Welcome to Texas Reads Mysteries, where I get to share my love of books. 

To Lone Star Literary Life, Kristine Hall, and her fabulous crew, my heartfelt thanks for allowing me to share my passion for books each month. The talent of so many authors has blown me away. What an incredible year this has been. I am looking forward to further book adventures in 2024. Until then, from this Texas author:  

December is my favorite month of the year. I love the sights and sounds of the holiday season. Even better, for an avid booklover, is the fun of adding new Christmas books to my TBR list. This month, I couldn’t decide between three intriguing stories I found. So, I didn’t. As a Christmas bonus, I have three riveting Christmas mysteries. Is Christmas about to be ruined by murder and mayhem?  

A Killer Christmas Affair 

Cozy Mystery 

Sussie Jordan 

The Christmas party is in full swing as Darbie and Marisol show off their new business venture, Sunflower Hacienda, as a magnificent Mexican style resort on Lake Travis, when suddenly, Santa is found dead. The Sheriff announces it was an accident. Now it’s up to Darbie and Marisol, with the help of their loveable Saint Berdoodle, to find the killer before anyone else gets hurt and to save their business. 

Who would want Santa dead? 

A Killer Christmas Affair is a cozy mystery book that will keep you guessing until the very end. 

BONUS: Recipe included! 

About the Author 

I have loved reading forever. I remember going into the library in the small town where I grew up and choosing books to read. They also had storytelling where the librarians would read books to the children, which was one of my favorite things to do. I often played “library” by taking my children’s books and making card holders in the books and organizing them on a shelf. For several years after electronic books became the new best thing, I refused to read from my iPad because I liked the “feel” of a hardback or even a paperback. I loved the smell of a new book and the feel of an uncracked book spine like many people are thrilled by the smell and feel of a new car.  

My life continues to be influenced by my faith, those close to me. I write about the things that I know so my books are full of family and friends, stories, and the hopes, joys and tragedies that befall all of us. The real story is how we cope and respond to these events. I believe those tales are the inspiration for life. 

For more information, follow Author Sussie Jordan at Sussie Jordan Books on Facebook. 

Murder on the Wichita 

Bruce Hammack 

Fraud, deception, murder … what else awaits this detective along the banks of the muddy Wichita? 

Substituting for an art professor on medical leave, artist and private detective Fen Maguire is asked to investigate a long-standing cold case. Seven years ago, a real estate broker swindled local residents out of millions, then disappeared without a trace. Her victims want their money and they want justice. 

When the reporter who wrote exposé articles on the fraud victims is found dead, the police have a new crime to solve. With the senior detective no longer interested in solving the fraud case, Fen gets no help from the police. The waters get even murkier when he discovers the paths of the missing broker and the dead journalist intersect. 

Digging deep into the past, he finds a long list of people with reason to kill both the reporter and the real estate broker. When the senior police detective refuses to believe there’s a connection, Fen is left on his own to follow the trail to the money… and the killer. 

Join PI Fen Maguire as he investigates a cold fraud case and gets a murder thrown in to boot! Suspects swirl around him like the snowflakes he puts on canvas. Murder On the Wichita delivers a twisting, turning Christmas mystery with no foul language, violence, gore or sexual scenes. 

About the Author 

Drawing from his extensive background in criminal justice, Bruce Hammack writes contemporary, clean read detective and crime mysteries. He is the author of the Smiley and McBlythe Mystery Series, the Detective Smiley Mystery Short Reads, the Fen Maguire Mysteries, and the Star of Justice Series. Having lived in eighteen cities around the world, he now lives in the Texas hill country with his wife of thirty-plus years. 

Undercover Christmas Escape 

Terri Reed 

An undercover mission has deadly consequences! 

The assignment was simple: infiltrate an office Christmas party, gather evidence, and take down a drug cartel. However, DEA agent Duncan O’Brien and deputy U.S. marshal Sera Morales encounter more than they were expecting when masked thieves crash their undercover operation and abduct Sera, who narrowly escapes. Can Duncan and Sera work together, despite their competitiveness and hidden attraction, to capture a merciless drug lord—before this Christmas becomes their last? 

About the Author 

Award-winning, multi-published author Terri Reed found solace from a chaotic childhood in the pages of books that took her far away to different realms and realities. When she discovered Christian fiction, she also discovered her own storytelling voice. Now she writes books of heart-warming romance and heart-pounding suspense infused with faith. Her romance and romantic suspense novels have appeared on Publisher's Weekly top ten and Nielsen BookScan top hundred lists and have been featured in USA Today. She's a member of the Honor Roll of Romance Writers of America. Her books have been finalists for the RITA, National Readers' Choice, Inspirational Reader's Choice, and American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards. One of her romance novels was adapted into a Hallmark movie for Christmas 2019. Terri resides in the Pacific Northwest with her college-sweetheart husband. When not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and running the agility course with her Australian shepherd. 

My kind of books!