The picturesque town of Alpine in the Cascade Mountains is decked out in Christmas cheer, but at the Alpine Advocate, editor and publisher Emma Lord is fretting over how her brother and her son—both priests—will react to her affair with Sheriff Milo Dodge. Another family is singing the blues when Postmaster Roy Everson shows up with bones that may belong to his mother, who’s been missing for sixteen years. But the most disturbing discovery is the decomposed corpse found in a cave on Mount Sawyer. When Milo returns from his own family ordeal, he and Emma try to find time away from the unnerving investigation to reunite. But they’ve drawn the attention of a dogged killer who thinks the lovers’ bliss is to die for . . . literally. Scandal, intrigue, desire, and untimely death are the ingredients in Mary Daheim’s deliciously chilling holiday treat.   “[An] enduring favorite . . . [Mary] Daheim takes her readers back to the quaint little town of Alpine, Wash., where murder and mayhem always seem to be on the back burner.”—Wichita Falls Times Record News   “Daheim keeps this long-running series lively with generous helpings of small-town chatter, charm and middle-age romance.”—Kirkus Reviews   “Daheim is one of the brightest stars in our city’s literary constellation.”—The Seattle TimesIncludes an excerpt of Mary Daheim’s next Emma Lord mystery, The Alpine Xanadu