From the Author

[Jacki]

Dear Reader:

On the surface, the holiday season appears to be one big happy celebration. TV commercials tug at our heartstrings with scenes of three generations gathered around a juicy golden turkey from the local supermarket or smiling friends toasting the occasion with an upscale brand of liquor.Retailers tug on our purse strings with Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday bargains so we can surprise our loved ones with the "perfect" gift. It's all home and hearth, parties and presents, tinsel and candy canes...or is it?

The holidays, especially Christmas, have served as a backdrop for the romantic suspense genre in both film and fiction for decades.While Christmas and criminals seem an unlikely combination, many writers and producers have successfully blended the two to create fast-paced thrillers and mysteries that have you sitting on the edge of Santa's lap.

Authors, too, have tapped into this merry, scary mix of holidays and whodunits: Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark, Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie, Hard Christmas by Barbara D'Amato.

A Christmas Code, book 2 in the Code Breakers series, enabled me to incorporate historical Yuletide traditions, enriching the authenticity of this Regency espionage thriller.