When Christmas Comes
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After a horrific murder, a sleuthing English teacher will need a Christmas miracle to prove a condemned man innocent.
Colourful Christmas lights dapple the family homes in the idyllic lakeside town of Sweet Haven when Jennifer Dean, a young librarian at the local elementary school, is brutally murdered. There are witnesses and her boyfriend Travis Blake confesses to the crime… but something doesn’t add up. Blake is a third generation Army Ranger, awarded the Silver Star for his heroism in Afghanistan. How could a beloved son of this tight-knit community commit such a grisly deed?
Sweet Haven is made up of military families, so no one wants to investigate a war hero. In steps Cameron Winter, a rugged and lonesome English professor haunted by the ghosts of his own Christmas past, whose former lover asks him to prove Blake innocent. The Sweet Haven murder echoes a horrific Yuletide memory from Winter’s youth, and he knows the case is even darker than it seems. If he can solve this small-town mystery, just maybe he can find peace from his inner demons too.
Reviews for When Christmas Comes
‘When Christmas Comes is wonderful, gripping, a pure delight’ Dean Koontz
‘This terrific holiday-themed novel will leave readers unsettled and hopeful at the same time’ Publishers Weekly
Publisher : Head of Zeus — an Aries Book
Publication date : 13 Oct. 2022
Language : English
Print length : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 180328482X
ISBN-13 : 978-1803284828
Item weight : 190 g
Dimensions : 19.8 x 2 x 12.8 cm
Best Sellers Rank: 57,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) 218 in Address Books 2,127 in Science Fiction Crime & Mystery 6,942 in Mysteries (Books)
Customer reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 144 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find the book to be an excellent read with a well-structured story.
13 reviews for When Christmas Comes
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Original price was: £9.99.£5.16Current price is: £5.16.
CHEYYT –
I finally read it and I’m glad I did.
Brilliant. Loved it, finally sat down to read it on Christmas Eve. Great story. Klavan knows how it’s done and he does it well.
Thorwife –
I liked the book
Nothing earth shattering. Readable mystery, loose elisions to Christmas but not overtly Christmasy really. Not very long. Would recommend for light reading.
Kindle Customer –
Whoa
What an excellent read and perfect for Christmas. I figured out the twist quite early, but that didn’t dampen the experience. I will need to look for more from this author.
Amazon Customer –
a little too contrived.
Thomas Harris this aint. But a perfectly serviceable read. The writer knows his business, and keeps you turning the page with a well structured story which doesn’t exactly roar off the page.
John Musgrave –
A carol and a grace
Adored this book and look forward to the rest of the trilogy
Chip –
Captivating and compelling
I was entirely engrossed by this novel. I normally find it hard to keep attentive when reading but it was pleasingly easy with this story.One is transported behind the eyes of the characters and Klavan’s skill means their emotions and experiences are beamed into the reader’s heart.More please.
Kindle Customer –
Cracking read.
Excellent read.
Jonathan-Paul Hooper –
Winter miracle
I am not really the target audience for this story. I am not really a fan of detective fiction or hardboiled police thrillers, or whatever you call them. I have dabbled in the genre, and read some of the big names of the past (like Conan Doyle, Christie, Chesterton), and have heard that detective stories, in focusing on the restitution of order against chaos, are essentially Christian in their outlook. This is, for certain, a Christian book. Or perhaps, rather, it is a book written by a Christian, with a Christian outlook, though it will doubtless appeal to all stripes and faiths. What is certain is that Klavan is a master writer and this is thoroughly engaging story.The plot involves an English professor called Cameron Winter investigating a seemingly open-and-shut murder case in a pictaresque little town at Christmas time. The gimmick seems to be that his talent for entering into other worlds, and seeing with other eyes, affords him the ability to imaginatively relive crime scenarios and work out their solution. Rather than presenting character perspectives through dialogue via interrogation, Klavan deftly uses imaginative reconstructions of events through the eyes of Winter as he reconstructs reality through the lens of his considerable erudition. It is Winter’s erudition, and also of course Klavan’s, and as a literary technique it works brilliantly in the context. C.S. Lewis, defending the power of fiction to open our minds to other worlds and personalities, once wrote, “My own eyes are not enough for me. I will see through those of others…. in reading great literature, I become a thousand men”.On the surface of things, the Christmas setting may seem to be inconsequential to the story. Sure, it adds atmosphere, and there are numerous depictions of lonely manses and a demon-driven horseman that recall Bronte, Irving, or other romantics under the spell of all that is bleak and wintery. But the story itself is I suppose what one might call a staple of hardboiled detective fiction – complete with brutal murders, divine-demonic women, rough stuff, and thuggish antagonists. The protagonist appears deeply wounded – this is the first time I have encountered him, by the way – but he obviously stands for the virtues and values that have passed from the modern world, and the world itself, despite the little apparent haven of traditional values that is the setting, is definitely a fallen world. Yet this is truly a Christmas story in the sense that it understands the miracle of Christmas – hope in a time of despair, light in the darkness, the miracle bloom of new life in the barrenness of winter.I suppose some elements of the plot sketched here will seem the familiar ones, and I suppose it does hit the beats one expects of detective fiction. Which is to say that it delivers in terms of thrills and suspense. But it is so much more. Klavan is a master at prose, and I found myself underlining many passages of real beauty and insight. A Christian classic, and a celebration of eternal values that is to be treasured.
Joel Wilson –
Great book. Looking forward to reading more works from Andrew Klavan in the future.
Curt –
This story captivated me to the point where I could hardly put it down. It has twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting and the ended blew my mind. A must read!
Adi –
Very interesting crime story with a nice Christmas flavour 🙂
gilbert s mane –
Wonderful mix of head and heart. Intriguing mystery, keeps you guessing till the end. Klavan is a master story teller. Highly recommended
PerthAussie –
Not unpredictable, but still very enjoyable! The characters are interesting, which is ultimately what I think made it so enjoyable. I’m keen to learn more about Cameron Winter and see how his story will unfold.