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Murder on Christmas Eve: Classic Mysteries for the Festive Season
(Murderous Christmas Stories #2)
by
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Christmas Eve. While the world sleeps, snow falls gently from the sky, presents await under the tree ... and murder is afoot. In this collection of ten classic murder mysteries from the best crime writers in history, death and mayhem take many festive forms, from the inventive to the unexpected.
From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Chr ...more
From a Santa Claus with a grudge to a cat who knows who killed its owner on Chr ...more
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Paperback, 234 pages
Published
November 2nd 2017
by Profile Books
(first published 2017)
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Start your review of Murder on Christmas Eve: Classic Mysteries for the Festive Season
A mediocre array of short stories that involve murders taking place on Christmas Eve, solved in a snippet of extraordinary deduction....Yes, it could have been quite good if it wasn't for the problematic writing and the dry dialogue that couldn't be saved by the atmospheric small communities descriptions nor by the few cleverly composed crimes....Nice premise, mediocre execution, in my opinion....
...more
Murder On Christmas Eve
The Trinity Cat
Ellis Peters
This short story was a great start to a book.
Set in a little town, with a stray cat that lives at the church, but spends his time at an old lady's house where he gets fed.
Until on Christmas Eve she gets killed and her handbag and jewelry stolen, the local police man starts his investigation, with the troublesome cat who seems to be following him around.
The cat himself finds the old lady's bag, which he goes mad for.
A day or two after a local ...more
The Trinity Cat
Ellis Peters
This short story was a great start to a book.
Set in a little town, with a stray cat that lives at the church, but spends his time at an old lady's house where he gets fed.
Until on Christmas Eve she gets killed and her handbag and jewelry stolen, the local police man starts his investigation, with the troublesome cat who seems to be following him around.
The cat himself finds the old lady's bag, which he goes mad for.
A day or two after a local ...more
Dec 20, 2019
Anissa
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Christmas mystery fans & even cozy mystery fans
As my last Christmas murder mystery was a disappointment, I jumped right into this with fingers crossed the title really meant what it read. I'm happy to report, this little collection is on-brand. I really enjoyed eight of the ten here so, four stars. My favourites:
The Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters- a clever story in which elderly Miss Patience has been murdered and the rectory cat intent on ferreting out his Christmas present points the paw at the guilty party. The power of the catnip (or ca ...more
The Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters- a clever story in which elderly Miss Patience has been murdered and the rectory cat intent on ferreting out his Christmas present points the paw at the guilty party. The power of the catnip (or ca ...more
I’ve never been a huge fan of short stories, there’s never quite enough oomph in them and I’m always left wildly disappointed.
This was no different...each story didn’t have developed characters or interesting stories. Ranging from mediocre to downright bizarre.
This was no different...each story didn’t have developed characters or interesting stories. Ranging from mediocre to downright bizarre.
This is a collection of Christmas murder mystery short stories. Generally speaking, murder mysteries don't do so well in short story form as, say, science fiction. It usually takes rather more page count to be a success in this genre, but this collection, from big names in the field, manages to do the job well. It's notable that the Father Brown story is probably the one that works as a pure murder mystery and is significantly longer than most of the others.
However, just because many of the othe ...more
However, just because many of the othe ...more
Perfect for this time of year. Ten stories edited by Cecily Gayford, not all include a murder I should add. My favourites are The Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters, about a cat that knows who killed its owner (perfect for any cat lover!), A Wife in a Million by Val McDermid, a rather chilling story told in just sixteen pages, As Dark as Christmas Gets by Lawrence Block, masterful tale about a missing manuscript told in forty pages and No Sanity Clause by Ian Rankin.
This collection of tales probably wo ...more
This collection of tales probably wo ...more
This is what it says on the tin (or the cover in this case!). A festive read filled with murder mysteries. A fairly quick, easy read for anyone who’s a fan of this genre to get stuck into over the Christmas period (or anytime really).
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
As ever with a selection of short stories, I enjoyed these to varying degrees. Most were what I'd class as "traditional" mysteries, there's nothing gory or gruesome in any of them...the most shocking thing being the idea of a postman delivering on Christmas Day morning!
...more
An entertaining anthology of Christmas-themed mysteries, both from the Golden Age (like GK Chesterton and Margery Allingham) to more modern (Val McDairmid, Ian Ranken), and despite the title, not all of them involve actual murders!
A good collection for mystery readers who want to get into the Christmas spirit.
A good collection for mystery readers who want to get into the Christmas spirit.
Not a very impressive collection.
It is the time of the year for wintery,Christmas stories and short stories are well adapted to represent the different aspects of the Christmas spirit.
There are ten stories in this edition and I found perhaps two of them less attractive. Not too bad for an anthology. They are or charming and very Christmas minded or dark and very wintery.
There is a lovely story by Ellis Peters(The Trinity Cat),a rather sad one by Margery Allingham(On Christmas Day in the Morning),a closed room mystery by Julian ...more
There are ten stories in this edition and I found perhaps two of them less attractive. Not too bad for an anthology. They are or charming and very Christmas minded or dark and very wintery.
There is a lovely story by Ellis Peters(The Trinity Cat),a rather sad one by Margery Allingham(On Christmas Day in the Morning),a closed room mystery by Julian ...more
I can’t say I really liked it, then again it’s a book with 10 short stories and each story has a different approach.
None of the stories had any depth. Most were pretty flat and predictable. Some even had abrupt endings. The language was fun to read though.
However, I did enjoy The footprint in the sky, A wife in a million, The dagger with wings and Cambrice tea. They all had some unexpected twists and something to grasp the readers interest.
I’d say this is a book to pick up if ur bored, wanna d ...more
None of the stories had any depth. Most were pretty flat and predictable. Some even had abrupt endings. The language was fun to read though.
However, I did enjoy The footprint in the sky, A wife in a million, The dagger with wings and Cambrice tea. They all had some unexpected twists and something to grasp the readers interest.
I’d say this is a book to pick up if ur bored, wanna d ...more
Murder on Christmas Eve by Various Authors - Good
A nice selection of cosy and/or vintage crime short stories with a Christmas or snowy theme. All good authors (Ellis Peters, Julian Symons, Michael Innes, Ian Rankin, John Dickson Carr, Val McDermid, GK Chesterton, Marjorie Bowen, Lawrence Block, Margery Allingham) and interesting little puzzles that are quickly wrapped up due to the format. Nothing too taxing and a nice start for my December themed reads. It also gives me some new vintage authors ...more
A nice selection of cosy and/or vintage crime short stories with a Christmas or snowy theme. All good authors (Ellis Peters, Julian Symons, Michael Innes, Ian Rankin, John Dickson Carr, Val McDermid, GK Chesterton, Marjorie Bowen, Lawrence Block, Margery Allingham) and interesting little puzzles that are quickly wrapped up due to the format. Nothing too taxing and a nice start for my December themed reads. It also gives me some new vintage authors ...more
Light and entertaining seasonal reading.
A quick easy read with an appropriate seasonal theme for this time of year. My favourite stories were The Trinity Cat, No Sanity Clause and A Wife in a Million.
This is the third year where there have been a glut of 'Christmas crime' stories have been published but it's clear that the well is more or less running dry now. Several of the stories here have already seen the light of day in other collections, so it feels like a bit of a cheat. This is a companion volume to a book published last year (called Murder under the Christmas Tree) and there is the same mix of golden age & modern short stories. It's the former that work better.
I'd be very surprised ...more
I'd be very surprised ...more
I liked most of the short stories in this collection; as they were eventful and mostly well written. And even though I am a big fan of Rankin and I enjoyed 'No Sanity Clause', my favourite was the story from Lawrence Block which did not contain an actual murder, but described a mystery nevertheless. A pleasant, seasonal read
...more
Very variable selection. Some of these are absolute, 5 star stories, and others, well, less so. Overall I have enjoyed the book, and the 5 star stories, including the Ellis Peters one, The Trinity Cat, at the start, more than make up for the less good ones.
I think this might be the best short story collection I've ever read. Not a single bad story amongst them. I have read some of the authors but I will make it a point to look up the ones I haven't.
...more
Nice but not particularly memorable anthology. Some good stories here... And some desperately predictable ones. But perfect for the time of year, seasonal quickies!
The Trinity Cat 3 stars
The Santa Claus Club 2 stars
The Four Seasons 2 stars
No Sanity Clause 2.5 stars
The Footprint in the Sky 3.5 stars
A Wife in a Million 1 star
The Dagger with Wings 1 star
Cambric Tea 2.5 stars
As Dark as Christmas Gets 2.5 stars
On Christmas Day in the Morning 2 stars
The Santa Claus Club 2 stars
The Four Seasons 2 stars
No Sanity Clause 2.5 stars
The Footprint in the Sky 3.5 stars
A Wife in a Million 1 star
The Dagger with Wings 1 star
Cambric Tea 2.5 stars
As Dark as Christmas Gets 2.5 stars
On Christmas Day in the Morning 2 stars
”I’m not sure about anything yet. I’m hanged if I can make out whether it’s a case for a doctor, or a policeman, or a priest.” The dagger with wings, G K Chesterton
10 mystery short-stories that take place at Christmas. At the beginning I thought it was too much of the English countryside, but then it offered different atmospheres. It was a quite fun reading and I intend to read the next one next year.
10 mystery short-stories that take place at Christmas. At the beginning I thought it was too much of the English countryside, but then it offered different atmospheres. It was a quite fun reading and I intend to read the next one next year.
My last collection of short stories for this year and festive season. Of the whole the Trinity Cat and Footprint in the Sky , and The Four Seasons stand out as the most interesting. It was interesting to have Rebus pop up in his own inimitable way and the ending of that story was satisfying in a way only Rebus can. I just wish the collection hadn’t finished with such a sad story.
i didn't finish this book, as I found the short stories predictable and not engaging. They may have improved if I had persevered but I had other books that I would rather be reading over the festive period.
...more
A really enjoyable collection of short stories! Would recommend to those who like classic crime style stories, especially with a festive twist!
A very difficult read, simply because the pages in the copy I had kept falling out. A fun little thinker during the festive season :)
A mixed bag of short stories from classic era to modern tales.
Highlights
Ellis Peters- The Trinity Cat
Ian Rankin - No Sanity Clause
John Dickson Carr- The Footprint in the Sky
Highlights
Ellis Peters- The Trinity Cat
Ian Rankin - No Sanity Clause
John Dickson Carr- The Footprint in the Sky
Enjoyable read a compilation of murder stories on Christmas Eve, would recommend to anyone interested in these type of stories.
Just in time for the Yuletide season is this collection from the U.K. that feature classic mystery stories that are set on or about Christmas Eve.
Like many other short story collections that involve some sort of theme, there are tales here that are full of Christmas spirit and others that merely use this time of year as an ironic reference point for the central action. What I enjoyed most is that the stories selected for MURDER ON CHRISTMAS EVE are not just modern, some are classic stories writt ...more
Like many other short story collections that involve some sort of theme, there are tales here that are full of Christmas spirit and others that merely use this time of year as an ironic reference point for the central action. What I enjoyed most is that the stories selected for MURDER ON CHRISTMAS EVE are not just modern, some are classic stories writt ...more
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