While working on my November upcoming mystery series titles I kept coming across titles that had a Christmas theme. So, for those of you that like to mix your favorite mystery series with a little Christmas cheer, here you are:

The tenth title in the
Seaside Knitter mystery series by
Sally Goldenbaum is
Trimmed With Murder. It follows
A Finely Knit Murder.
In Sea Harbor, Massachusetts the holidays mean cozy fires, festive carols, and soft
skeins of yarn waiting to become hats and sweaters and scarves. And this
year, Izzy Chambers Perry and the other Seaside Knitters are also knitting tiny
ornaments to decorate a tree for the first annual tree-trimming contest. Their holiday cheer is multiplied when Izzy’s younger brother, Charlie
Chambers, unexpectedly arrives to volunteer at a local clinic. He brings
with him outspoken hitchhiker Amber Hanson, who is returning to Sea
Harbor to claim an inheritance. She quickly reacquaints herself with the
area—and forms an unlikely friendship with Charlie. But their bond is
shattered when her body is found beneath the undecorated trees on the
Harbor Green. Charlie is a suspect in the murder, so Izzy and
her fellow Knitters step in to uncover the truth.
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by
Vicky Delany starts the beginning of a new mystery series called
A Year-Round Christmas mystery. In Rudolph, New York, it’s
Christmastime all year long. 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.
Livia J. Washburn is releasing the tenth title in her
Fresh-Baked mystery series this month. It is
The Candy Cane Killer Cupcake and it follows
Trick or Deadly Treat. ‘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.

The fifth title in the
Vintage Kitchen mystery series is
White Colander Crime by
Victoria Hamilton. It follows
No Mallets Intended. Queensville, Michigan
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.
Away in a Manger is the fifteenth title by
Rhys Bowen in the
Molly Murphy mystery series, following
Edge of Dreams. It's Christmastime in 1905 New York City,
and for once, Molly Murphy Sullivan is looking forward to the
approaching holidays. She has a family of her own now: she and Daniel
have a baby son and twelve-year-old Bridie is living with them as their
ward. As Molly and the children listen to carolers in the street, they
hear a lovely voice, the voice of an angel, and see a beggar girl
huddled in a doorway, singing "Away in a Manger." Bridie is touched by
the girl's ragged clothes and wants to help her out if they can. They
give her a quarter, only to watch a bigger boy take it from her. But
Molly discovers the boy is the girl's older brother. They've come from
England and their mother has disappeared, and they're living with an
aunt who mistreats them terribly. Molly quickly realizes that
these children are not the usual city waifs. They are well-spoken and
clearly used to better things. So who are they? And what's happened to
their mother? As Molly looks for a way to help the children and for the
answers to these questions, she gets drawn into an investigation that
will take her up to the highest levels of New York society.
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