THE MISSING PIECE by John Lescroart

(2019), she’s called to the White House to conduct what turns out to be a long-distance autopsy by proxy on a pair of astronauts aboard a Thor orbiting laboratory who’ve apparently been killed by a barrage of space debris. And she’s poisoned by a bottle of Bordeaux she was given by irreproachable Gabriella Honoré, the first female secretary general of Interpol. After the usual professional infighting, all these separate cases are wound up with a series of casual snaps that will leave you gasping, and not in a good way.

Cornwell’s piecemeal approach to her heroine’s daunting job is more realistic than compelling.

THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE

Evans, Richard Paul Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster (272 pp.) $21.99 | Nov. 2, 2021 978-1-9821-7742-3

A surviving twin falls for a mystery man in this Yuletide love story. Growing up in Utah, identical twins Michelle and Richelle Bach, or Micki and Ricki, had been virtually indistinguishable in appearance but had different personalities. Micki was the fun one who’d barely squeaked through high school, needing help from Ricki, the class salutatorian and the story’s narrator, to even graduate. Dad gave each a gorgeous black opal worth 15 grand as a graduation present. (Opaleeze, who does that?) Later, the twins had become estranged after Ricki found Micki in bed with Ricki’s fiance. Later still, Micki dies (the events are unconnected). Ricki is a dedicated pediatric ICU nurse and an aspiring writer. One day, a handsome stranger named Justin visits her Calliope Writers Group, and he appears to be wholesome as can be. He charms Micki with lines like, “I’ve always believed love should be a little reckless. Sometimes a lot.” And so they fall in love, of course, but the road to bliss is fraught with uncertainty: Why did he come to Salt Lake? What’s his real interest in a writers group, given that he’s not a writer? Why does he keep leaving town and returning? “I guess when something looks delicious, we’re less inclined to check the ingredients,” she muses. That this is a Christmas-themed story suggests sugar rather than spice—Justin seems so gosh darned good—so let’s hope he lives up to his promise. Speaking of which, Ricki says, “I made my father a promise that I never fulfilled.” Love, forgiveness, and downright decency must try to overcome multiple betrayals and personal losses. The book’s best line is Ricki’s: “My question hung in the air like a piñata, just waiting to get smacked.” How much must she endure? The big twist near the end is either an eye-roller or heartwarming as the dickens, depending on one’s worldview, and it all leads up to a Christmas finale.

Cozy up to a crackling fireplace with your Christmas cookies and eggnog and enjoy this holiday treat.

THE DICKENS BOY

Keneally, Thomas Atria (416 pp.) $28.00 | Nov. 16, 2021 978-1-9821-6914-5

The author of Schindler’s List (1982) imagines the adventures of Charles Dickens’ youngest son in Australia. Edward Dickens is 16 when he submits to his father’s encouragement and leaves England to work on a sheep ranch Down Under. The young man, who narrates the novel, carries