KEEPING CHRISTMAS, by Dan Walsh

This is the first Christmas that Judith and Stan Winters have spent without their children and grandchildren at home. Jobs have taken the young families to distant states, and somehow Judith can't summon the energy to celebrate the season. Her depression has her husband and friends worried. Nothing they do to try to cheer her makes any difference. Reading about Judith's struggles is sure to resonate with empty-nesters everywhere.
    I loved the "Ugly Ornaments" in the story--a box filled with handmade ornaments from the children's growing-up years. The contents of the box made me smile, thinking of the "ugly ornaments" that go on my tree every year. It wouldn't be a Christmas tree without them.
    In true Dan Walsh fashion, he leads the reader to a surprise conclusion that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen.
    I recommend Keeping Christmas as a great gift for the person on your list who loves warm-hearted holiday fiction. This book will leave them smiling. (Be sure to buy a copy for yourself, too.)
    My thanks to the author and Revell for providing my review copy.

MURDER AT THE COURTHOUSE, by A. H. Gabhart

    Hidden Springs, Kentucky, was supposed to be a peaceful little town where nothing serious ever happened. That’s the reason Michael Keane left a big-city police department to become a deputy in his hometown.
    Then one morning a dead body is discovered on the courthouse steps, and as a result the community is in an uproar. Everyone has a theory as to why a stranger would end up murdered in Hidden Springs, of all places. When the mystery spreads from a truant young man to long-ago deaths, Michael is forced to question everything he ever believed about his hometown.   
    Gabhart has done a masterful job with Murder at the Courthouse, her first venture into writing a mystery. Fans of Ann H. Gabhart's previous books will recognize her warm touch with small town characters, along with her skill at providing readers with a page-turner of a story. I loved Murder at the Courthouse, and look forward to reading the next book in the Hidden Springs Mysteries series.
Two thumbs up!

    My thanks to the author and Revell for providing a copy of this book for review purposes.