The Advent of Death by Alexandra Benedict (Signed Independent Bookshop Edition)

Edie O’Sullivan has no time for murder.

With her wedding to Riga fast approaching, she is determined to ignore the desperate call from Anne, a former pupil, begging her to come to Rye. Anne – now the town crier – has received a strange gift: a handcrafted wooden advent calendar shaped like the town itself.

At first, it seems like a charming curiosity. Then the doors begin to open.

1 December: a break-in at 1 High Street.
2 December: a burglary at 2 East Street.
3 December: ABH at 3 Eagle Street.

Each door opened. Each crime escalating. Then a body is discovered.

Edie can no longer dismiss Anne’s fears. Leaving Riga and the wedding preparations behind, she heads to Rye – where the festive streets hide a deadly design.

As Christmas approaches and the body count rises, Edie must decipher the calendar’s murderous pattern before the final door is opened.