Subtitle from cover

"The oldest mystery bookstore in the world, The Mysterious Bookshop, has for most of its forty-five-year history commissioned an original short story as a holiday gift for its customers, written exclusively for the store and never published elsewhere--before now. The prompt for the story requires three elements: that it be set at Christmastime, that it involve a crime of some kind, or the suspicion of one, and that it be set at least partially in the bookstore. And from these loose structural guidelines, diverse tales took flight. The dozen tales included in this volume-- by celebrated crime fiction authors such as Laura Lippman, Lyndsay Faye, Ragnar Jonasson, and Jeffery Deaver-- are among the finest to be produced in this annual tradition, sure to charm any reader looking for a holdiay-themed escape. --

Black christmas / Jason Starr -- Midnight clear / Lyndsay Faye -- Wolfe trap / Loren D. Estleman -- Secret santa / Ace Atkins -- Gift of the wiseguy / Rob Hart -- Snowflake time / Laura Lippman -- Christmas party / Jeffery Deaver -- Here we come a-wassailing / Thomas Perry -- Christmas puzzle / Ragnar Jonasson -- Hester's gift / Tom Mead -- Sergeant santa / David Gordon -- End game / Martin Edwards