Collected in this book are four murder mystery short stories by P.D. James, all centered around Christmas and two of which feature the young poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh. In the title story, a bestselling crime novelist describes the crime she herself was involved in fifty years earlier. In "A Very Commonplace Murder," a "pedantic, respectable, censorious" clerk's secret taste for pornography is only the first reason he finds for not coming forward...

During the annual initiation of members into the exclusive Legacy Club, the surprise nomination of Tori Tasso, a scholarship student, jeopardizes the club's clandestine truths and leads to a perilous Legacy Ball where one attendee does not make it out alive.

Two years ago Jack Morgan---the head of the renowned worldwide investigation firm Private--was in charge of security for the World Cup in Bazil. During the championship final, the action nearly spilled from the field into the stands. Fortunately, Jack and his team averted disaster on football's biggest stage. Now he has returned to Rio to secure the Olympics. But before the torch is lit, the threats come fast and furious as Jack discovers that someone...

"Even the best-laid plants can go awry... After solving a murder and getting her organic farm ready to overwinter, Shiloh Bellamy still expects the next few months to be busy with repairs, spring planning, and networking with local businesses. She might even be able to broker a new partnership with Fields Brewery and its organic brewer's association. Well, she could if the owner wasn't found murdered at the county Ice Fishing Derby. Once again, Shiloh...

"On the evening of their engagement party, Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch and Stacey Stevens witness what seems to be a hit-and-run speedboat crash on a darkened lake. When they arrive at the scene, their spotlight reveals a gruesome sight: a severed arm floating just beneath the surface. As day breaks, the warden dive team recovers not one but two naked corpses: a dismembered man and the married woman with whom he was having an affair....

"Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend - the older brother - his perfect girlfriend - a secret crush - a classmate - and a killer. When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident. They have been trapped by someone out there in the dark, someone who clearly wants one of them dead. With eight hours until dawn, the six friends must escape, or figure...

"Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis investigate the murder of a Hollywood actress pushed to the limits of sanity" --

Shots ring out in the early morning hours in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. When the smoke clears, a prominent police official lies dead, leaving the city's police force scrambling for answers. Under pressure from the mayor, Alex Cross steps into the leadership vacuum to investigate the case. But before Cross can make any headway, a brutal crime wave sweeps across the region. The deadly scenes share only one common thread -- the victims are all criminals....

"Amos Decker witnesses a murder just outside FBI headquarters. A man shoots a woman execution-style on a crowded sidewalk, then turns the gun on himself. Even with Decker's extraordinary powers of observation and deduction, the killing is baffling. Decker and his team can find absolutely no connection between the shooter--a family man with a successful consulting business--and his victim, a schoolteacher. Nor is there a hint of any possible motive...

Poppy doesn't know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they're ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment's notice. When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents' airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world...