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Silent Nights

Christmas Mysteries

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

"Like an assortment of presents under a Christmas tree, there's something for everyone in this Yule-themed reprint anthology in the British Library Crime Classics series from Edwards." —Publishers Weekly

Christmas is a mysterious, as well as magical, time of year. Strange things can happen, and this helps to explain the hallowed tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireside as the year draws to a close. Christmas tales of crime and detection have a similar appeal. When television becomes tiresome, and party games pall, the prospect of curling up in the warm with a good mystery is enticing—and much better for the digestion than yet another helping of plum pudding.

Crime writers are just as susceptible as readers to the countless attractions of Christmas. Over the years, many distinguished practitioners of the genre have given one or more of their stories a Yuletide setting. The most memorable Christmas mysteries blend a lively storyline with an atmospheric evocation of the season. Getting the mixture right is much harder than it looks.

This book introduces of readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards' selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans. The result is a collection of crime fiction to savor, whatever the season.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 28, 2015
      Like an assortment of presents under a Christmas tree, there’s something for everyone in this Yule-themed reprint anthology in the British Library Crime Classics series from Edwards (Guilty Parties). The 15 selections range from stories by such leading lights of the genre’s golden age as Arthur Conan Doyle (“The Blue Carbuncle”) and Dorothy L. Sayers (“The Necklace of Pearls”) to works by such forgotten authors as H.C. Bailey (“The Unknown Murderer”) and Ralph Plummer (“Parlour Tricks”). Connoisseurs of locked-room mysteries will welcome Edmund Crispin’s “The Name on the Window.” Ethel Lina White’s “Waxworks” will send shivers down readers’ spines, though it contains the now-cliché stopped watch to indicate time of death. In “Stuffing,” Edgar Wallace repeats Doyle’s prize-in-the-bird trick from “Carbuncle,” but this is another quibble. These classic tales of murder and jewel thievery with a light dusting of snow reveal bygone sensibilities, which, by and large, are fun to read about.

    • Library Journal

      October 15, 2015

      Editor Edwards (The Golden Age of Murder) assembles 15 classic Christmas detective stories that include contributions by Arthur Conan Doyle, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery Allingham, and that feature favorite characters Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, and Lord Peter Wimsey. Interspersed are more obscure but still thoroughly enjoyable golden age mysteries such as Leo Bruce's "Beef for Christmas," starring the inimitable Sergeant Beef, and Ralph Plummer's "Parlour Tricks." VERDICT Follow Edwards's advice to curl up with these good mysteries, as they're much better for the digestion than another helping of plum pudding. A delectable treat for fans of classic crime fiction.

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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Languages

  • English

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