‘Twas the Night Before Christmas… and Santa’s Dead. When a jolly old man in a red suit turns up mysteriously flattened in the middle of a San Francisco shopping mall, Homicide Inspector Rebecca Mayfield ends up spending her Christmas Eve at a crime scene instead of a holiday party. But things get even weirder when a stranger shows up claiming a van full of rogue Santas is wreaking havoc across the city—and he needs her help to stop them. Enter Richie Amalfi: charming, infuriating, and possibly up to no good. He’s everything Rebecca isn’t—and everything she should avoid. But as leads grow colder than a snowman in July, Richie may be the only one who can help her crack the case… and melt a little of her holiday cynicism. Join Rebecca and Richie in a merry misadventure full of mystery, mayhem, and a sleigh-load of laughs. It’s a Christmas she’ll never forget—and one she might just survive with her heart (and badge) intact. Meet Inspector Rebecca Mayfield and Richie Amalfi in this festive, fast-paced novella—then follow their escapades in the full-length mystery, One O'Clock Hustle . Joanne Pence is an award-winning and USA Today best-selling author of the mysteries as well as historical fiction, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, a fantasy, and a thriller. The stories present a variety of times, places, and reading experiences from mysterious to thrilling, emotional to lightly humorous, as well as powerful tales of times long past. The Angie Amalfi mysteries have been USA Today and Independent Mystery Bookstore Association bestsellers, and the series has won the Independent Booksellers' Golden Scroll Award. SOMETHING'S COOKING, the first book in the series, was nominated for the Romance Writers of America's RITA award in romantic suspense. TOO MANY COOKS, the second book, received a Gold Certificate from RomCon and Reviewers' Choice Award from Romantic Times. COOKS OVERBOARD was a Mystery Guild featured alternate; TO CATCH A COOK was nominated for a Reviewers' Choice "Best Amateur Sleuth" award, Golden Quill Award, and Daphne Du Maurier Award; BELL, COOK, AND CANDLE and TWO COOKS A-KILLING were also nominated for "Best Amateur Sleuth" awards; and the recent books have all been Romantic Times "Top Picks." Joanne is a two-time nominee for the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in Mystery. DANCE WITH A GUNFIGHTER was a finalist for the Willa Cather Literary Award for historical fiction, and ANCIENT ECHOES won the Top Idaho Fiction Book Award for 2013. Many of the novels have been on Amazon Kindle Top-100 best-seller lists.