All hail the return of the Griffin Books Christmas Crime Night!

The year we’re cracking out the mince pies and decking the halls of the Glamorganshire Golf Club for a festive evening in the company of bestseller Janice Hallet.

From the inimitable imagination of the bestselling author of The Appeal comes a dazzling clever Yuletide mystery. The cast of The Appeal return in The Christmas Appeal, as the discovery of a dead body disrupts the festive pantomime preparations of a group of small town amateur drama enthusiasts.

Is it really Christmas until you’ve booked your tickets for this perfect seasonal event?

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, to raise money for the church roof appeal. But despite the season, goodwill is distinctly lacking amongst the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the fibreglass beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and a someone is intent on ruining the panto even before the curtain goes up. Of course there’s also the matter of the dead body.

Who could possibly have had the victim on their naughty list? Join lawyers Femi and Charlotte as they read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts. Will the show go on?

Janice Hallett is a British author, screenwriter and an award-winning journalist, best known for her phenomenally successful debut thriller The Appeal. She spent several years a magazine editor, winning awards for journalism. Her debut novel, The Appeal, was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and winner of the CWA Debut Dagger Award. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, won the British Crime & Thriller Book of the Year, and her third novel, The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.