December Book Club

Christmas Eve, 1943. Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to run a murder mystery game - and instead discover a real murder.

The Pratts had planned for festive cheer, despite the wartime shortages: with Elva's map of the hotel and Anthony's prop weapons to use as clues, the guests in their parlour game would move through the rooms to figure out whodunnit.

But when Anthony discovers the cook's sister Miss Silver beaten to death, they instead find themselves investigating a shockingly real crime. The hotel manager Mr Browning is trying to keep the peace but the guests are agitated, Colonel Colman is about to take over the hotel for the war effort - and the mysterious Mrs Threadgold hasn't been seen at all.

In games, there's only one victim - but this is real life. Can the Pratts puzzle out this Christmas mystery before it's too late?

Christmas Staycation by Meghan Quinn

Nothing says Merry Christmas like fake fiances, family pressure, and accidentally falling for your ex's brother . . .

Nolan never met a spotlight he didn't like. As a major league baseball player with a filthy mouth, an ego the size of the North Pole, and zero interest in behaving, he's perfectly happy breezing into Christmas in Kringletown like the charming disaster everyone expects him to be.

Taran, on the other hand, has made an art form out of keeping the peace. She's polished, careful, and so committed to making everyone else happy that she's somehow agreed to a fake wedding with her ex just to keep her family's holiday from imploding.

There's only one problem: the ex in question is Nolan's brother, and Nolan sees right through her. He knows Taran deserves better than pretending her way through life.

And he'd really like 'better' to be him.

Now Taran is juggling family expectations, holiday chaos, and a man who is far too cocky, far too funny, and far too determined to bulldoze every wall she's ever built.

But with Christmas closing in, secrets snowballing, and one very fake engagement threatening to blow up in spectacular fashion, this holiday season is about to get messy. And someone's sure to end up on the naughty list.