It's Not Christmas: A Clean Chills Christmas short story

by P.D. Workman

Genres: General Fiction

Synopsis

The holidays arrive with a twist in the Clean Chills Christmas series! These 13 standalone short stories—each written by a different Mystery / Thriller / Suspense author—give you all the festive chills without explicit content. Find your perfect fit with tales that delight or give you a fright! (Green covers = lighter stories Red covers = darker stories)

A private investigator. A missing foster teen. An alarming note.

Zachary Goldman planned to shut his office for the holidays and muscle through Christmas the best he could. But a call comes in about a missing girl, and the case hits too close to home for him to refuse.

Melinda is a foster teen with a history of running. The police are not treating her disappearance as urgent. But when Zachary finds a chilling message tied to her last day, he doesn’t believe she is just off with friends.

As the hours slip away and Christmas draws closer, Zachary follows the small clues everyone else is ready to dismiss. The more he learns about Melinda's life, the more certain he becomes that this is not just another runaway case.

If he is right, waiting until morning could be fatal.

Perfect for readers who love:

• dark holiday mysteries
• private investigator fiction
• emotionally layered suspense
• winter atmosphere and high personal stakes

"It's Not Christmas" is a gritty Zachary Goldman mystery about grief, danger, and the stubborn determination to bring someone home alive. Be sure to check out all 13 short stories in the Clean Chills Christmas series!

Release date: November 12, 2026

Publisher: pd workman

Print pages: 56