Mary Bethany, a local spinster who raises goats, happens upon a newborn baby boy lying in the manger of her barn on Christmas Eve. The only clues to his identity are a note in the basket asking her to take care of him, as well as an alarming amount of cash. As Faith helps Mary locate the baby's mother, she soon finds that the truth behind the abandonment is connected to Norah's last days—and that, just as death and life are intertwined on Sanpere, so are evil and redemptive goodness.
Available now in mass market paperback from Avon.


Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler
About the Book: Each year, for the past seventeen years, Otto Penzler, owner of the legendary Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, has commissioned an original story by a leading mystery writer. The requirements were that it be a mystery/ crime/suspense story, that it be set during the Christmas season, and that at least some of the action must take place in The Mysterious Bookshop. These stories were then produced as pamphlets, 1,000 copies, and given to customers of the bookstore as a Christmas present.
Now, all of these stories have been collected in one volume—Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop. Some of the tales are humorous, others suspenseful, and still others mystifying. This charming one-of-a-kind collection is a perfect Christmas gift, appropriate for all ages and tastes.

Contributors include:

Charles Ardai
Lisa Atkinson
George Baxt
Lawrence Block
Mary Higgins Clark
Thomas H. Cook
Ron Goulart
Jeremiah Healy
Edward D. Hoch
Rupert Holmes
Andrew Klavan
Michael Malone
Ed McBain
Anne Perry
S. J. Rozan
Jonathan Santlofer
Donald E. Westlake
Available now from Vanguard Press


The Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Flue, Leslie Meier, and Laura Levine
About the Book: Gingerbread Cookie Murder" is written by Joanne Fluke. When Hannah Swensen finds her neighbour Ernie Kusak with his head bashed in and sprawled on the floor of his condo next to an upended box of Hannah's Gingerbread Cookies, she discovers a flurry of murder suspects that's as long as her holiday shopping list. "The Dangers Of Gingerbread Cookies" is written by Laura Levine. Jaine Austen has been enlisted to help with her parents' retirement community's play The Gingerbread Cookie That Saved Christmas. Playboy Dr. Preston McCay is playing the role of the gingerbread cookie when he 'accidentally' falls to his death during the final act. Now Jaine must figure out if one of the doctor's jealous lovers was capable of murder. "Gingerbread Cookies And Gunshots" is written by Leslie Meier. When Lucy Stone discovers the body of Rick Juergens, whose five-year-old son Nemo disappeared, she senses foul play. Crumbs from a gingerbread cookie Lucy gave to Nemo are found in the back seat of Rick's car. With the hours quickly ticking till Christmas, Lucy races against the clock to find a killer before he strikes again.
Available now in hardcover from Kensington.

That's all I've got! Which one looks best to you? Am I missing any?

See also my post on new Amish Christmas books for 2010.