Kris Calvin Knihy

A unique collaboration features six authors each presenting a distinct voice and genre, all centered around a winter theme. The collection intertwines stories that explore the whimsical and sometimes dark aspects of a holiday classic, as the narrative unfolds around the intriguing premise of a kidnapped Santa. This anthology promises a diverse range of tales that blend humor, suspense, and festive spirit, offering readers a fresh take on the holiday season.

Emma Lawson must race against the clock to rescue a kidnapped child and stop a killer whose master plan only begins with murder. The body shot and killed in the early morning hours by the Sacramento River would have been an easy case for Detective Alibi Morning Sun to solve if only his prime suspect weren't already in jail. Across town, California's youngest lead government ethics investigator Emma Lawson is enjoying a day off to help her best friend, Kate, open a new business when amidst a hail of gunfire, Kate’s teen son, Luke, goes missing. Over a harrowing forty-eight hours, as Alibi gathers new evidence to determine the identity of the riverside killer and Emma desperately searches for 15-year old Luke, the two investigations collide. At the heart of both is a kidnapped three-year old girl and a diabolical plot with stakes Emma could never have imagined. Will Emma and Alibi be in time to bring the girl and teen to safety and to stop a calculating killer whose plan threatens all that Emma holds dear?

In this Sacramento-set thriller perfect for fans of Meg Gardiner, Emma Lawson uncovers greed and deception for a living, but this time is different. If only she knew this killer can hear her. He can see her. One year into her prized role as the youngest ethics investigator in California's history, Emma suspects corruption in the state's billion dollar expansion to train travel. That unwittingly puts her on a killer's trail - a killer who will do anything to reach his illicit million dollar payday, including personally eliminating Emma Lawson as a threat. Detective Alibi Morning Sun sees connections where no one else does. For him, a drowning at a lake, a fire in a storage facility and a murder by the river carry a thread soaked in blood. As Emma follows the money and Alibi traces bullets and bodies, the killer counts down to his grand finale. With each mounting danger, it quickly becomes apparent that the corruption Emma has been digging for is real— and it’s deadly. Three days. Two days. Now only one…