Happy Holidays, everyone! Last week we talked about great gifts for mystery lovers, but we only scratched the surface. And since I know that some of you live for the thrill of last-minute gift-hunting, here’s a second installment of ideas for the mystery lover in your life. I also have a special announcement to share at the end of this post.
Here we go…
1. Experts say that smartphones and other mobile devices will be the hot Christmas gift this year. But so many of those smartphones look alike, don’t they? To keep your HoHoHo from turning into HoHoHum, give a smartphone cover that’s sure to stand out:
2. Anyone can get a boo-boo now and then. Here’s a perfect stocking-stuffer to show that you care – Crime Scene bandages:
…I wonder what the “free toy inside” might be?
3. Channel your loved one’s inner spy with this Camera Pen – or more correctly, a “Mini HD Hidden & Secret Spy Camera In Pen/Video Recorder USB DVR Wireless Surveillance Spy Cam.” Quite a mouthful, eh?
…notice that you need a magnifying lens just to find all the features.
4. If your mystery aficionado likes to whip up delectables in the kitchen, s/he might enjoy A Second Helping of Murder cookbook, a compendium of recipes from today’s mystery writers. Yum!
These next three items are for the Sherlock Holmes fans on your gift list:
5. Sherlock Holmes Italian glass Christmas tree ornament. Must have been made before Benedict Cumberbatch came on to the scene. Still, if it wasn’t $48, I’d want one.
6. Sherlock Holmes Lego mini-figure. Now this I could afford…
7. A Sherlock Holmes belt buckle. The description calls it a “conversation starter.” If you catch folks looking that closely at your middle, they’d better be starting a conversation. And buying dinner.
That should do it for now…we’ll want to save some for next year!
Announcing…
My second book in the Concordia Wells mystery series, Unseemly Pursuits, is available now! It’s the sequel to Dangerous and Unseemly and has several of the original quirky characters, along with some new folks at the women’s college to entertain and intrigue.
A deadly secret that won’t stay buried…
It is the fall of 1896, and Miss Concordia Wells is hip-deep in the usual tumult of a lady professor’s life: classes, clubs, student pranks, and the unending drama generated by the girls she lives with on campus. Complicating this normality is the new Lady Principal, whom the students have nicknamed “the Ogre.” The woman seems bent on making Concordia’s life miserable.
And then there’s the exotic spirit medium, Madame Durand, who has befriended Concordia’s mother and has started a “Spirit Club” on campus. Madame’s prognostications of doom are at first only mildly irritating – until events take a sobering turn. An ancient Egyptian amulet donated to the college mysteriously disappears, the donor is found murdered, and his daughter – Concordia’s best friend – confesses to killing him.
Desperate for answers, Concordia unravels a 20-year-old secret, closely guarded by men now dead. But such secrets can be dangerous for the daughters left behind, including Concordia herself. Can she make sense of the mystery that has bound together their fates, before it’s too late?
Unseemly Pursuits is available at these retailers (simply click on a linked button):
Thanks, everyone, and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!
~Kathy
I totally want that pen with the recording device. What an awesome spy gift! But that Sherlock Holmes ornament is too cute as well!
I know, can you believe how small it is? I’d better be careful around folks with pens from now on, LOL.
Thanks for stopping by, Jess!
Hi Kathy! I really relate to the Lego character. Maybe it’s because that’s all my boys ever played with as kids. I think they still have their kits in the attic. lol. Congratulations on your new release! Yay, you did it again! That’s fantastic girl. Wahoo!!! 🙂
Aww Karen, thanks so much! That means a lot to me! I’m thrilled and nervous at the same time, ya know?
I love Legos, especially those mini-figs. They have such cute, specialized ones. My second son loved them the most, I think. I wish they still played with them!
Thanks for visiting, and have a great weekend! 😀
I literally laughed out loud at your comment about the belt buckle. You’re a hoot, Kathy.
Congrats on the new release! Wahoo!!
BTW, All, I’ve read the book and it is great.
Thanks, Kass! I’m so excited about the new release. Hope everyone gets a chance to check it out!
Kathy – Oh, these are inspired!! Thanks for sharing. I especially like that ‘phone cover. How incredibly cool! Lots to love here…
Thanks so much, Margot!
I want all of them Kathy. Even the belt buckle. And Unseemly Pursuits!
Thanks, Amy! Anything you can do to spread the word, I’d sure appreciate!
I want that spy pen for my son for Christmas! I’m totally with you on that Sherlock belt buckle! Haha! Congrats on your new book! It’s in my TBR pile!
Marcia, thanks so much! Hope your son doesn’t spy on you, LOL. 😉
I want those crime scene bandages…to go with the Shakespearean insult bandages I got from Piper Bayard. LOL! Indeed, I could start a whole collection of literary Band-aids. Perfect for those writer paper cuts. 🙂
Julie, that’s so cool! I’ll have to get those Shakespeare ones! 😉
Congrats on the new book release!
I would love some of these as gifts. That band-aids for one, and that camera pen for sure!
Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!
Thanks, Phil! Who doesn’t need band-aids, right? And I appreciate the good wishes on the new book, too!
We’re having a very nice holiday break with the family – nothing dramatic, just plain old domestic bliss, LOL. I hope you’ve been having a happy holiday…best wishes for a fabulous 2014!