When Alice Monroe’s ex-fiancé crashes Sun Harbor’s Christmas Festival, she knows trouble has come to town—she just doesn’t expect it to turn deadly.

Still finding her footing as the reluctant owner of Sunrise Community Center, Alice is busy wrangling craft circles, charity drives, and two mischievous rescue pets. But when her ex, Brad, shows up with apologies—and an agenda—Alice’s new life is thrown into chaos. Especially when he’s seen arguing with Bernie Welch: Sun Harbor’s most ambitious real estate developer and a powerful town councilman known for playing both sides of every deal.

So when Bernie’s body is found beneath the lighthouse after the festival’s tree lighting, suspicion falls on Brad—and, by extension, Alice herself. Determined to protect her friends, her center, and her new life in Sun Harbor, Alice dives into a fresh investigation—one tangled with business deals, political secrets, and hidden rivalries.

With the help of her fiercely loyal friends, a grumpy one-eyed cat, a heroic mutt in an elf costume, and the ever-watchful Chief Noah Hawthorne, Alice must untangle a web of red herrings, small-town gossip, and dangerous secrets before the killer strikes again. Because in Sun Harbor, even Christmas cheer can’t keep murder at bay…