Merry and Fright (SCPL)

"New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews returns with another Meg Langslow mystery written "firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie's Christmas books" (Toronto Globe and Mail). The 26th book and the sixth Christmas mystery in the Meg Lansglow series, Owl Be Home for Christmas is yet another wonderfully merry and funny book from New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews. It's a few days before Christmas, and Meg's grandfather...

It's Christmastime, and Flavia de Luce, an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry, is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces' decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop's Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody...

"The Holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder--and the brilliant Belgian investigator is quickly on the case On Christmas Eve at Gorston Hall, the Lee family's festivities are shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs--in a locked bedroom--the tyrannical patriarch Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds...

"Combines historical fact with legend to tell the story of Santa Claus, written in the voice of Santa Claus himself." -- Provided by publisher.

"As the acknowledged "Queen of Crime," P. D. James was frequently commissioned by newspapers and magazines to write a special short story for Christmas. Four of the best have been collected together for the first time in one volume [...] P. D. James's understanding of human nature illuminates each of these stories, making them ideal reading for the darkest days of the year. Each treats the reader to her masterfully atmospheric storytelling, a mystery...

"This short story collection includes six stories of not-so-merry Yuletide whimsy. A woman so cold she hardens to ice on a winter's eve. Risen from his grave before his time, a winter god alters the balance between seasons. A wolf's holiday season is interrupted by a strange curse. From a murder at the Stanley Hotel to demons of Christmas past, present, and future, and a mad elf and Santa's Candy Court, these authors share their love for winter holidays...

Scrooge considers himself a rational man with a keen sense of deductive reasoning developed from years of business dealings. But that changes one night when he's visited by the ghost of his former boss and friend, Fezziwig, who mysteriously warns him that three more will die, and ultimately Ebenezer himself-if he doesn't get to the bottom of a vast conspiracy.

"The Gift" : Katricia Argeneau knows grey-eyed cop Teddy Brunswick is her life mate. She just needs to convince him they belong together, and being snowbound in a secluded cabin will make this a Christmas neither will forget. "Home for the Holidays" : Cat and Bones may long to wrap presents and set up a tree, but this Christmas, an evil vampire and long-buried family secrets will threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer.

This new, expanded edition of Miracle and Other Christmas Stories features twelve brilliantly reimagined holiday tales, five of which are collected here for the first time.
Christmas comes but once a year, yet the stories in this dazzling collection are fun to read anytime. They put a speculative spin on the holiday, giving fans of acclaimed author Connie Willis a welcome gift and a dozen reasons to be of good cheer.
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Eighteen stories of Christmas horror from bestselling, acclaimed authors, including Scott Smith, Seanan McGuire, Josh Malerman, Michael Koryta, and Sarah Pinborough. That there is darkness at the heart of the Yuletide season should not surprise. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is filled with scenes that are unsettling. Marley untying the bandage that holds his jaws together. The hideous children-Want and Ignorance-beneath the robe of the Ghost...