Christmas Plums

Three Christmas novellas are collected here for the first time-Christmas at Maplewhite Manor, Christmas at Snowflake Lodge, and Christmas in Tinytown. In addition, a set of vignettes, Three Christmases, introduces the cast. Meet the characters who started it all, and their offspring, in this delightful collection of holiday confection.In these stories you will encounter: Melvin-former CIA agent, now insurance executive and family man-ever on a quest for the right gift for his beloved spouse-torn between love and duty when his son commits a crimeMolly-his wife, domestic engineer, uncompromising in matters of faith and child-rearing-mistakenly believing that a stolen object is her own Christmas gift Mike-their teenage son, struggling to establish his identity and values in a morally ambiguous world-tormented by a guilty secretChristopher-their infant son-kidnapped by an obsessive young charlatanMildred-their neighbor-hopelessly in love with her best friend's husbandArthur-her eighteen-year-old son, newly re-connected with his mom-a rough-edged juvenile delinquent who corruptly influences his neighbor and best friend MikeZelda-Melvin's aunt, a newspaper reporter from Los Angeles-who is not above resorting to blackmail in the interests of the perfect Christmas giftSparky-a New York con artist and counterfeiter-always looking for ways to make a fast and easy buckMelba-his wife, another New York con artist-who wants to quit their life of crime and raise an honest familyAdd to these ingredients a pinch of romance, a dash of larceny, and a cup measure of Christmas spirit, and the recipe is complete for a concoction that will spice up the holidays with laughter and festive joy.Frederick Wiegand is the author of the Giftbringer series of books chronicling the life and times of St. Nicholas, as well as co-author of the Control novels in collaboration with his co-publisher David Cobb. In addition, Wiegand has crafted over three hundred entries in the Tinytown series-novels, plays, and short stories