Holiday Secrets in Sleigh Bell Tower

Kellan would like time for his family, but a hotel magnate's murder disrupts the season in James J. Cudney's Sleigh Bell Tower. Bell Towers' proposed boutique hotel and Braxton's expanding university create a local dispute that reaches the campus holiday party with fatal consequences.

A development plan divides the community

The proposed site has already set citizens against one another. Family connections involving the Ingrams and Lynches complicate the picture, and Sheriff Montague must sort motives while long-absent relatives try to keep secrets hidden.

Kellan cannot comfortably place all the suspects at a distance. The case makes him question friends and colleagues, bringing the investigation into relationships he already has. Readers who enjoy community mysteries have a concrete network of personal and professional interests to consider.

Celebrations continue around the case

April and Kellan are celebrating their first Christmas and Hanukkah together. Their gift exchange draws on the Twelve Days of Christmas, and family festivities include the children and Nana D's sharp humor.

Those plans give the murder an immediate cost: investigative demands compete with a holiday Kellan wants to share at home. Further family news and a promised journey to Scotland crowd the season as well. The result is a specific holiday-mystery dilemma about finding time for loved ones when the suspected killer may already belong to the familiar circle.