Last Christmas

It was supposed to be a family Christmas to remember. But I never thought it would end with one of us dead…

As I walk into the pine-scented air of my seaside childhood home, gripping my husband Neil’s hand tight, I have a brief moment of hope. Maybe this Christmas will be different — for once my family might get on fueled by mulled wine and festive cheer.

But the sound of happy carols are replaced by my older sister Christy’s over-loud laugh and slurred words. Rebecca, my younger sister, stalks out of the room as soon as I enter, as though I’m the Grinch here to steal Christmas. And their husbands, brash and arrogant, slap Neil’s back in a way that promises torment rather than welcome. My dream shatters. I know it’ll be the same as always.

The day continues as badly as I feared, forced cheerfulness turning to rolled eyes, and when a wine-fuelled argument swirls out of hand Neil can’t take it anymore. I don’t blame him when he storms out of the house. But he never returns…

When my gentle husband is found dead at the beach we loved, my whole world collapses. But it’s even worse than a nightmare – because Neil has been murdered. By someone in my family.

I knew we had our differences, but I never thought it would end like this. And as my heart hammers in my chest I know I’m running out of time. Because whoever killed Neil must know what I’m really hiding. And if I don’t figure out who in my fractured family really did it, I know I will be next…