24 advent calendar doors. 23 clues. And 1 killer to catch before Christmas . . . a deviously clever, classic murder mystery for the festive season

24 advent calendar doors. 23 clues. And 1 killer to catch before Christmas . . . a deviously clever, classic murder mystery for the festive season

For fans of Janie Hallett and Peter Swanson's The Christmas Guest

'Fun and diverting, with a plethora of red herrings' New York Times

*My name is Ernest Cunningham.

I'm not a detective. I just happen to have a knack for what makes mysteries - and murderers - tick. I'd hoped, this Christmas, that any killers out there might be willing to take a break for the holidays.

I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the Christmas show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze**,** whose benefactor has just been murdered. From the magician's assistant to the hypnotist, my suspects are all professional tricksters. Masters in the art of misdirection.*

• My clues are even more of a mystery:

A suspect covered in blood, with no memory of how it got there.

A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens.

And an advent calendar. Because, you know. It's Christmas.

Solving the murder is the only gift I want this year.

But can I catch a killer, and make it home for Christmas alive?*