A collection of Christmas stores by a small-town, Southern, country veternarian

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Three decades ago in a cordoned-off corner of the developing world an angry Catholic priest armed only with pencil, paper, and crayons, declared a revolution. From a shanty school shared with Buddhists and Muslims in Bangkok's squatter slums, Father Joe Maier began his advance on abject poverty. Today, his Human Development Foundation and Mercy Centre charity is responsible for thirty-two preschools that have taught more than twenty thousand children how to read and write. Despite the crippling neglect found in impoverishment, he is raising international scholars and injecting a sense of purpose into shantytowns and squatter camps that used to have neither.

A young widowed veterinarian is unexpectedly called to the North Pole the day before Christmas. He has just hours to figure out why Rudolph's nose no longer glows red. Sadly, if he cannot cure Rudolph in time to guide Santa's sleigh, there will be no more Christmas. First there was A Christmas Carol, The Night Before Christmas, and Miracle on 34th Street. Now there?s a new classic Christmas story for your child's generation:A Very Shiny Nose. Written by famed novelist R.W. Stone, author of the western epic, Trail Hand, this delightful story of A Very Shiny Nose will be one of your family's favorite Christmas stories from now on. Find out how Christmas was saved in this new holiday tale from the heart and mind of one of America's favorite authors. This exciting and heart-warming Christmas story will keep your family in the holiday spirit all season long. “I hope that you will share this very special book with family and friends for many years to come.” Sincerely, R.W. Stone

The Edgar Award-winning editor collects sixty of his all-time favorite holiday crime stories—from Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Hardy, to Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain. • “Anyone who cares about the best mystery writing of the past century and beyond would be lucky to receive this thick volume during the holidays." —The Washington Post This collection touches on all aspects of the holiday season, and all types of mysteries. They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant. Included are puzzles by Mary Higgins Clark, Isaac Asimov, and Ngaio Marsh; uncanny tales in the tradition of A Christmas Carol by Peter Lovesey and Max Allan Collins; O. Henry-like stories by Stanley Ellin and Joseph Shearing, stories by pulp icons John D. MacDonald and Damon Runyon; comic gems from Donald E. Westlake and John Mortimer; and many, many more. Almost any kind of mystery you’re in the mood for--suspense, pure detection, humor, cozy, private eye, or police procedural—can be found in these pages. FEATURING: - Unscrupulous Santas - Crimes of Christmases Past and Present - Festive felonies - Deadly puddings - Misdemeanors under the mistletoe - Christmas cases for classic characters including Sherlock Holmes, Brother Cadfael, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse, Inspector Ghote, A.J. Raffles, and Nero Wolfe.

A doctor. A nurse. A matchmaker. Charity McCall couldn’t have survived the holidays without her petite Goldendoodle. She named him Dr. Avery because he healed her broken heart after a bad breakup. She plans to spend the holidays on the road away from St. Louis with her pooch in tow. Sawyer Kahill needs a fresh start, so he relocates to Raleigh, working in the IT field. He’s enjoying life until his aunt has a health scare back in St. Louis. He plans to bring her back with him after he suspects someone is trying to take an advantage of her. Every time he’s on the phone with Aunt Edith, she raves about Dr. Avery and his nurse making house calls. The joke is on him. Sawyer has no idea the regular visits are from a dog named Dr. Avery and Charity who is an RN by profession. His aunt refuses to budge from St. Louis. After a chance meeting with Charity in the hospital, he learns she now moving to Raleigh. Will their paths ever cross again? Not unless they both come home for the holidays. Leave that up to the Lord and Aunt Edith.