Detective Maya Chen never planned to spend Christmas Eve crawling up a snow-choked mountain road, but a terrified 911 call changes everything. The Ashford family-wealthy, powerful, and deeply dysfunctional-has gathered at their private lodge for the holiday and the reading of the late Marcus Ashford's will.But someone inside the house has already decided who deserves to live long enough to inherit.When Maya arrives at Pinewood Lodge, she finds: - Surveillance photos scattered across a guest's bed. - A brake line deliberately cut. - A bedroom door lock tampered with. - A threatening message promising judgment at midnight.Outside, the storm has locked everyone in. Inside, a murderer is tightening the noose.As Maya interviews each member of the Ashford clan, buried secrets begin to surface-including a shocking codicil in the will revealing that one of Marcus's children isn't his. Someone knows the truth... and is willing to kill to keep it hidden.Christmas Eve becomes a deadly countdown, and Maya must untangle decades of deception before the clock strikes midnight.A tense, twist-packed holiday mystery perfect for readers who love inheritance drama, locked-room suspense, and a detective who sees what everyone else misses.