Today
we have guest post from Amy Korman, author of Killer Holiday. Amy tells us why holidays are murder and where she turns for a great holiday read.
True story: A few days before a Christmas not so long ago, I
gave into a stress-induced milkshake craving, and was paying at the drive-thru
window when I happened to glance back at the car behind me.
Clearly in a holiday meltdown, its driver had his left hand
on the steering wheel and his right on a 750 ml-bottle of wine, which he
up-ended directly into his gullet as he cruised forward to pick up his Big Mac.
Holiday panic had gotten the better of him, and so had a
craving for Sauvignon blanc!
Personally, I turn to Poirot when December arrives. There's
something touching about the fictional Belgian detective's plan to spend the
holidays alone in his modern flat, his central heating turned up against chilly
London nights, as The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding begins. A missing ruby
and the promise of a not-too-drafty manor house lure him to country house
King’s Lacey, where anonymous notes and a corpse await.
Agatha Christie is the answer to vegan dinner guests, mall
traffic, and drunk uncles this winter! Herewith, mysteries to make the season
bright:
The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen. The holiday
entry in the delightful Royal Spyness series sends Lady Georgiana Rannoch,
poverty-stricken, charming aristo-sleuth and cousin to the King of England, as
companion-for-hire to a manor in Tiddleton-under-Lovey. Murders aplenty abound,
as do fun 1930s characters such as Noel Coward and Belinda Warburton-Stokes,
Georgie’s naughty best friend.
Murder for Christmas: Tales of Seasonal Malice. Classic
tales galore, including the above-mentioned Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and
classics by Ngaio Marsh, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Dorothy L. Sayers make up this
compendium, currently available as an audiobook only. As cozy as only murder
and stolen pearl necklaces can be.
E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton. Naturally, the holidays
are nothing but misery for the quintessential loner Kinsey Milhone. Two days
after Christmas, Kinsey discovers that $5,000 was deposited in her bank account
on December 24th, which kicks off a mystery involving one of Kinsey’s
ex-husband and ends with her garage apartment getting blown up. Luckily, her
one black dress survives….
Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich. This is the
recipe for unwinding after your annual Christmas tree fight: bond agent
Stephanie, rogue elves, Grandma Mazur, and an intriguing new man in Stephanie’s
life.
The Nine Tailors by
Dorothy L. Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey and faithful valet Bunter’s car slides off
a snowy country road on New Year’s Eve, and the pair are drawn into a
masterful, literary mystery involving church bells, an extra corpse in a local
grave, and long-missing emeralds.
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler. The master of
California noir kicks off his book with Philip Marlowe helping drunken Terry
Lennox safely exit a bar on Sunset Boulevard; Marlowe assists Lennox’s wealthy
ex-wife in locating her former husband, whereupon the Lennoxes remarry in
Vegas. Lennox repays Marlowe the $100 he owes the private eye a few days before
Christmas, with a cheery note wishing Marlowe happy holidays. Not a chance!
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie. The Dame of
all Golden Age writers naturally had more than one holiday tale of murder in
store for Poirot, and this one involves a country house, a difficult elderly
paterfamilias, and a locked-room murder.
Amy Korman is a former senior editor and
staff writer for Philadelphia Magazine, and has written for Town & Country,
House Beautiful, and Men’s Health. Her new book is Killer Holiday. She is the
author of KILLER WASPS, KILLER GETAWAY, and KILLER PUNCH.
About Killer Holiday: Antique
dealer Kristin Clark is ready for a festive winter holiday in Bryn Mawr, PA,
this winter—one that involves sipping martinis at Bootsie McElvoy’s annual
bonfire, an engagement ring for former Mafia wife Sophie Shields, and a
semi-legal poker tournament at Kristin’s store. But this year, Old Saint Nick
has something more dangerous to deliver.
A stranger dressed in a Santa suit has Kristin’s friends on
his naughty list. First, Sophie’s favorite handbag is blasted by a bullet.
Then, Father Christmas goes after Bootsie’s brother Chip with a golf club and
leaves a threatening note demanding fifty grand and threatening to chop off
Chip’s eyelid.
The annoying Eula Morris is also back in town for the
holidays, more bossy than ever after winning a mega-jackpot in the lottery.
She’s returned from a luxury cruise around the world with a handsome new
boyfriend (who looks oddly familiar) and a Samsonite suitcase filled with gold
bars. When the suitcase is snatched, Eula implores Kristin and the team to
track it down.
Where is Chip? Why is a vengeful Santa targeting the gang?
Who stole Eula’s suitcase? Kristin and her basset hound Waffles are on the
case—before this white Christmas turns even darker….
Amy Adams has some fantastic roles under her belt.We provide here the list of Amy Adams upcoming movies She's played Lois Lane in the recent Superman movies, a real-life Disney Princess in Enchanted, and aviation legend Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum 2. We also loved her in The Fighter — heck, she's even worked with the Muppets! Arguably one of Hollywood's most underrated actresses, with a wealth of experience in many genres of movies, she's still not managed to get herself an Oscar. Well, with her new movies and TV project, I can only hope Adams gets the recognition she deserves.So to help keep you on top of this talented lady‘s anticipated new movie releases, we've made a handy list of the next Amy Adams films and tv shows. Let's check them out! More
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