** FROM THE WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS CRIME AND THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR **

* THE SMASH-HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *
* AN INSTANT TIMES BESTSELLER *
* A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2023 *

'A Christmas treat' - OBSERVER
'A great deal of festive fun' - GUARDIAN
'Sharp, witty and suspenseful' - SUNDAY EXPRESS

One dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?

Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. But there's not much good will among the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and someone is trying to ruin the panto before the curtain even goes up.

Plus, there's the small matter of the dead Santa. Who had the victim on their naughty list? Read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts to discover the truth. Will the show go on?

'A perfect stocking filler' - INDIA KNIGHT
'Hallett is as good as ever' - OBSERVER

Janice Hallett studied English at University College London and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. She then worked in government communications for the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for International Development. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat and went on to write the Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard, as well as a number of other plays for London's new-writing theatres. Her debut novel, The Appeal, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and won the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger award. The Twyford Code was named the Crime and Thriller Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick. Her fourth book, The Christmas Appeal, is the Sunday Times bestselling follow-up to The Appeal. Her latest novel, The Examiner, will be published by Viper in 2024. When not indulging in her passion for global travel, she is based in West London.