The Christmas Stranger: A Short Story by
Leslie Budewitz Published by Beyond the Page Publishing on November 14, 2023
Genres: Christmas Read,
Cozy Mystery Pages: 34
Format: eBook Source: NetGalley,
Publisher Buy on Amazon/
Barnes & Noble To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, we’re bringing out stand-alone editions of readers’ favorites from Carried to the Grave and Other Stories . Our second selection, after An Unholy Death , is the holiday short story “The Christmas Stranger.”
Amid the holiday rush of keeping the shelves stocked and filling orders for the Merc, the grocery her family has run for more than a century, proprietor Erin Murphy treasures the way her tight-knit community of Jewel Bay seems to grow even closer during the Christmas season. And this year, when she slows down to do a simple favor for a mysterious stranger, he shows his thanks with a small, quiet gesture—a gift that changes lives, and so much more . . .
My Thoughts
This heartwarming short story is filled with generosity and compassion, capturing the true essence of Christmas. It is guaranteed to uplift your spirits and leave you with a warm feeling inside. Through the power of one act of kindness, this delightful tale shows how a single good deed can have a ripple effect, touching the lives of many.
Thank you to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
About Leslie Budewitz
Leslie Budewitz blends her passion for food, great mysteries, and the Northwest in two light-hearted mystery series: the Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in northwest Montana. Her books focus on strong women who share her passions, and have a talent for finding trouble!
As Alicia Beckman, she also writes moody suspense.
Leslie is a three-time Agatha Award winner: 2011 Best Nonfiction for her guide for writers, Books, Crooks & Counselors: How to Write Accurately About Criminal Law & Courtroom Procedure; 2013 Best First Novel for Death al Dente (making her the first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction); and 2018 Best Short Story (in a tie) for “All God’s Sparrows,” her first historical fiction. Her work has also won or been nominated for Spur, Derringer, Anthony, and Macavity awards.
A Montana native, Leslie graduated from Seattle University and Notre Dame Law School. After practicing in Seattle for several years—and shopping and eating her way through the Pike Place Market regularly—she returned to Montana, where she practiced civil litigation and employment law, with an unhealthy dose of criminal law. Killing people—on the page—is more fun.
Leslie recently finished four years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America. She served as president of Sisters in Crime in 2015-16, and is a founding member of the Guppies, the SinC chapter for new and unpublished writers. She is also a member of the Authors of the Flathead and Montana Women Writers.
Leslie loves to cook, eat, hike, travel, garden, and paint—not necessarily in that order. She lives in northwest Montana with her husband, Don Beans, a singer-songwriter and doctor of natural medicine, and their gray tuxedo, officially named Squirt but affectionately called Mr. Kitten.
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