James Bennett, nephew of Sir Henry Merrivale (the cantankerous yet genius sleuth), has been invited to stay at White Priory for Christmas, among the retinue of the glamorous Hollywood actress Marcia Tait. Her producer, her lover, her playwright and her agent are all here along with the haughty master of the estate, Canifes and his daughter. So many suspects they become when Marcia Tait is found dead on Christmas morning in the lakeside pavilion, having been left there alone the night before and with a distinct lack of footprints in the snow to reveal any possible killer. When Henry Merrivale arrives to piece together what appears to be an impossible crime, John Dickson Carr, writing under the pseudonym Carter Dickson, treats the reader to sensational twists, febrile tension between the closed circle of suspects and one of the most perfect solutions in the history of the genre.

As she approaches thirty, dedicated nurse Ellie Sutton's life is exactly as she wants it - well, almost. Her younger sister Carrie seems to have it all sorted: a successful hair business, a devoted new boyfriend and a rosy future together. Even Ellie's brother Bodhi is settled with Ingrid, his petite, super-chill chef girlfriend. So why does Ellie suddenly give up her career and family for the red dust and toil of an outback cattle station? She's never run from anything before - it's new territory in more ways than one. But Ellie can't run forever. And a family camping trip to Western Australia's beautiful Karijini country brings her, Carrie and Ingrid together once again. It won't be a dream holiday for any of them. But, one way or another, it will show them the truth...

Can a little Cornish village panto convince a troubled Hollywood heart throb to act again? Oh no it won't! At least that's what Zach Broussard initially thinks when the eccentric Anna Teague tries to railroad him into helping out with her community pantomime production in the run-up to Christmas. Zach has his reasons for leaving Hollywood behind, and his retreat to the remote village of Polcarne in Cornwall signals the start of a new acting free life for him. But when Zach meets Anna's daughter, Rosey - an ex concert pianist who has swapped Mozart for panto tunes - he starts to wonder whether he could change his mind, and not just about acting. If nothing else, will the residents of Polcarne ensure Zach has a Christmas he never forgets? Oh yes they will!

It seemed a simple enough idea at the outset: to assemble a team of eleven men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe. Except . . . that's not a simple idea at all. And when you throw in incompetent airline officials, cunning Bajan drug dealers, overzealous American anti-terrorist police, idiotic Welshmen dressed as Santa Claus and whole armies of pitch-invading penguins, you quickly arrive at a lot more than you bargained for. Harry Thompson's hilarious book tells the story of one of those great madcap enterprises that only an Englishman could have dreamed up, and only a bunch of Englishmen could possibly have wished to carry out.

It was meant to be a romantic Christmas getaway . . . Except Flora's boyfriend Paul is more interested in whether there's WiFi in their holiday cottage than he is in the pretty village of Padcock where it's located. It seems he's incapable of taking time out from his work for gossip mag darling Maxine Marling - or Maxine Marmoset as Flora not so secretly calls her (well, she does look like a marmoset!) - to spend time with his actual girlfriend. But as Flora discovers the friendly and festive community of Padcock with its eccentric but lovable locals - including dreamy musician Geraint Davies - she begins to question her London life and lots more besides. Especially as a certain marmoset becomes ever more present on her Christmas break for two . . . But luckily Padcock is a village where fresh starts happen - and maybe Flora is in line for her own Christmas of new beginnings.

In a village in Wiltshire, just off a busy road, Larch Tree Lane winds slowly up a low hill. Among the residents is Maggie Hatherall, full of life despite her advancing years, who worries what she is going to do with her two-hundred-year-old home. Lucia Grey has escaped a bad marriage but her ex is reluctant to let her start a new life free of him. And for architect Corin Drayton, an unexpected inheritance is the start of a complicated family wrangle - but it does lead to him stumbling upon Larch Tree Lane hidden away in the countryside. From the cottages and farms to the local shop, pub and old manor house, the residents' lives are set to intertwine and relationships bloom. Both romance and heartache lie ahead...

Following her grandmother's death and mysterious legacy, nomadic artist Piper Thorne embarks on a mission to reclaim a stolen family treasure and right a wrong. But rugged adversary and private investigator Ben Powell is not the only thing standing in her way...

In the Auckland city bars of 1996, the click/whirr of a Polaroid 600 proved you were living your best life... Betty's life is on repeat: waitress till late, drink till dawn, collapse into bed to forget. But partying like there's no tomorrow is no fix for the problems crowding in. Her ex is back and drinking at her favourite haunts, her flat was burgled, and she faces eviction if she can't pay late rent. Then there's the serial rapist dubbed 'the Psychic', who's terrorising women in their homes. When her ex is murdered and left in her bed, Betty and her flatmate Alabama turn to the bar world to find out who did it. Was it the Psychic - or someone closer?

Wendy McCarthy has made her mark on Australia in many extraordinary ways. For more than 50 years, she has been on the leading edge of feminism and corporate and public life in this country and her trailblazing advocacy and leadership have made her a widely respected and revered figure. Wendy is a woman who shaped her times as much as she was shaped by them, and now, at 80 years of age, she shares her remarkable life and achievements, and the lessons she learned - and taught us all. From sheltered country schoolgirl to relentless campaigner for abortion and contraception, from passionate teacher to lifelong advocate for education, to smashing that glass ceiling again and again and showing the way to subsequent generations of women, Wendy has championed change across the public, private and community sectors - in education, family planning, human rights, public health, overseas aid and development, conservation, heritage, media and the Arts. This inspiring and enlightening memoir is filled with cautionary tales and insider stories about being female in Australia - as well as a few helpful survival tips. Above all, it encourages the reader to find her own voice and listen to it.

Nicolas Picard is riding home from Exeter when he's attacked by a snarling wildcat. Yet, when the body is found, there are lacerations on his neck put there by a human hand. He is involved in a land dispute and his wife claims to be the benefactor on his behalf. Picard's mistress emerges to stake her claim then a third woman - wife of the deceased original owner of the land - comes forward. Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret have three human wildcats trying to tear out each other's throats. They wonder if one of the women committed the murder to get her hands on the land, but the root of the mystery lies far deeper than mere avarice.

The droll Scots detective, Bob Burns, is once more aided by forensic scientist and ladyfriend, Dr Julie Bryson, and abetted by overly-keen Andy Green. Working undercover on a cruise liner bound for the Canary Islands, Bob and his two sidekicks have plenty to cope with. The discovery of a severed finger in a passenger's quiche lorraine sparks an investigation full of greed, guile, deceit and double-dealing. Does the finger belong to an alleged man-overboard victim? Was the man-overboard victim pushed, or did he commit suicide? Is it all just a cleverly engineered insurance scam?

When the sleepy Scottish village of Cuddyford is colonised by well-heeled retirees and big-city commuters, Jigger McCloud, a Jack-the-lad local with an eye for the ladies, isn't slow to make a quick buck at their expense. Life seems rosy for Jigger and his odd-but-loveable family, until he tries to scam a mysterious foreign millionaire, who arrives on the scene with plans to develop the area in unappealing ways. The folk of Cuddyford, native and otherwise, promptly close ranks. Comic shenanigans, quirky characters and sinister ploys abound, but it's Bert, Jigger's scruffy little hamburger-craving dog, who turns out to be the hero of the hour as the McClouds and their beloved Cuddyford teeter on the brink of disaster.

Doogie O'Mara, a young Scottish veterinary student, applies for a gap-year job as a tour rep in Africa, where he also hopes to find time to study the wildlife. Instead, he finds himself on Mallorca, thrust in at the deep end of the madcap package tour business. Gannets are the only form of wildlife encountered. But these aren't the sort of birds he can treat. These are laden with fun-seeking holidaymakers! Problems are bound to arise, and they do, as does the bewitching influence of Mallorca and a beautiful young Mallorquina called Catalina. When the time finally comes for Doogie to leave the island, he has to decide if there's more to life than a secure career as a vet back in Scotland.

Bob Burns is an old-fashioned kind of Scottish sleuth, more interested in catching villains than creeping to get promotion. But, when his enquiries into a brutal and bizarre murder are blocked by his bosses, he wonders if he should risk losing his career by carrying on his investigations? Encouraged by an attractive, though maverick, forensic scientist and assisted by a keener-than-bright young constable, Bob does it his way. The trail leads the trio from Scotland to Mallorca, where intrigue and mayhem mingle with the crowds at a fishermen's fiesta.

Julie Bryson and rookie detective, Andy Green, once again aid Scottish detective Bob Burns. When Andy becomes the unwitting recipient of a drop of £100,000 in used notes, the trio become enmeshed in a web of murder, intrigue and Caledonian skulduggery, as the action shifts to Sicily, New York and a remote Hebridean island. The arrival of a Sicilian blacksmith as the island's new laird leads to some hilarious misunderstandings as the line between the good and bad guys becomes increasingly blurred. After many a Highland shenanigan, the mystery is finally solved . . . or is it?

After three years of hard work, the Kerr family are selling their orange farm and saying goodbye to Mallorca. Their adventure comes to an end with a paella feast with friends, full of bonhomie yet tinged with sadness. But returning to Scotland proves to be just as big an adventure, with quite a cultural shock in store. Welcomed back by family, the Kerrs make plans to start a deer farm on a remote hillside - the beginning of a period of challenges and change, of buying and restoring houses in the lovely Scottish countryside. Viewing Scotland with fresh eyes, there's never a dull moment in the Kerr household.

Darkness has fallen over Edinburgh, and the streets are no longer safe... Edinburgh 1896. At Alardyce House, the family are gathered to celebrate the engagement of the heir to the estate, Robert, to his childhood sweetheart. But what should be a precious memory for his mother Amy, is marred by darkness. For Robert's biological father was a demon and a criminal, and now Robert is coming-of-age, disturbing reports are beginning to emerge about his behaviour. Amy is torn between her love and loyalty to her son, her hope that she can save his soul, and her growing sense of dread that the streets of Edinburgh aren't safe when Robert is in town. Meanwhile the increasing distance between Robert and his stepfather Henry threatens the peace of her loving marriage. The Alardyce family is riven by secrets and scandal, but will this most cursed heir of all, be the one to ruin their reputation forever, or can the power of a mother's love save them all?

Anna and Will have been passing in and out of each other's lives since they were just kids. Now 20 years later, Anna is married - she has a lovely house, a step daughter in university and a husband with a good job. What she doesn't have is joy. When she runs into Will it sparks something in her, a longing for the Anna she used to be. Together they embark on a journey to find what brings them joy, to discard what doesn't and to become the people they always wanted to be. But in finding themselves, can they also find each other?

Soundings and Choc Lit present the audio edition of Mistletoe and Mayhem at the Little Shopping Mall. There's a saying about all work and no play - but there's never a dull moment for Caroline working at Holly Walk Mall, especially at Christmas. When she's not dealing with orders from Ian, 'the manager who can't manage' as her friend Rachel puts it, she's overseeing the usual late-night shopping sessions, Santa's grotto construction and, most importantly, the sampling of many delicious festive treats at the Italian café her friends Nina and Marco own. But when a new jewellery shop moves in and brings 'mysterious guy with the cute bottom' to Holly Walk, Caro isn't yet aware just how much mayhem she's in for in the countdown to Christmas. With strategically placed mistletoe, revealing cowboy outfits and even a bit of sleuthing, could this festive season turn out to be the liveliest yet for both Caro and her beloved Mall?

Unable to move on from the tragic accident that killed her parents ten years ago, she's living each day as it comes. After all, what's the point of plans and dreams if one random event can rip them all from you? She's quite comfortable with her dead-end job and her lacklustre love life, thank you. When she and her sister inherit a run-down café from a distant relative, her first instinct is to sell it. She doesn't know anything about running a business, so the idea of taking it on and trying to turn it around is way too much of a risk. However, chef Matt has other ideas, and it's not long before his infectious passion for the place starts to rub off on her. Will she be able to save the café, or will the café end up saving her?