Murder in Wintertime: Classic Crime Stories

by Various

Evening draws in; families reunite, fires are lit, curtains snapped shut. But what is hiding in the shadows beyond the warm living-room glow, where the light won't reach? And what surprises will creaks in the night bring on Christmas morning?

Weaving together celebrated stories of murder and mayhem from the greatest writers in the genre, Murder in Wintertime brings a chill that will linger beyond the last frost. From suspicious slips on the ice to Yuletide games gone awry and footprints that disappear under blankets of snow, these sinister goings-on will keep you up late on the long, dark nights...

Featuring celebrated authors such as Catherine Aird, Carter Dixon, Peter Lovesey and more.

Genres: Crime, Christmas, Short Stories

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2025

About the author

Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

Reviews

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good collection of seasonal stories. I so look forward to these and wonder how ling this series can go. However long it is, I will be reading. As with all collections, some I very much enjoyed and others not so much but those I enjoyed, I really loved so this was a four star read for me. The stories contained herein:

The Haunted Crescent by Peter Lovesey
New Murders for Old by Carter Dickson
A Very Commonplace Murder by P.D. James
The Hours of Darkness by Edmund Crispin
Losing the Plot by Catherine Aird
The Christmas Train by Will Scott
The Carpet Bagger by Colin Dexter
A Hint of Danger by William Bankier
An Exciting Christmas Eve by Arthur Conan Doyle

I recommend the entire series.

[Julia Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is possibly the weakest in a very enjoyable series. The PD James story A Commonplace Murder is the stand out for its sheer nastiness and twist but it has been reproduced in other series.
Still a Christmassy crime read on a wintry afternoon - however more weak cup of tea than rich hot chocolate.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A full ten years of reading Christmas crime stories (with the occasional ghostly tale) - edited by Cecily Gayford. Every year I assume the latest version will be the last but she casts her net wide and includes in her collections more modern authors and not just those from the golden age. These are very much a Christmas tradition for me now.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag. A nice little story by Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin's story is overlong and contains too many excruciating love scenes. i couldn't make any sense of Will Scott's story. I had not heard of William Bankier, whose story was one of the better ones.

[Chiara Vos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik weet niet of het komt door dat ik short stories niet leuk vind of dat het is dat ik er telkens niet in kwam. Maar dit was iniedergeval niet voor mij.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amusing collection of mystery stories for dark winter nights

[Shanny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Christmas Train and The Carpet Bagger were disappointing.

[Wilma Van putten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing wrong with te book, just not into short stories

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the classic crime short story series published by profile books. These are seasonal collections, with summer and winter books both available. I’ve got quite a few of each and am always on the hunt for these titles to add to my shelves.

Murder in Wintertime is the newest collection, edited by Cecily Gayford. It features short stories by writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, P.D James and Colin Dexter. They are all set during the dark, winter months and are perfect for reading while you are curled up by a brightly lit fire.

My favourite in the collection was A Hint of Danger by Williams Bankier. I hadn’t heard of the author before but when I looked him up, I discovered that he had actually written over 200 short stories. I liked this one because it was very subtle but menacing at the same time. The ending left you in doubt about the inevitable fate of one of the characters.

I would highly recommend this volume of stories. It’s great for dipping in and out of and is perfect reading for this time of the year.