The Ghost of Christmas Past: A Molly Murphy Mystery (Molly Murphy Mysteries) - Hardcover

"A difficult case that evokes old-time Christmas traditions and a solution that will warm the heart".
-- Kirkus Reviews

"The latest Molly Murphy mystery is another great installment in the series by Bowen. The mystery itself contains a big maze of secrets that Molly and her husband must cut through, which is also a perk for readers."
-- RT Reviews

"For series and historical mystery fans, it's a treat to return to historic New York during the holidays as the indomitable Molly investigates an unusual disappearance."
--Library Journal

"Well-drawn characters and setting, strong women, and crisp details of life in the early 1900s add to this historical mystery"
--Booklist

From Rhys Bowen, the author of In Farleigh Field, comes the next Molly Murphy mystery: The Ghost of Christmas Past.

Semi-retired private detective Molly Murphy Sullivan is suffering from depression after a miscarriage following her adventure in San Francisco during the earthquake of 1906. She and her husband, Daniel, are invited for Christmas at a mansion on the Hudson, and they gratefully accept, expecting a peaceful and relaxing holiday season. Not long after they arrive, however, they start to feel the tension in the house’s atmosphere. Then they learn that the host couple's young daughter wandered out into the snow ten years ago and was never seen again. Molly can identify with the mother's pain at never knowing what happened to her child and wants to help, but there is so little to go on. No ransom note. No body ever found. But Molly slowly begins to suspect that the occupants of the house know more than they are letting on. Then, on Christmas Eve, there is a knock at the door and a young girl stands there. "I'm Charlotte," she says. "I've come home."