Midnight Clear — Kathy Hogan Trocheck

It's a few days before Christmas and sometime sleuth/full-time cleaning lady Callahan Garrity has things under control for a change, until her ne'er-do-well brother, Brian -- missing for over ten years -- appears with his toddler daughter, Maura. Trouble has always followed Brian, and now he's in deeper than ever because he's kidnapped Maura from his estranged wife, a vengeful shrew with the law on her side.

When his ex-wife is found dead, the cops suspect Brian. Though he's many things, Callahan knows Brian is no murderer. To save her brother and her holiday, Callahan, along with her irascible mom, Edna, and a gaggle of House Mouse employees will crisscross yuletide Atlanta -- going everywhere the search for truth leads.