Addie Greyborne is preparing for the holidays at her bookstore in
seaside New England--but a winter storm is coming, in more ways than one
. . .
Addie's getting into the spirit for the upcoming Charity
Auction--especially since she's got an 1843 copy of Charles Dickens's A
Christmas Carol to donate. Her former colleagues at the Boston Public
Library have confirmed that its worth runs toward the high five figures,
which should help with the new pediatric wing. Her mood darkens, though,
when a visitor from the past appears--Jonathan Hemingway, the father of
her late fiancé. His presence stirs up sad memories for Addie, but also
has her fuming when Jonathan, true to his womanizing ways, runs off for
a lunchtime liaison with Teresa Lang, who's in charge of the auction.
Soon after, Addie heads to Teresa's office at the hospital--and finds
the poor woman's dead body. What she doesn't find is her valuable first
edition. What sort of Scrooge would steal from sick children and commit
murder in the process? As a Nor'easter bears down and a mystery emerges
about Jonathan's past, Addie must find out if she can appraise people's
motives and characters as well as she can appraise rare books . . .