Ned’s Homecoming

Ned wanted nothing more than to spend Christmas with her uncle, Javin Granger, her last living relative. It had been forty years since she and her family left her hometown of Ednalee, Oklahoma; now, she was back, hiding from an experience in Atlanta and needing the peace and quiet of the old Victorian house her mother called “the home place.” Ned stopped the car and sat for a moment, looking at the scene before her. It was beautiful and serene, the house half-hidden by pines and thickly falling snow. However, something was not right. Where were the lights in the windows? Why wasn’t smoke coming from the chimney? Where was the warm welcome from Uncle Javin? With apprehension like a rock in her stomach, she opened her car’s door and hurried toward the porch. No one answered Ned’s knock on the door. A finger of fear traced its way down her spine. She felt as if someone or something were watching but there was no one; just the silent snow. Slowly, she pushed open the heavy front door and stepped into the dark, cold house. Where was her uncle? The house felt empty, unwelcoming. Snowlight coming through the windows showed a dark fireplace, dark shapes of chairs and sofa, a shadowy room. “Uncle Javin!” she called. “I’m home.” Her voice echoed eerily.  

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Moonlight Can Be Murder by Blanche Day Manos In a cozy mystery, problems are solved; friends gather around, hope is front and center, and the negative stuff? Well, a plucky protagonist handles it all.

By the Fright of the Silvery Moon tells what comes after Moonlight Can Be Murder.  Moonstruck and Murderous is the third book, followed by Murder By Moonlight. All four books are fun to read any time of the year, and particularly near Christmas. Together, they would make a delightful gift.