Featured writers include Wendy Hornsby, Dorothy Cannell, Joan Hess, and Nancy Pickard herself.Contents: * The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty * Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams * Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert * His Tears by Marilyn Wallace * Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard * The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell * The Trouble with the Shoot by Camilla T. Crespi * Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood * High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby * Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess * Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser * Highwater by D.R. Meredith * Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb Edited by Jane Chelius and Martin H. Greenberg.

    Whitney presents this anthology of original mystery stories by skilled authors, such as Peter Lovesey, Carolyn Wheat, Eve K. Sanderstrom, Jill Churchill, Dean Feldmeyer, Eileen Dreyer, Medora Sale, Patricia Moyes, Susan Rogers Cooper, and Nancy Atherton.Contents: Mysteries of manners, labors of love / Phyllis A. Whitney — Conventual spirit / Sharan Newman — Double jeopardy / Eileen Dreyer — Shelved / Barbara D’Amato — Takeout / Joyce Christmas — Crossed keys / Patricia Moyes — Ham Grease Jimmy and the No Shirt Kid / Sue Henry — The death of Erik the redneck / Toni L. P. Kelner — The bun also rises / Jill Churchill — Hill people / Dean Feldmeyer — Barbecued bimbo / Susan Rogers Cooper — Honeymoon / Nancy Atherton — Vivian by moonlight / Medora Sale — A parrot is forever / Peter Lovesey — Married to a murderer / Alan Russell — Bugged / Eve K. Sandstrom — Accidents will happen / Carolyn Wheat

    and Laughter by Anne Perry * The Corbett Correspondence by Edward Marston & Peter Lovesey * Like to Die by Catherine Aird * Immortality [Sebastian Grady] by Jon L. Breen * Ways to Kill a Cat by Simon Brett * Mea Culpa by Jan Burke * The Gentleman’s Gentleman by Dorothy Cannell * Malice Among Friends by Sarah Caudwell * True Confessions by Kate Charles * Abstain from Beans by Lindsey Davis * Time’s Wingèd Chariot by Marjorie Eccles * Alternative Reality by Anthea Fraser * Come Sable Night by Kerry Greenwood * Murder Mid-Atlantic by Edward Marston * City Boy by Susan Moody * One in Every Family by Betty Nathan * The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage by Peter Robinson * Sweet Fruition by David Williams

    R. Meredith — The Cottonwood Creek caper / Diane Mott Davidson — Angel on the loose / Valerie Frankel — The ties that bind / L. B. Greenwood — Nice gorilla / Charlotte and Aaron Elkins — Take care of yourself / Janet LaPierre — The last to know / Joan Hess — Henrie O.’s holiday / Carolyn G. Hart — Night visitor / Audrey Peterson — Homebodies / Barbara Paul — Happiness is a dead poet / Sharyn McCrumb — The Jersey Lily; or, Make me immortal with a kiss / P. M. Carlson

    Dressed in her finest Parisian low-waisted gown, feather-topped tiara, and T-strapped Italian leather shoes, Ginger is ready to host the delectable event.It's a jolly good time, until someone chokes on the pudding.Is it an accident or is it murder? And can Ginger unravel the mystery before the church bells ring and New Year's Day dawns?Karen MacInerney - SLAY BELLS RINGIt's Christmastime on Dewberry Farm, and homesteader Lucy Resnick is busy bundling mistletoe bunches and cedar swags for the Buttercup Christmas Market when a neighbor's houseguest keels over right next to her peach orchard. Was it a stray bullet from a hunter that took him out? Or did a guest at the fancy ranch next door decide to scratch somebody off his or her Christmas list? It's up to Lucy to unwrap the mystery… before the holiday killer strikes again.CeeCee James - CHRISTMAS AT BAKER STREETIn this Baker Street spin-off, Oscar and Cecelia find themselves and the guests snowed in this Christmas holiday. What should be all sugar cookies and hot cocoa takes a drastic turn when one of the guests turns up cold—as in stone cold dead. With no help in sight, the two hope to find the killer before anyone else gets iced out, including them.Nancy Warren - CAT'S PAWS AND CURSESIn this classic closed room mystery, someone is murdered during a knitting class. But how was it possible? Lucy Swift and her band of undead knitters must catch the culprit before there's a second Christmas catastrophe!Molly Fitz - MEOWY CHRISTMAS MAYHEMIt's Angie's first Christmas as a pet owner, and she can't wait to celebrate with Octo-Cat, Paisley, and Nan. All it takes is a little finely-crafted trickery to get her crabby tabby into the local pet supply store for a special photo opportunity with Santa. Unfortunately, the jolly old soul is found dead in the stock room before he ever gets the chance to say "cheese." Angie and her motley crew of sidekicks need to work fast to find the culprit and prevent any further suspicious holiday slaying... Otherwise, the most wonderful time of the year could end up becoming the most murderous season Blueberry Bay has ever seen.Addison Moore - CHRISTMAS FUDGE FATALITYMy name is Lottie Lemon, and I see dead people. Okay, so I rarely see dead people, mostly I see furry creatures of the dearly departed variety, aka dead pets, who have come back from the other side to warn me of their previous owner's impending doom.The holidays have arrived and the Jolly Holly Tree Lot is hosting a special event that has the entire town bustling to get a picture with the jolly old elf himself. And I'm just as anxious as anyone to get to the front of the line, but that body I stumble upon threatens to take the joy right out of the season.

    For some, skill, patience, and creative expression is also lent to darker pursuits--like murder. In this "witty, unique anthology," writers with a knack for crafting great mysteries turn their tale ts toward the most homicidal of handiworks...stories included:"The Collage to Kill For" by Susan Wittig Albert"The Gourd, the Bad, and the Ugly" by Maggie Bruce"Call It Macaroni" by Jan Burke"No Good Deed" by Dorothy Cannell"If You Meet the Buddha" by Susan Dunlap"Strung Out" by Monica Ferris and Denise Williams"Oh, What a Tangled Lanyard We Weave" by Parnell Hall"How to Make a Killing Online" by Victoria Houston"The M Word" by Judith Kelman"Bewreathed" by Margaret Maron"The Deepest Blue" by Sujata Massey"Waxing Moon" by Tim Myers"Light Her Way Home" by Sharan Newman"Ellie's Chair" by Gillian Roberts"Motherwit and Tea Cakes" by Paula L. Woods

    White --Crime scene / C. Wheat --The sentence / M. Wallace --Blood types / J. Smith --A terrible thing / S. Singer --He loved her so much / S. Scoppettone --Hog heaven / G. Roberts --Afraid all the time / N. Pickard --The locked tomb mystery / E. Peters --The case of the Pietro Andromache / S. Paretsky --All the lonely people / M. Muller --The runaway / B. Michaels --Counsel for the defense / L. Matera --Blue curaçao / S. Kelly --Bonding / F. Kellerman --Falling off the roof / S. Grafton --Stormy weather / M. Friedman --No safety / S. Dunlap --Natural causes / D.S. Davis --Caesar and sleep / M.S. Craig --Come to Grandma / D. Cannell --Lucky penny / L. Barnes.

    Her little cottage has a leaking roof, her car broke down, and she’s managed to lose her favorite hat while walking back home. So far, this trip to England has not been so much the restful country retreat she wanted. So far, it has pretty much sucked. And unfortunately, it’s about to get worse. When she catches attractive neighbor Maddox out in a horrible rainstorm, Jade invites him in out of the cold, only to see scratches on his arms. Maddox is pleasant and polite, but even Jade can see that something is wrong. When she learns the next day that an old lady was murdered in her cottage, Jade has a sinking feeling that she knows who’s to blame. When another body crops up soon after, Jade sets out to find the truth. After all, how much worse could this vacation get? She might as well tramp over the heath and figure out what’s going on. But all this poking about is going to put her squarely in the killer’s sights. And now that they’ve murdered twice, they’re not going to stop until all of their enemies are dead.BONUS FREE story included in this book!

    One tough hombre, he knows the score and always gets his man . . . or rat. Louie's hot on a new case-a whole bunch in fact, in Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives. He's pulled together stories of mystery, murder, and mayhem to bring us some of the wildest-and furriest-cases around, written by today's most prominent authors. With an introduction from Lawrence Block and all-new stories from such masters of the mystery as Dorothy Cannell, J.A. Jance, Nancy Pickard, and Ann Perry, as well as a reprint from Lilian Jackson Braun, Midnight Louie's Pet Detectives is a treat for mystery readers . . . and animal lovers of all flavors.

    When one of his neighbours is brutally murdered, he gets the chance to investigate a real crime. Unfortunately, the hunt for the killer is far from simple, as winter sets in and he struggles to deal with his wife's disinterest, his friend's bungling enthusiasm, a village that will happily implicate anyone and everyone, and a rising body count.

    Carlotta Wren has always wondered what her life would've been like if her parents hadn't fled town and left her to raise her younger brother Wesley...but through a twist of fate, she's about to find out!

    Mary returned to Death Wears a Beauty Mask nearly forty years later and the result is spectacular.Featuring the same chills and heart-pounding drama we’ve come to expect from a Mary Higgins Clark title, and including an exclusive author’s introduction, Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories is a spine-tingling read and glimpse into the evolution of the remarkable career of the “Queen of Suspense.”

    Redefined.Martin H. Ehrengraf, dapper and diabolical, may be Lawrence Block's darkest creation. He's the defense attorney who never sees the inside of a courtroom, because all his clients are innocent - no matter how guilty they may seem. Some even believe themselves to be guilty: They remember pulling the trigger, or wiring the dynamite to their spouse's car, or holding the bloody blade. But things have a way of working out when Martin Ehrengraf is on the case. Evidence turns up, incriminating someone else. More murders occur, with the same M.O. And the gate of the jail cell opens, and the accused walks free.But be careful - hiring Martin Ehrengraf comes with a price. A high price, one that comes due even if he appears to have done nothing on your behalf. And you'd better be prepared to pay...Here at last are the complete exploits of Martin Ehrengraf: a dozen delicious tales of vice and villainy including one - ''The Ehrengraf Fandango'' - that is appearing for the first time anywhere. It's a 12-course meal of sinister surprises, exquisitely prepared and served simmering hot by the greatest living master of mystery fiction.

    The New York Times bestselling author of the Cat Who mysteries presents a fantastic collection of feline fiction which includes fourteen short stories about kitties who just can’t keep their whiskers out of trouble...Filled with furballs like a courageous Siamese who bags a cunning cat burglar, a country kitty who proves a stumbling block in a violent murder, and an intuitive feline whose premonition helps solve the case of the missing antiques dealer, this collection will delight cat lovers and mystery aficionados alike!This Collection Includes: Phut Phat Concentrates • Weekend of the Big Puddle • The Fluppie Phenomenon • The Hero of Drummond Street • The Mad Museum Mouser • The Dark One • East Side Story • Tipsy and the Board of Health • A Cat Named Conscience • SuSu and the 8:30 Ghost • Stanley and Spook • A Cat Too Small for His Whiskers • The Sin of Madame Phloi • Tragedy on New Year’s Eve

    BurkeThe Holiday Inside Job by Mary Jo BurkeHard to Catch a Christmas Thief (Hard Targets) by Wendy ByrneA Christmas Ghost & Zero Regrets (Dead by the Numbers Mysteries) by Jennifer FischettoChristmas Canapés & Sabotage (Culinary Competition Mysteries) by Janel GradowskiChristmas in High Heels (High Heels Mysteries) by Gemma HallidayChristmas Al Dente (Southern Pasta Shop Mysteries) by Jennifer L. HartSanta Claus, Lies, and Murder (Amber Fox Mysteries) by Sibel HodgeA (Gingerbread) Diorama of Death (Helen Binney Mysteries) by Gin JonesMini Pie the Christmas Spy! (Mini Pie Mysteries) by Libby LaMannaHave Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas (Greatest Hits Mysteries) by Leslie LangtryOrnamental Danger (Working Stiff Mysteries) by Kerri NelsonMotion for Mistletoe (Jamie Winters Mysteries) by Kelly ReyChristmas in Venice by Maria Grazia SwanBaby, It's Cold Outside (Tahoe Tessie Mysteries) by T. Sue VerSteegSanta's Little Mistake by Stacey Wiedower