Visions of Sugar Plums (novel)

Visions of Sugarplums is the ninth book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, published in 2003. One of four "holiday novellas" in the series, it falls between Hard Eight and To the Nines.

Diesel, a vaguely supernatural creature, literally materializes into Stephanie's life a few days before Christmas, claiming he has been charged with imparting some holiday cheer into her life. Trying, and failing, to catch up with the holiday, Steph is also trying to catch up with an FTA with the provocative name of Sandor Clausen (AKA Sandy Claws). Tracking the elusive toymaker down leads the bounty hunter into a realm inhabited by people with... unconventional talents. Diesel, sticking close, is one of these individuals.

Meanwhile, at the Plum family home, all is chaos (as per usual). Amid frantic Christmas preparations, Grandma Mazur has a new "studmuffin" and Stephanie's sister Valerie finds herself perhaps a bit more involved with her own studmuffin, Albert Kloughn, than she would have liked.