A collection of twelve, festive crime stories, set in New York City's beloved mystery bookstore - the perfect stocking filler for murder mystery fans. The oldest mystery specialty bookstore in the world, The Mysterious Bookshop, has for most of its forty-five-year history commissioned an original short story as a holiday gift for its customers. Written exclusively for the store and never published elsewhere, the stories were given as a holiday gift to its customers as a thank you for their business, handed out or mailed between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. The prompt for the story requires three elements: that it be set at Christmastime, that it involve a crime of some kind, or the suspicion of one, and that it be set at least partially in the bookstore. And from these loose structural guidelines, diverse tales took flight. The dozen tales included in this volume are among the finest to be produced in this annual tradition, sure to charm any reader looking for a holiday-themed escape. Includes: The ingenious 'Snowflake Time' by Laura Lippman Lyndsay Faye's tale of vengeance 'A Midnight Clear' The challenging brainteaser, 'A Christmas Puzzle', by Ragnar Jónasson 'Hester's Gift', an impossible crime story by Tom Mead The suspenseful 'The Christmas Party' by Jeffery Deaver Thomas Perry's hilarious comedy of errors, 'Here We Come A-Wassailing' Plus, many more cosy tales of mystery! ' A must for every mystery lover's wish list ' - Kirkus.