When Christmas Comes

Cameron Winter has achieved the respectable position of associate professor for English Romantic Poets at the nearby university, but it’s his self-described “strange habit of mind” that makes him truly special. From his youngest years, Cameron has been able to think, or imagine, himself into the center of a tangled story and consistently come out with a solution. When an old girlfriend, now married, asks him to help figure out what really happened in the murder of Jessica Dean, Cameron uncovers the truth and also looks harder at his own troubled childhood with new understanding. With just a few characters, it’s easy to slip right into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murder, including the close-knit community, the victims’ lack of personal history, and Cameron’s insights. The menacing behavior, peppered with physical harm, and sinister characters will keep this book on any suggestion list year-round, and the satisfying ending will be the holiday gift readers didn’t know they needed.