A Dickens of a Murder — Joyce Lavene; Jim Lavene

Christmas at Canterville! Lisa Wellman and Simon Canterville are surprised to find a dead man on their roof in the midst of rushing to open the Canterville Book Shop in time for the holidays. And not just any dead man â€" Ebenezer Hart â€" the man who opposed the book shop opening in Olde Town, Portsmouth, Virginia. What might be more surprising is when Daniel Fairhaven â€" Lisa's ex â€" turns up at the door of the three-story Victorian house to head the police investigation. She hasn't seen him in years but the sparks start to fly as soon as they are in the same room together. Simon and Lisa are obviously the best suspects for the murder. Each of them had something to gain by Hart's death. Then an attempt on Simon's life throws that theory into a tailspin. But the biggest surprise yet comes when the ghost of Charles Dickens turns up to help Lisa with the murder investigation â€" and writing the mystery novel she has been working on for years. Without a doubt, Daniel and Dickens in Lisa's life means trouble. And there's still the matter of trying to get the book shop open with a killer on their heels.