Hot Winter Nights: Heartbreaker Bay, Book 6

Shalvis’s sixth Heartbreaker Bay book spices up Christmas with a hint of humor, a dash of suspense, and a whole lot of naughty fun under the mistletoe. Molly Malone is a 27-year-old investigator who’s tired of being sheltered by her brother and the other alpha males of Hunt Investigations. She’s ready to take to the field, but everyone else in the office is determined to keep her behind a desk, particularly her brother’s best friend, Lucas Knight. Recovering from a recent gunshot wound, and not yet cleared to return to duty, Lucas is asked to keep Molly out of trouble; he’s desperate to do anything that doesn’t require convalescing, so he agrees. When he can’t dissuade her from investigating sinister shenanigans perpetrated by a bad Santa at a small San Francisco Christmas village, he decides to step in as her partner. The characters come alive in this lighthearted, fun story written for cold winter nights. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Oct.)