When Sophie's brother George and his family return home, they find someone has stolen all their unopened gifts from underneath the tree and all the holiday food, leaving his cupboards bare. It seems that the entire neighborhood has been hit, casting a gloomy pall over the holidays. Sophie's policeman boyfriend Wolf takes the report before heading to Maine to spend the holidays with his family, leaving Sophie's family in the slightly smarmy hands of his colleague Kenner, who also has his cap set for Sophie.

Angst for the Bauer family continues as Sophie's sister-in-law Laci's father shows up at the Christmas Day gathering (a month after separating from his wife) with diva Bonnie, a local organizer, on his arm. Laci's sister Shawna is pouting because she hasn't received an engagement ring from Bonnie's son Beau, but maybe she'll get it at Bonnie's Boxing Day party the next night.

The party quickly tanks after Bonnie makes a business proposition to Sophie and then announces her engagement to Laci's father, much to everyone's surprise (including her finace's). The next day, when Sophie arrives at Bonnie's house, she finds Bonnie dead. At first, it is deemed an allergic reaction to something, but then it is declared a murder and Shawna is arrested for the murder.

Sophie and Laci spring into action, but their investigation quickly gets mired down with neighbor and familial problems, some of which may be connected to Bonnie's death and or the recent thefts. Working as quickly as Santa's elves, Sophie follows the trail of a murderer, hoping to be able to spring Shawna from jail before the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.

There are so many characters in this book, all with complicated relationships to one another, that readers may need a chart to keep everyone straight. Krista Davis handles the task well, but careful reading is required to keep up with the players and their parts. There are all sorts of Christmas ideas throughout the book as four divas duel for control of the holidays. It is this control that leads to a certain amount of mayhem that ultimately causes Bonnie's death. Sophie keeps a cool head, except sometimes when dealing with Kenner, even without Wolf present, and manages to hold everything and everyone together, ensuring a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry