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In this post, we’ll check out 10 books to put on your Santa Claus Book List! Jolly old Saint Nick, has never been happier!
Now we know that it might not be Christmas yet, but Santa needs books and you need to show Santa that you’re a like-minded and well-mannered reader.
So we’ve taken the liberty of choosing 10 books for your Santa Claus Book List. Eagle-eyed readers will spot that the first letter of each title spells out ‘Santa Claus’ – which is sure to get you into his good books!
Whether you’re a fan of mystery thrillers, historical whodunnits or cosy crime fiction – there’s a little magical treasure to put in your Christmas stocking.
We encourage you to always source books from your local independent bookshop. However, we understand this is sometimes not practical based on location or budget.
Therefore, this post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means, if you click on the link and purchase the book from that link, I may get a few dollars at no extra cost to you! This way we can both restock our Santa Claus Book Lists! 😀
Happy Reading, Friends!
Series or Standalone? :
This is Book One in the ‘Kate Burkholder‘ series
"Sworn to Silence" Book Blurb:
In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realisation that she no longer belonged with the Amish. Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as chief of police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past–until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past–and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"All Her Little Secrets" Book Blurb:
Ellice Littlejohn seemingly has it all: an Ivy League law degree, a well-paying job as a corporate attorney in midtown Atlanta, great friends, and a “for fun” relationship with a rich, charming executive, who just happens to be her white boss. But everything changes one cold January morning when Ellice arrives in the executive suite and finds him dead with a gunshot to his head. And then she walks away like nothing has happened. Why? Ellice has been keeping a cache of dark secrets, including a small-town past and a kid brother who’s spent time on the other side of the law. She can’t be thrust into the spotlight–again. But instead of grieving this tragedy, people are gossiping, the police are getting suspicious, and Ellice, the company’s lone black attorney, is promoted to replace her boss. While the opportunity is a dream-come-true, Ellice just can’t shake the feeling that something is off. When she uncovers shady dealings inside the company, Ellice is trapped in an impossible ethical and moral dilemma. Suddenly, Ellice’s past and present lives collide as she launches into a pulse-pounding race to protect the brother she tried to save years ago and stop a conspiracy far more sinister than she could have ever imagined.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is Book One in the ‘Eddie Miles’ series.
"Nobody's Angel" Book Blurb:
Two killers stalk the streets of Chicago – can one taxi driver corner them both? Eddie Miles is one of a dying breed: a Windy City hack who knows every street and back alley of his beloved city and takes its recent descent into violence personally. But what can one driver do about a killer targeting streetwalkers or another terrorising cabbies? Precious little—until the night he witnesses one of them in action.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"The Turnglass" Book Blurb:
1880s England. On the bleak island of Ray, off the Essex coast, an idealistic young doctor, Simeon Lee, is called from London to treat his cousin, Parson Oliver Hawes, who is dying. Parson Hawes, who lives in the only house on the island – Turnglass House – believes he is being poisoned. And he points the finger at his sister-in-law, Florence. Florence was declared insane after killing Oliver’s brother in a jealous rage and is now kept in a glass-walled apartment in Oliver’s library. And the secret to how she came to be there is found in Oliver’s tête-bêche journal, where one side tells a very different story from the other. 1930s California. Celebrated author Oliver Tooke, the son of the state governor, is found dead in his writing hut off the coast of the family residence, Turnglass House. His friend Ken Kourian doesn’t believe that Oliver would take his own life. His investigations lead him to the mysterious kidnapping of Oliver’s brother when they were children, and the subsequent secret incarceration of his mother, Florence, in an asylum. But to discover the truth, Ken must decipher clues hidden in Oliver’s final book, a tête-bêche novel – which is about a young doctor called Simeon Lee.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"Anxious People" Book Blurb:
In a small town in Sweden it appears to be an ordinary day. But look more closely, and you’ll see a masked figure approaching a bank. Two hours later, chaos has descended. An attempted robbery has developed into a hostage situation – with the offender refusing to voice their demands. Fear turns to irritation for the seven strangers trapped inside. If this is to be their last day on earth, shouldn’t it be more dramatic? But as the minutes tick by, they begin to suspect that the criminal holding them hostage might be more in need of rescuing than they are.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is Book One in the ‘Joe Grey‘ mysteries.
"Cat on the Edge" Book Blurb:
It’s been quite a week for Joe Grey. First the large, powerful feline discovers that, through some strange, inexplicable phenomenon, he now has the ability to understand human language. Then he discovers he can speak it as well! It’s a nightmare for a cat who’d prefer to sleep the day away carefree, but Joe can handle it. That is, until he has the misfortune to witness a murder in the alley behind Jolly’s Deli — and worse, to be seen witnessing it. With all of his nine lives suddenly at risk, Joe’s got no choice but to get to the bottom of the heinous crime — because his mouse-hunting days are over for good unless he can help bring a killer to justice.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"Local Woman Missing" Book Blurb:
Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold. Now, eleven years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"Ariadne" Book Blurb:
As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur – Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother – demands blood every year. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods – drawing their attention can cost you everything. In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?
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Series or Standalone? :
This is a standalone novel.
"Upgrade" Book Blurb:
At first, Logan Ramsay isn’t sure if anything’s different. He just feels a little sharper. Better able to concentrate. Better at multitasking. Reading a bit faster, memorising better, needing less sleep. But before long, he can’t deny it: something’s happening to his brain. To his body. He’s starting to see the world, and those around him, even those he loves most, in whole new ways. The truth is, Logan’s genome has been hacked. And there’s a reason he’s been targeted for this upgrade. A reason that goes back decades to the darkest part of his past, and a horrific family legacy. Worse still, what’s happening to him is just the first step in a much larger plan, one to inflict the same changes on humanity at large, and at a terrifying cost. Because of what Logan’s becoming, he’s the one person in the world capable of stopping what’s been set in motion. But to have a chance at winning this war, he’ll have to become something other than himself. And even as he’s fighting, he can’t help wondering: what if humanity’s only hope for a future really does lie in engineering our own evolution.
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Series or Standalone? :
This is Book One in the ‘Shady Hollow‘ mystery series.
"Shady Hollow" Book Blurb:
In the woodland community of Shady Hollow, you’ll discover a secret. Moose and mice, owls and bears live side by side in civilised harmony. Shady Hollow has a coffee shop and a bookshop, a haberdasher and a bank. All is well . . . until the town’s querulous toad shows up dead. It’s something this village haven’t seen before: a murder. Vera Vixen is new in town. She has a nose for news and catches the scent of a story, one that leads her to dark places. As she stirs up the still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and the folks in Shady Hollow learn that some of their neighbours are lying, while others are downright dangerous. It will take all of Vera’s cunning and quickness to come out alive.
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If you liked the reading challenge ‘Santa Claus Book List’, check out some more Bookish Bites!:
