Crooks, Crimes, and Christmas (Wwl Mystery, 473) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), Ed Gorman (Author), Irene Marcuse (Author), Michael Jahn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Four Festive Tales Of Foul Play . . . With All The Trimmings

A Way to the Manger
Susan Slater

A local teen is missing and Native American psychologist Ben Pecos begins to piece together some disturbing facts. The girl, a high school basketball star, harbors a dark and painful secret, one that puts her on a collision course with a ring of human predators.

The Santa Claus Murders
Ed Gorman

Iowa lawyer turned private eye Sam McCain stumbles over a dead Santa at a Black River Falls Christmas party. Sam knows the real tragedy is that the victim will hardly be mourned. Sam begins to look for answers and finds deception, blackmail and . . . A second body . . .

What Child Is This
Irene Marcuse

It's Christmas morning and New York Social worker Anita Servi goes out to buy bagels -- and comes home with a baby. The infant belongs to a struggling addict trying to go clean, but it was the woman's sister who handed Anita the baby -- as well as the mystery of his mother's murder.

The Gold Band
Michael Jahn

When NYPD Captain Bill Donovan finds a gold ring inside a Christmas goose, his curiosity gets the better of him. His investigation leads to Manhattan's meat district, where he finds himself sorting through a rash of break-ins, a henhouse full of ex-cons and the kind of mayhem that promises a holiday to remember.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Worldwide Library (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373264739
• ISBN-13: 978-0373264735
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,796 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Collection of Holiday Mysteries, November 13, 2003

By	Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A WAY TO THE MANGER - By: Susan Slater
When a local teenage girl turns up missing, Ben Pecos, a Native American Psychologist, begins to piece together disturbing facts about the high school basketball star, who harbors a dark and painful secret, one that has her headed straight into a group of human predators. 4 stars.

THE SANTA CLAUS MURDERS - By: Ed Gorman
Sam McCain, an Iowa lawyer turned private eye, stumbles across a dead Santa at a Black River Falls Christmas party. While Sam is searching for clues, he finds blackmail, deception, and a second body. 5 stars.

WHAT CHILD IS THIS - By: Irene Marcuse
On Christmas morning, Anita Servi, a New York social worker, goes out to buy bagels, and comes back home with a baby. The infant belongs to a struggling drug addict trying to go clean, only this person isn't around, since the woman who handed her the baby is the woman's sister. Now Anita is tossed into the mystery of the murder of the baby's mother. 4 stars.

THE GOLD BAND - By: Michael Jahn
NYPD Captain, Bill Donovan, finds a gold ring inside a Christmas goose. This alone gets his brain going at warp speed. Soon Bill's investigation brings him to Manhattan's meat district, where he finds himself investigating a slew of break-ins, and a house full of ex-cons. 5 stars.

While all of the stories are fantastic in this short collection, I must admit that THE SANTA CLAUS MURDERS by Ed Gorman was my absolute favorite. Gorman's sense-of-humor shines through in Sam's quirky sarcasm, and dialogue. The rest of the stories chosen for this collection are all equally interesting, and will have readers the world over celebrating the holiday with a whole new outlook on the season. A great gift for yourself, or a friend, this holiday season.

Erika Sorocco