As Charlotte Pitt's grandmother Mariah Ellison finds herself investigating a long-unsolved slaying, it becomes clear that grappling with intrigue and foul play runs in the family. A festive Christmas package left on Mariah's doorstep contains an ominous present, sparking memories of a twenty-year-old murder that shattered her friendship with the victim's widow. Though the gift is a bitter reminder of that tragic time, in the spirit of the season Mariah...

The year is 1904. Twenty-three-year-old Jemima Pitt, the daughter of Thomas Pitt, head of Britains Special Branch, is crossing the Atlantic. She is traveling with an acquaintance, Delphinia Cardew, who is to marry the aristocratic Brent Albright in a high-society New York wedding-a grand affair that will join together two fabulously wealthy families, titans of the international financial world. Missing from the festivities is Delphinias mother, Maria,...

"As beautiful as it may be, their friends' country home is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway. She'd rather pass a relaxing holiday at home with him--especially because Victor, former head of the London Special Branch, seems to be hiding some undercover dealings with the other guests who have gathered in the spacious home. As tensions grow among the couples, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt...

Spending his Christmas holidays on the remote island of Anglesey, off the north coast of Wales, Superintendent Runcorn is called in to investigate when the sister of the local vicar is found murdered and draped over a gravestone in her brother's churchyard.

"Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, accepts her longtime friend Winnie's gracious invitation to spend Christmas with her and her husband, Barton, in their picturesque village. But upon arrival, Mariah discovers that Winnie has vanished without a trace, and Barton rudely rescinds the invitation. Once Mariah finds another acquaintance to stay with during the holiday season, she begins investigating Winnie's disappearance. Mariah's uncanny...

"Detective John Hooper, William Monk's right-hand man at the Thames River Police, has fallen in love with Celia, the cousin of the victim in their most recent murder case. Now Celia has discovered that the man her good friend plans to marry this Christmas is far from what he seems. His first marriage ended with his wife walking into the sea -- not of her own accord -- and Celia hopes Hooper can help show her friend the truth. But Celia herself has...

Thirteen-year-old Gracie Phipps encounters eight-year-old Minnie Maude Mudway, who is out alone and trying to find her murdered Uncle Alf's donkey, Charlie. Uncertain where he may be, the children are drawn into an adult world far beyond their imaginings.

Traveling up the Yorkshire coast with her husband and his acting troupe, Caroline, the mother of Charlotte Pitt, anticipates their arrival at the famed fishing village landing sight of Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's tale and develops an awareness about inviting and disallowing evil.

With Christmas just around the corner, Thomas Pitt's sister-in-law, Emily Radley, is suddenly called from London to be with her dying aunt. Leaving her husband and two children behind, Emily makes the long journey to an all-but-forgotten town in the county of Connemara, on the western coast of Ireland. She soon discovers that a tragic legacy haunts the once close-knit community.

Shunned Anna Mae doesn't receive the welcome she expects when she pays a visit for Christmas and her world begins to fall apart, leaving her to question her place in her family -- and her faith in Amish tradition.