The Midnight Before Christmas ***SIGNED*** [signed] [first edition]

William Bernhardt has won critical acclaim for his bestselling series of legal thrillers featuring Oklahoma-based attorney Ben Kincaid. Now Bernhardt takes a holiday from the courtroom to deliver a suspenseful, pulse-pounding tale of Christmastime crime with all the trimmings. 'Tis the day before Christmas, and all through the town,someone evil's at large, spreading mayhem around!Thirtysomething lawyer Megan McGee is facing a quiet Christmas with her bulldog when Bonnie Thomas, a battered wife, comes looking for legal protection from her violent ex-cop husband, Carl. In a recent bout of rage, Carl vowed to kill their seven-year-old son, Tommy, rather than be separated from the boy. It's no idle threat, either--as Bonnie assures Megan: "He's tried before."And when Tommy's school unwittingly allows him to leave with his father, Carl gets his chance to try again.Now, with the town all but shut down for the holiday, Megan races against time--and terror--to keep Carl's Christmas Eve jaunt from turning into a slay ride.This season, the weather outside isn't the only thing that's frightful. . . .