Benjamin Franklin and a Case of Christmas Murder

Robert Lee Hall. St. Martin's Press, $3.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-312-92670-0

A local merchant dies while presenting a Christmas Eve mummer's play and American patriot Benjamin Franklin suspects murder. ``Hall proves himself a dab hand at re-creating the atmosphere of 18th-century London,'' said PW , adding, ``Franklin's aphorisms and joie de vivre serve as extra plums in a tale as delicious as Christmas pudding.'' (Dec.)

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