A Christmas Murder Mystery - Andrea Kress

Jul 30, 2026

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A Christmas Murder Mystery opens with the Burnside family gathered in Beacon Hill, where tensions under polite conversation surface through invitations, social duties, and private investigation connections. Amanda navigates new responsibilities tied to the Ladies’ Guild ball while Louisa arrives late with news that hints at discord. As the family plans for upcoming meetings and guest expansion, a previously overheard, uneasy phone call adds a note of trepidation that foreshadows conflict and a looming mystery.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages192

Reading Time4 h 56 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Chapter 1 The Burnsides sat in the well-appointed sitting room of their gracious house in Beacon Hill enjoying a glass of sherry with their elder daughter, Amanda, and her husband, Brendan Halloran, before their customary Wednesday evening family dinner. “Where is Louisa?” Margaret Burnside asked, even knowing that her younger daughter was habitually late. “Beauty takes time, as she has often said to me,” Amanda commented. “Perhaps,” Brendan said, patting his wife’s hand.“But you manage it effortlessly and in a timely manner.” “That man is a keeper,” Mr. Burnside said with a chuckle. “It seems I must,” Amanda said with a smile. There was a clatter at the front door as Louisa and her husband, Rob Worley, came through into the vestibule and then into the sitting room, removing their coats along the way. Anna, the new maid, entered from the dining room, was startled at the hasty entrance of the younger daughter and her husband, and offered to take their coats. She started work after the sisters were married and had left home and was still getting used to their frequent unannounced comings and goings. “Sorry, sorry, the trafﬁc was horrible,” Louisa said, handing over her coat and then giving her mother and father a kiss on the cheek. The expression on Rob’s face suggested that her explanation might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but he soon masked it with asmile and a warm handshake with his in-laws. Mr. Burnside got up, went to the drinks cabinet and poured out two glasses of sherry for the couple before resuming his seat. “Thank you, Daddy,” Louisa said, plopping down on a loveseat facing her sister and Brendan. “Hello, you two. What’s new?” But before they could answer, Louisa turned to her mother to ask her,“What are you wearing to the Ladies’ Guild ball?” Despite being familiar with her sister’s frequent shifts of thought and attention by now, Amanda was annoyed that her sister hadn’t waited for an answer to the ﬁrst inquiry. There was always something new to share in her profession as a private investigator, even if the details were conﬁdential so that she never identiﬁed anyone by name. “That remains to be seen,” her mother said.“The invitations went out early this week, so you must have received yours by now. I hope you are keeping up with your correspondence, Louisa. A hostess in this case—either Sylvia Stratford or me — expects a timely response.” She glanced at Amanda, who reached into her handbag, withdrew the response card, and handed it to her mother. “There you go. Trying to show me up again,” Louisa said. “What do you mean? I brought it instead of mailing it to save the cost of postage.” “To save yourself three cents?” Louisa asked. “I’m glad someone in this family shows signs of economy,” her father said. Mrs. Burnside continued,“December is going to be very busy with all the parties, concerts, performances and open houses.” Brendan’s dark eyebrows had raised at the mention of a ball, notrecollecting which event it was in the family’s social season, and he looked over at his wife for conﬁrmation. “It’s the one for children’s relief that Mother’s longtime friend, Sylvia, hosts each year,” Amanda stated for his beneﬁt. “Of course,” he said. “It slipped my mind. One aspect of mingling with Amanda’s family and their social circle was the use he was getting out of the tux he had bought that he had initially considered an extravagance. “We were off on our ski trip last year and had to skip it,” Amanda clariﬁed. Mrs. Burnside continued,“This year, the Guild will be expanding its membership. After all, we women of a certain age can’t continue

FAQs

Why does Amanda feel uneasy despite the family’s normal routine?

Amanda recalls overhearing a concerned phone conversation from her mother that carried trepidation, hinting that something troubling is going on.

Jul 30, 2026

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