The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews

The Nightingale Before Christmas by Donna Andrews

Murder never takes a holiday!

'Tis the season for tree trimming, mistletoe-dangling, and a cut-throat competition that has everyone in Caerphilly on edge. Whatever happened to the simple joys and magical spirits of Christmas? Meg Langslow's own mother is among those participating in a holiday-themed design extravaganza in which each room in an untenanted show house is decorated for the public to view. All the proceeds go to charity-so why are all the contestants fighting tooth and nail to win first prize?

"Intrigue...amusement...Andrews reliably delivers. She also manages to slip in profundities and sentiments that warm the heart."-New York Journal of Books

That is the question Meg is trying to answer after Clay Spottiswood, the most haughty and hostile of the designers, turns up dead. With tempers flaring and fears on the rise, can Meg sort through the tinsel-strewn mayhem and solve a murder...before the killer strikes again?

"Andrews does a spectacular job tying up all the loose ends into a big holiday bow!"-The Criminal Element

The Meg Langslow mysteries, including Stork Raving Crazy and Swan for the Money, are written by Donna Andrews. She has won the Agatha, Anthony, and Barry awards, as well as a Romantic Times award for best debut novel, two Lefty Bromberg Awards, and two Toby Bromberg Awards for funniest mystery. Andrews is a self-described nerd who can rarely be spotted away from her computer unless she's tinkering in the yard. She currently resides in Reston, VA. Bernadette has been honored to narrate the work of Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, Shirley Jackson, and Anne Rice, to mention a few. She has won more than a dozen Audiofile Earphones Awards and is a three-time Audie candidate.

In the nonfiction section, she has Ayn Rand's philosophy as well as Barbara Walters' and Katharine Hepburn's memoirs. Memoirs of a Geisha, The Devil Wears Prada, and the Betty Smith classic A Tree Grows in Brooklyn are all popular choices. Bernadette is a New York-based actress who studied at the Royal National Theater in London.