Ice Water

The tree was bedecked for the party in swing, and jack-of-all-trades Peter Bartholomew was outside looking in--as his ex-wife Connie kissed Newby Dillingham under the mistletoe. That's when the sniper struck, killing the popular bait and tackle shop owner and scattering the guests. Enlisted by his friend and relative newcomer Police Chief Will McOwat, Pete is soon hot on the killer's trail. Newby had recently turned down a half-million dollar offer from the development corporation of Connor, Rice, and Peterson--less affectionately known to the locals as CRAP--for his waterfront property. Their plans for a condominium development had been Nashtoba's biggest source of controversy--until now. Is a crack marksman sending the anti-condo faction a Yuletide message in a .30 caliber wrapper?

Pete narrows the suspects to three of the locals: a near-bankrupt realtor desperate to make a killing on the waterfront; Newby's irascible brother and partner Ozzie, now free to sell out for a big profit; and the embittered original owner of the bait shop, who's missing out on the deal of a lifetime. But Pete's real problem is Connie, more infuriating and irresistible than ever--and maybe next on the killer's Christmas list.