Santa Murders — Bob Moats

That Jolly old head elf from the North Pole is getting ready to be a naughty boy. He has murder on his mind. Luckily it's not the real Santa Claus, but a person with a motive to murder. Las Vegas Homicide Detective Deacon DeAngelo goes after a street preacher who loves to play Santa for the homeless shelters. Evidence ties this Santa to the murder of a mob figure and now Will Trapper is called on to prove his Santa friend didn't do it. Trapper manages to talk Jim Richards into helping to find the real killer while they hide the fake Santa which doesn't make Deacon happy. He threatens them to find the real killer or go to jail for obstruction of justice. It's like the twelve days of Christmas around the preacher's church with police, mob figures, a fortune in hidden money and one scheming black widow female who traps the Santa into marriage to get at his wealth since he owns a choice property that every one wants for building casinos on. It's a Vegas Christmas in this 31st book of the Jim Richards series.