The welcome return of C. C. Benison's delectable series featuring Father Tom Christmasan irresistible addition to the ranks of clerical sleuths (Julia Spencer-Fleming)
Father Tom Christmas, the recently widowed vicar adjusting to life in the English village of Thornford Regis, would do almost anything to avoid attending the annual Robert Burns Supper at the local hotel. But as chaplain to a traditional Scottish pipe band, Father Tom must deliver the graceand contend with wailing bagpipes, whiskey-laced parishioners reciting poetry, and the culinary abomination that is haggis.
As snow falls to unprecedented depths, the revelers carry onbriefly interrupted by an enigmatic stranger seeking shelter. Then Will Moir, proprietor of the hotel and a dedicated piper, inexplicably goes missingonly to be found later in the hotel's dark tower, alone and dead from what appears to be a heart attack.
Father Tom's own heart sinks when he learns the actual cause of Will's demise. When word gets out, the flurry of innocent speculation descends into outlandish gossip. And, for all its tranquil charm, Thornford Regis has plenty to gossip aboutillicit trysts, muted violence, private sorrows, and old, unresolved tragedies. The question is: Who would benefit most from the piper's death? Suspicion swirls around many, including Will's beautiful widow, their shadowy son, Will's obnoxious brother-in-law, and even the mysterious party crasher, who knows more than she lets on about the grudges she left behindbut never forgot.
Brimming with wit, full of genuine surprise, and featuring one of the most memorable (and unlikely) detectives in mystery fiction, C. C. Benison's second Father Christmas mystery will delight readers with a puzzle that truly defies solution.
Praise for C. C. Benison's first Father Christmas mystery, *Twelve Drummers Drumming
Splendid . . . An intelligent and empathic protagonist and skillful prose make this a winner.Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Benison does an admirable job balancing humor with suspense. . . . Father Christmas's first case leaves you eager for his next.The Wall Street Journal
A crime novel that Agatha Christie might have been justly proud to claim as her own.Margaret Maron, New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Mourning
Highly recommended . . . [a] marvelous series debut.Library Journal
The perfect treat for suspense fans in a holiday mood.BookPage*
Review
Praise for *Twelve Drummers Drumming
''The author presents a full plate of options, leaving the reader puzzling through the possible motives of an intriguing ensemble cast. The likeable vicar and his Nancy Drew-loving daughter should become reader favorites.'' --Library Journal*
About the Author
C. C. BENISON is the nom de plume for Arthur Ellis Award-winning author Doug Whiteway. He studied comparative religion at the University of Manitoba and journalism at Carleton University, in Ottawa, and has worked as a writer and editor for newspapers and magazines, as a book editor, and as a contributor to nonfiction books. He lives in Winnipeg, where he is at work on his next Father Christmas mystery, Ten Lords A-Leaping.