A Scrooge Mystery

A Novel

Andreina Cordani

When everyone's favorite miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, strays from the path of goodness, he starts seeing ghosts again—this time of a girl whose murder he must solve if he is to avoid the dreaded visions to come.

Last Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three festive spirits, and the bleak vision of his future has haunted him ever since. He wants to be a good man, and he never wants to see another ghost as long as he lives.

But changing your ways for a day is easy. Changing your ways for forever is a little trickier. Almost a year on, Scrooge is slipping back into bad habits. When a lucrative business opportunity comes his way, he jumps at the chance to make some quick money . . . to give to the poor, obviously.

But then Scrooge sees her. Another ghost, silent and terrifying. Then Bob Cratchit is arrested for the woman's murder, and Scrooge sees only one way to save both his loyal employee and himself: he must solve this crime.

Scrooge's investigation takes him from the heights of business on the Royal Exchange to the depths of London's criminal underworld alongside the formidable Widow Tassell, boot-boy Jem, and Tiny Tim. And as Christmas draws closer, Scrooge begins to realize there's more at stake than his own soul.

Andreina Cordani has published several young adult novels with Little Brown in Britain. The Twelve Days of Murder is her first adult novel—and her first novel to be published in America. She lives in Dorset.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Early praise for A Scrooge Mystery:

"Scrooge lives! Cordani brings all the familiarities of the old miser but with a fresh, exciting and intriguing new twist. A completely compelling Christmas read.” Jonathan Whitelaw, author of The Bingo Hall Detectives 

"This is a wonderfully atmospheric tale to savour by the fire this festive season. Blending Gothic mystery, redemption and seasonal spirit, it offers the cosy comfort of revisiting everyone's favourite Christmas cumudgeon while wrapping readers in the timeless wonder of Dickensian storytelling.” My Weekly

“Entertaining. A compelling Christmas read to curl up by the fire with.” Good Housekeeping UK

Praise Murder at the Christmas Emporium:

“A handful of lucky people have been invited to a Christmas Eve shopping party, an old fashioned store in London specializing in gorgeous handcrafted toys. Imagine their dismay when it turns out that what they’ve signed up for is not a lovely evening, but Murder in the Christmas Emporium. Cordani is an expert at misdirection. She leads you in one direction and then, slamming the door in your face, sends you down another path entirely.” Sarah Lyall, The New York Times Book Review

“Told from multiple points of view, both past and present, this compelling, stand-alone mystery with its myriad plot twists, well-drawn characters, and a lovingly described Christmastime setting will appeal to locked-room-mystery fans.” Booklist

"Holiday magic goes horribly wrong in Cordani’s delightfully eccentric follow-up to The Twelve Days of Murder. Cordani’s plotting is devious and perfectly calibrated, revealing just enough to heighten dramatic irony while leaving plenty of room for shocking twists. This canny combination of whodunit and horror makes for a gleefully demented stocking stuffer." Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Twelve Days of Murder:

"A murder-mystery weekend turns deadly. The pace quickens as the frenemies grow increasingly suspicious of one another. Scandals, hurt feelings, and secret ambitions are the suspected motives, but by the time one character rises to the top as a suspect, they’re killed off. Good for spreading holiday fear.” Kirkus Reviews

"Cordani makes an impressive adult debut with this devious holiday whodunit. Cordani starts in the key of a holiday cozy but gets dark fast, a risky transition she pulls off without a hitch. Mystery lovers of all stripes will walk away satisfied.” Publishers Weekly

"Told from multiple points of view, this compelling, complex, page-turning locked-room mystery is set in both the past and the present and is chock full of plot twists.” Booklilst