Very Murderous Christmas

Murderous Christmas Stories #3

by Cecily Gayford (Editor)

The Christmas season is one of comfort and joy, sparkling lights and steam rising from cups of mulled wine at frosty carol services. A season of goodwill to all men, as families and friends come together to forget their differences and celebrate the year together.

Unless, of course, you happen to be harbouring a grudge. Or hiding a guilty secret. Or you want something so much you just have to have it - whatever the cost. In A Very Murderous Christmas, ten of the best classic crime writers come together to unleash festive havoc, with murder, mayhem and twists aplenty.

Following Murder on Christmas Eve and Murder under the Christmas Tree, this is the perfect accompaniment to a mince pie and a roaring fire. Just make sure you're really, truly alone ...

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Anthologies, British Literature

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Between the Christmas cooking preparations, wrapping and festivities, it is nice to know you have the comfort of a seasonal read waiting by the sidelines ready to pick up and put down again. A Very Murderous Christmas is a 2018 publication by Profile Books, which I received in a recent bundle of books from Australian publisher Allen and Unwin. The publication contains ten short stories, an appetizer of sorts, offering the reader a quick festive infused treat to offset the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

A Very Murderous Christmas gathers ten of the very best novelists in classic crime. Many of these writers are well known from both the page and the screen, such as Anthony Horowitz, Ruth Rendell and Colin Dexter. The collection also contains contributions from authors written in the 1930s, such as Edward D. Hoch’s, The Problem of Santa’s Lighthouse and Margery Allingham’s The Man with the Sack. Each short story is gently touched with references to Christmas or the holiday season. These ten short stories have been hand selected by editor Cecily Gayford. As a result, expect plenty of festive disorder, some good old fashioned murder mysteries, plenty of puzzles to solve and some flooring twists to keep you on your toes. The stories range in terms of the setting, time frame and the main subject matter. From a Holmes and Watson mystery, to a trip to the pantomime and an Agatha Christie style murder on board a snow-bound train, A Very Murderous Christmas will have any mystery lover rubbing their hands together in glee. My own personal favourite was the murder in the snow blizzard on board a train. I was tempted to look up further work from Nicholas Blake after reading his tale, A Problem in White.

If a murderous Christmas, courtesy of an unusual wolf suit, or a tale of how to best murder your nearest and dearest is what you fancy indulging in this festive season, do not let A Very Murderous Christmas pass you by!

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quite enjoyable collection. Not all stories had murders central to them but they all felt appropriate for the theme. I quite liked seven of the ten offered here and below were my favourites:

Camberwell Crackers by Anthony Horowitz- in which the new owner of Camberwell Crackers meets his end in a very gruesome but apropos way.

A Problem in White by Nicholas Blake- in which a robbery and murder occur on a train on a snowy night. This one reminded me of Mystery in White.

Loopy by Ruth Rendell- in which the fate of a woman engaged to a man who is forty-two and reluctant to leave his mother's home ends exactly as one would expect in such a story. Clever telling from the man's POV.

Morse's Greatest Mystery by Colin Dexter- in which the cranky and curmudgeonly Morse displays his heart for the Littlemore Charity for Mentally Handicapped Children. Very sweet & no murder here.

The Jar of Ginger by Gladys Mitchell- in which a group sit and discuss the ways to dispose of a spouse and a bit of laced ginger is suggested the conduit to that end. Creepy and clever to the last.

Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces by John Mortimer- in which Rumpole helps a country prior bend the new "country squire" into a donation for the church and also solves an intricately planned and executed robbery to the exoneration of his client, both due to his memory. Loved this!

The Problem of Santa's Lighthouse by Edward Hoch- in which a vacationing doctor finds himself investigating the curious case of how Harry Quay died when he was ostensibly the only one on the walkway of the lighthouse. The solution here was obvious to me but I still enjoyed this one and its attempt of misdirection.

If you're looking for some short stories to get stuck into during the Christmas or snowy season, this does nicely. Definitely recommended.

[Chrystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entertaining collection in this fun series; the stand-out best story being Ruth Rendell's "Loopy." I loved it!

[Filipa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

I adored the idea of having a collection of short stories that had a focus on crime and Christmas. For me, there couldn't be a better combo than this one. Thank to you Nessa, my dear friend who got this book for me and who knows that I not only love crime books, I absolutely adore Christmas. My original goal was to read one story a day until Christmas day or until I finished the book. The problem is that I started the book and one story didn't seem enough.
This is the kind of the book that you can't help but devour. The stories are short and even though you have 10 different authors, the writing is clear, fluid and even funny. Of course, as it happens in all anthologies there are better stories you like more and stories you like less.
In this A Very Murderous Christmas: Ten Classic Crime Stories for the Festive Season, I can confidently say that my favorite short-story was A Problem in White. The Ruth Rendell story had nothing to do with Christmas (the plot, that is) and it was my least favorite.
All in all, it was an enjoyable reading and an entertaining one.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder for Christmas? There seems to be a tradition of buying, and hopefully reading, murder mystery novels at this time of year. Possibly people fondly imagine that they will have time to actually read an entire novel over the festive season, but for those who lack that sustained reading time, this is an ideal book. Ten short stories by a mixture of writers, ranging from the clever development on classics to actual Golden Age gems, this is a book which will have something for everyone. The cosy, the clever and the complex are all represented here for enjoyment in those quiet moments that we actually get, without trying to remember what has gone before. These are not carefully introduced, justified and put into context, but just presented as they stand, in all their complexity or clever simplicity.
Margery Allingham’s “The Man with the Sack” is the first story, featuring her favourite detective, Campion. A version of Holmes and Watson appear, followed by a clever and funny contribution by Anthony Horowitz in “Camberwell Crackers”. Father Brown makes a welcome appearance, as well as Inspector Morse and Rumpole. A railway mystery, “A problem in White” by Nicolas Blake, precedes a fantastic and chilling Ruth Rendell murder tale. A club for considering hypothetical murder disturbs thanks to Gladys Mitchell, and the final story literally takes the locked room mystery to a new level in “The Problem of Santa’s Lighthouse” by Edward Hoch.
Thus there is quite a range of tales in scope, time and style. It is obviously enjoyable if you already know of some of the detectives (and lawyer!) involved from longer books or even television, but they would still work without previous knowledge. One or two authors will be broadly known, others less so, but all are allowed to show their established skills. Several, if not most, are not so Christmas based as to be only of interest at a particular time of year, but all have at least a seasonal element. The dedicated mystery fan may well recognise one or two stories here, but it is a new collection published this year so there will be surprises. There are several similar books that have come out over the last few years, and this collection does not feel like a startling new revealing reprint. It is, however, great entertainment, and would make a great gift for anyone, or an enjoyable treat for oneself.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amusing selection of Christmas themed crime stories. My first introduction to a few of the authors, will be sure to check out further work.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable collection, like its predecessors.

I have to say, the Anthony Horowitz story, Camberwell Crackers, has to be one of the best Christmas murder mysteries I've read in a long while.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cosy mysteries have never been more unsettling! These bite sized Christmas stories are a treat for fans of the classic mystery genre. I particularly enjoyed Loopy by Ruth Rendell, a rather strange tale about a man who likes to wear a wolf suit for pleasure.

‘Principally, I felt not human. And to be not human is to be without responsibilities and human cares.’

A Very Murderous Christmas is an ideal book to have on your coffee table in the days leading up to Christmas. The stories are a great length for reading with a restorative cuppa in between Christmas preparations.

Thanks is extended to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of A Very Murderous Christmas for review.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas Crime stories have been incredibly popular over last half a dozen years or so. However the well is almost dry now. This is the third volume of festive stories from this publisher and there are a number of stories here that have appeared in other collections. There’s a mix of classic crime & tales from modern authors (some of which have appeared in newspapers over the festive season). There’s an incredibly odd story from Ruth Rendell & a very slight story featuring Inspector Morse.
The best effort on display is one featuring Sherlock Holmes but written by Conan Doyle’s son, Adrian, & John Dickson Carr.
I’d be very surprised to see any more collections published in future years - unless authors can be encouraged to write new stories especially for them. That being said some of these volumes are worth revisiting year after year as a Christmas reading tradition.

[Luna Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I largely found the book pretty tiresome to read, in all honesty. I’m not sure if it had to do with my aversion of the particular language used in half the stories or their varying lengths (I hate when a story is too short to bring across any kind of message), but it took me a while to get through it. What made up for it entirely, then, are three stories: Loopy by Ruth Rendell (beautifully disturbing), The Jar of Ginger by Gladys Mitchell (a fairly expectable ending, but enticing nonetheless), and The Problem of Santa’s Warehouse by Edward D. Hoch (which was just an overall very well-written tale). I’d probably never reread this book save for those three stories, but I’m glad I powered through it to get to them.

[lynne davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of the stories hence the 3.5 stars instead of 4.

[Steven Haythorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good and atmospheric seasonal stories. As usual with such anthologies, some stories are better than others. A nice collection however and a good way to.spend some time over the festive season.

[Dhawal Dhingra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read. Obviously, some stories are better than the others but all in all, I enjoyed reading the book.

[Lee Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christmas is not complete without some classic crime; and I now make reading a volume in the 'Murder at Christmas' series an annual tradition. Featuring a collection of festive mysteries, with appearances from Campion, Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, Chief Inspector Morse, and Rumpole amongst them, 'A Very Murderous Christmas' (indeed, the whole series) feels like Christmas with old favourites.

Amongst the stories I most enjoyed were Margery Allingham's 'The Man with the Sack', which finds Campion thwarting a Christmas burglary; Anthony Horowitz's tongue-in-cheek 'Camberwell Crackers', investigating the murder of an entrepreneur who recently invested in a cracker-making business; and Ruth Rendell bringing her masterful insight into the criminal mind to the bizarre 'Loopy'.

Overall, 'A Very Murderous Christmas' is an entertaining collection of nostalgia and criminality.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, in Britain, we've decided that Christmas + crime = comforting. G.K. Chesterton’s master criminal Flambeau summed it up when he said “my last crime was a Christmas crime, a cheery, cosy, English middle-class crime; a crime of Charles Dickens. I did it in a good old middle-class house near Putney, a house with a crescent of carriage drive, a house with a stable by the side of it, a house with the name on the two outer gates, a house with a monkey tree.”

My favourites in this collection were the Rumpole of the Bailey one, which has an excellent punchline, and the Anthony Horowitz one set in a Christmas cracker factory.

I could've done with a brief introduction to each short story, giving some context (e.g. original publication date, setting etc.).

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I'm being a bit generous with 3 stars. As is often the case with collections of stories, the standard of the stories here is variable and, on average, not high.

A couple of them though earn the book an extra star. Ruth Rendell's wonderfully creepy Loopy is one of them. The other is Edward Hoch's The Problem of Santa's Lighthouse, which is the cleverest and most absorbing of the stories.

I also liked the ending to Gladys Mitchell's The Jar of Ginger, though the route to it is a bit laborious.

[Pirate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An appropriate read for those who find several days in the bosom of the family a test of endurance -- especially in these days of Brexit -- and granny gives you the same pair of woolly socks and a knitted kipper tie for Christmas for the 15th year in a row. Enjoyable largely from the humour of Rumpole giving a nice balance to an extremely sinister one from Ruth Rendell called Loopy which takes the Oedipus complext to another level....A Problem in White by Nicholas Blake catches the eye too. Don't worry it will quell the urge to commit crime by the end and granny will be blissfully unware of how close an escape she had...till she hands you the same present next year!

[Trelawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of Christmas mysteries by a selection of authors. Particularly like the Margery Allingham and Anthony Horowitz ones. The Sherlock Holmes one was good too. May buy the other volumes in this collection.

[Andy Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard collection, but the Rumpole story was hilarious with brilliant multiple twists to finish. The Ruth Rendell one was particularly creepy, pre-dating the rise of the Fursona by several years *shudder* Quite a bit of filler here mind you.

[Giulia Villa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself wishing the stories were accompanied by a brief introduction of the author and some context notes about date of publication etc, so I could picture the setting more accurately.

Definitely want to read more of Ruth Rendell and Gladys Mitchell.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten short stories that are either classic crime in themselves or more modern additions to the classics. As is usually the case with short story crime, they tend to revolve on a little twist or an oddity of character fitting to the season. Enjoyable bite-sized read.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of crime stories with a loose festive theme, not all of which involve murder. A few of these stories were a bit too similar for my liking which made the reading of this book rather dull at a few points. Overall, there was not enough to maintain my steadfast interest. This book is probably best suited to those familiar with Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Morse and Rumpole of the Bailey. Stand-out story for me was Horowitz's highly amusing Camberwell Crackers.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Very Murderous Christmas is an enjoyable collection of short crime stories set during the festive season.
Not all of the stories feature murders, some centre around burglaries.
Authors include Ruth Rendell, G.K Chesterton, Anthony Horowitz and Marjory Allingham, to name but a few.
A Very Murderous Christmas is perfect, cosy Christmas reading.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love murder/mysteries and I thoroughly enjoyed this book of ten short stories.
The clues are all there, some of which I spotted, but I failed to solve any of the mysteries. I like to be surprised when I find out who actually committed the crime, as the enjoyment is ruined if it's too obvious who did it.
The stories are just the right length to keep the readers' interest, but short enough for a couple of them to be read in one sitting.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of these. Not just the same plot over and over and a mix of authors throughout the years.
The Ruth Rendell one was really weird though…

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read all the Cecily Gayford curated summer mysteries, I decided to read the volumes I have not yet read in the winter/Christmas themed collections. I have remarked before that, unlike the excellent British Library Classic Crime collections, the stories are usually heavily anthologised but I think this is the first in which I have previously read every one of the ten tales on offer. I was perfectly happy to read several of them again but I was glad that I had borrowed this copy from my local library; I may have been less so if I had paid money for it.

Favourite stories

Camberwell Crackers by Anthony Horowitz. Nice to see this story by Horowitz. It is set in a Christmas cracker factory in danger of being closed down by an avaricious new owner who happily meets an untimely end. Horowitz's lightness of touch is well in evidence here.

Loopy by Ruth Rendell. I went off Rendell many years ago but this is the second collection I have read recently in which one of her short stories reminded just how much I used to admire her. Here she digs down into the human psyche with her usual deft touch to tell the story of a mother and son and the woman who tried to come between them. The title is quite clever as well; short and sweet but with at least two meanings in the context of the story

Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces by John Mortimer. It felt really comfortable to reread this story about the irrepressible Rumpole of the Bailey, who turns the tables on one criminal and uncovers another by attending a pantomime, only to find that he has been outmaneuvered.

Least favourite

The Man With the Sack by Margery Allingham. I do remember reading this the first time - I found it unengaging and pointless, with Campion more annoying than usual and I found no reason to change my mind on this reading. Coincidentally, one of my least favourite stories in the last summer collection I read was a Campion story; I remarked how obvious it is that he is a pale imitation of Lord Peter Wimsey and that aspect is illustrated even more in this story

A Problem in White by Nicholas Blake. I usually like Blake but this story, which takes place mainly on a train stranded in the snow, I found tedious. It is a 'Can you solve this' mystery, in which when you get to the end the reader is invited to see if they can spot the clues and solve the mystery. The solution is then set out in the last couple of pages. I don't much like this format, I find it takes me out of the story and I don't generally want to keep a dog and bark myself.

The Jar of Ginger by Gladys Mitchell. Again, Mitchell was chosen as a least favourite in the one of the summer collections and it has dawned on me that I just don't care much for her style. Even here, I found the story leaden and overwritten. The only blessing is that the series detective, Mrs Bradley, does not appear here.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of mysteries with a Christmas theme, raging from pretty poor and forgettable to just OK. It's par for the course that short story collections, whether single author or a collection based on some theme, will be a mixed bag; if you're lucky there will be a couple of jewels among the dross. But in this volume, there's nothing that really stands out, nothing with any "wow" factor. My three stars are based on average scores for the stories.

The Sherlock Holmes story, "The Adventure of the Red Widow," co-written by John Dickson Carr and Adrian Conan Doyle (yes, one of those Conan Doyles ...) is probably the best of the bunch. Channels the original A. Conan Doyle very effectively, and it's a pretty good mystery. I enjoyed the Gladys Mitchell story "The Jar of Ginger," because I like her snarky writing style. (She is the author of the Mrs. Bradley novels, some of which were adapted for TV by the BBC, starring Diana Rigg as the wonderfully snarky psychologist/sleuth Mrs. Bradley. They are well worth reading!) But if you couldn't see the ending coming from the first line, then you have never read a "twist in the tale" story before!

I enjoyed the Margery Allingham, Colin Dexter and John Mortimer stories, because if was fun to spend some time with detectives Albert Campion, Inspector Morse and Rumpole of the Bailey, even in sub-par adventures.

And the Anthony Horowitz story, "Camberell Crackers," was very silly but fun -- probably the best use of the Christmas theme.

I read this as the holiday selection for the Book Group, and one of my fellow members made the very good point that this would have been much better, and more interesting, collection if there had been a brief introduction to each story, saying something about the author, and putting each story into the context of their other work.

[Becca Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crime stories at Christmas time, what’s not to like? I enjoyed some more than others! The best ones were:

Camberwell Crackers by Anthony Horowitz: A owner of a cracker factory is found dead in a gruesome way. But quite deservingly.

A Problem In White by Nicholas Blake- There’s a murder on a train line. This was excellent and extremely clever. Reminded me of Agatha Christie.

Morse’s Greatest Mystery by Colin Dexter- I use to watch Morse with my mam so I knew I’d like this. Morse was very nice in this one.

The Adventure of The Red Widow- Adrian Conan Doyle & John Dickson Carr- I’d never read any Sherlock Holmes before, always wanted to but never gotten around to it. It didn’t disappoint! Such a clever little story!

The Problem of Santa’s Lighthouse- Edward Hoch. This was a story of a doctor going through a town and stopped at the local lighthouse. Owned by a brother and sister, the brother is murdered and the doctor must help who would want to murder him! Really enjoyed this.

Synopsis:

The Christmas season is one of comfort and joy, sparkling lights and steam rising from cups of mulled wine at frosty carol services. A season of goodwill, as families and friends come together to forget their differences and celebrate.

Unless, of course, you happen to be harbouring a grudge. Or hiding a guilty secret. Or you want something so much you just have to have it - whatever the cost. In A Very Murderous Christmas, ten of the best classic crime writers come together to unleash festive havoc, with murder, mayhem and twists aplenty.

From a murder aboard a snow-bound train to a pantomime costume that takes on a life of its own, these are mysteries as rich and satisfying as a Christmas dinner.

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot more hit and miss than the previous Christmas crime collection, mainly because all three modern attempts at the form are absolute stinkers: Colin Dexter’s central idea here is a great one but the Morse story feels like it’s his notes for a proper tale that he submitted in a panic, with most of the story just a précis; Rendell’s contribution feels like a scanty idea for a Vine novel that she realised would’ve been terrible so instead turns it into a terrible short story instead; Horowitz is the worst, with a thin joke of a story trying desperately to feel like a classic crime story but instead sounding like a jocular uncle laughing in a really strained way at you at a Christmas party to cover the fact he’s going through a bitter divorce (plus a really, really weird joke about Estonians that just dribbles out)

All the others? Absolutely great. Blake’s story is a nice touch with a puzzle for the reader; the Allingham story is a bit more conventional than the one in Murder for Christmas but still allows Campion to shine at his best; the Hoch story threatens to get very, very weird but at the last minute just about saves itself despite a decidedly dodgy motive... it just reminds you that the golden age writers were better at short stories because there was a regular audience to hone your skills with them. That’s pretty much gone now (unlike horror, which has a significantly smaller but still thriving short form world tootling along nicely) and it really tells when the modern writers try and apply it