It's a beautiful summer and the busy village of Marsden-Lacey, England, has murder on its mind. Someone just whacked everyone's least favorite villager, Sir Carstons, on his villainous head. That's when American expats, paralegal Martha Littleword and book expert Helen Ryes, find themselves knee-deep in Yorkshire murder. Spirited empty-nesters, they throw their newbie detective hats into the ring, only to discover that a murder mystery can quickly turn from adventurous lark into personal peril. With a dash of Southern charm and humor, and the help of a few quirky villagers, the girls just...

Snow is falling, puddings are rising and hearts are heating up in Marsden-Lacey this Christmas. Helen and Martha enter the village's First Annual Pudding and Pie Bake-Off and quickly find themselves up to their elbows in meringue, marmalade and murder.

But before the baking teams square off, the girls are invited to a lonely, ancient estate to evaluate a manuscript that's been buried in a dusty Jacobean library for hundreds of years. Martha is sure the old house is haunted and Helen wants Mr. Brickstone, their client, to keep his hands to himself.

The girls will have to...