A Perfect Yuletide Murder

In a town where everyone has a history and no one is quite what they seem, some secrets are worth killing to keep.


A cozy mystery that blends small-town charm with mounting suspense, this story proves that even the most picturesque harbors can hide deadly secrets beneath their frozen surface.
In the coastal town of Jensen Harbor, mystery novelist Tilly Bishop is used to writing about murder-not investigating one. But when beloved mayor Logan James and festival Santa is found dead three weeks before Christmas, she finds herself at the center of a real-life mystery that's been eighteen years in the making.

An old brass key. A cryptic ledger. A long-buried secret about the town's historic Beauty shop renovation. As an ice storm encases the coastal town in a crystalline shell, Tilly gathers her lifelong friends-Sam, the observant veterinarian; Lou, the realtor with a talent for uncovering old property records; and Eddy, the sheriff whose companionship is becoming more than friendly-race to uncover the truth before another resident falls victim to the town's shadowy past.

When an envelope containing an old key and a jewelry store receipt surfaces after Mayor Logan James's death, Tilly Bishop begins untangling secrets that stretch back to one fateful summer in Jensen Harbor. Eighteen years ago, Logan helped save Harry Evans' ranch, rebuilt the historic Beauty shop, and started keeping the hardware store's books-three seemingly unconnected events that may hold the key to his murder.

But when Brad Thompson discovers his father's ledger containing suspicious payment records, and Alli Evans starts asking questions about old property lines, it becomes clear that the beauty shop renovation hides darker secrets than anyone suspected. With the annual Christmas festival hanging in the balance and suspicious figures lurking in the storm-darkened streets, Tilly must decipher how real estate grants, railway easements, a struggling ranch, and a locked filing cabinet connect to the mayor's death before long-buried truths claim another victim.

In Jensen Harbor, where hot chocolate can't solve everything but makes most things more bearable, some secrets were never meant to thaw.