Murder at the Christmas Market

Snow, spice, and one very inconvenient corpse.

Blakely Monroe’s Oceanspray B&B is aglow for Maplewood Bay’s Christmas Market when Karen, a fussy vendor, face-plants by the mulled wine—and doesn’t get up. A list-loving hostess who straightens table runners mid-crisis, Blakely is shoved from holiday planner to reluctant sleuth when her dog, Scout, noses out trouble. Farmer-next-door Bobby Zion (steady hands, quicker smile) and Grandma Rose (armed with gingerbread and opinions) round out a team equal parts heart and hilarity.

Snow seals the grounds, the lights flicker, and anonymous texts warn her off as the market becomes a locked-in maze of motives. Morgan, an out-of-towner caught sneaking a flask, and Eddie, the hot-headed ex who argued with the victim, top the naughty list, while the knitting club’s “friendly” feuds knot alibis into tangles. Tampered cookies, a suspicious spice, and a vanished stash of IOUs point to blackmail—and a killer ready to celebrate.

If Blakely doesn’t unmask the culprit by midnight, Maplewood Bay’s merriest tradition will become her last.