Ein Mord zu Weihnachten

Mordecai Tremaine #4

by Francis Duncan

Alljährlich lädt Benedict Grame Familie, Freunde und Bekannte zum Weihnachtsessen auf sein kleines britisches Landgut ein. Im Kreise seiner Lieben inszeniert er ein großes Festtagsspektakel. Dieses Jahr steht auch Mordecai Tremaine auf der Gästeliste. Der ehemalige Tabakhändler mit einer Schwäche für Liebesromane hat sich auch als Hobbydetektiv einen Namen gemacht – und ist vom Privatsekretär des Gastgebers beauftragt worden, die Geladenen im Auge zu behalten. Und tatsächlich: Jedes Mitglied dieser illustren Gesellschaft scheint etwas zu verbergen. Mordecai tastet sich durch ein Netz aus Lügen, Untreue, Erpressung und Verrat. Spätestens als um Mitternacht zwischen den Geschenken unter dem Baum eine Leiche liegt, ist ihm klar: Diese Weihnacht wird alles andere als besinnlich.

Erstmals 1949 veröffentlicht, ist dieser stimmungsvolle Krimi eine echte Weihnachtswiederentdeckung.

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Fiction, Holiday, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Crime

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

About the author

Francis Duncan is the pseudonym for William Walter Frank Underhill, who was born in 1914. He lived virtually all his life in Bristol and was a 'scholarship boy' boarder at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital school. Due to family circumstances he was unable to go to university and started work in the Housing Department of Bristol City Council. Writing was always important to him and very early on he published articles in newspapers and magazines. His first detective story was published in 1936. In 1938 he married Sylvia Henly. Although a conscientious objector, he served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II, landing in France shortly after D-Day. After the war he trained as a teacher and spent the rest of his life in education, first as a primary school teacher and then as a lecturer in a college of further education. In the 1950s he studied for an external economics degree from London University. No mean feat with a family to support; his daughter, Kathryn, was born in 1943 and his son, Derek, in 1949. Throughout much of this time he continued to write detective fiction from 'sheer inner necessity', but also to supplement a modest income. He enjoyed foreign travel, particularly to France, and took up golf on retirement. He died of a heart attack shortly after celebrating his fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1988.

List of published short stories:

* Enter Trigger Gallante [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Oct 23 1937
* Getting On in the World: Back-Yard Floriculturists, (ar) The Saturday Evening Post Apr 5 1930
* The Girl with the Million Pound Secret [Trigger Gallante], (na) Detective Weekly Jan 15 1938
* The House of the Lost Men, (na) Detective Weekly Jan 9 1937
* Househunting for Luck, (ss) Gloucester Journal Feb 8 1936
* The Man Who Shrugged [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 19 1938
* The Mystery of the House Nobody Owned [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Jan 29 1938
* The Riddle of the Cheshire Cheese [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 26 1938
* The Secret of the Tramp Ship [Trigger Gallante], (ss) Detective Weekly Feb 12 1938

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan is a 2015 Vintage Digital publication. (Originally published in 1949)


A ‘Dickensian’ Christmas tradition gone horribly awry.

This story is billed as a classic Christmas mystery, but in all honesty, I’d never heard of Francis Duncan or this book until about a month ago. I was intrigued, especially since I have no problem finding holiday romances, but struggle to find a Christmas mystery that isn’t a part of a very long running series. As it turns out, this is an excellent holiday mystery and is exactly the type of book I'd been looking for!

Mordecai Tremaine has been invited to spend Christmas with at Benedict Grame’s country retreat. He accepts the invitation with no small amount of eagerness, due to an almost prophetic assurance within his own mind that he might get a chance to use his newly acquired and highly praised detecting skills.

Sure enough, by Christmas morning a murder has taken place and Tremaine is commissioned by local law enforcement to help them solve the crime.

With a house full of guests, all having exhibited odd behavior, or have clear and obvious motives, Tremaine has his work cut out for him.

It’s Christmas, and love is in the air, starting with Tremaine's honest admission that he enjoys romantic fiction. However, he gets more than his share of lover’s conflicts while staying at the country estate, including secret affairs, forbidden love and love triangles, all pointing to possible motives for murder.

This story is a classic representation of a proper British mystery. I’m glad I stumbled across this little gem and hope to find the other books in this series, as well.

Although the plot moves slowly at times, and the excitement level is rather low key, with the characterization taking center stage, I was always engaged in the story and found the all the characters and their pasts to be very interesting.

There were several possible motives, and hidden agendas among the gathered guests, which kept me in the dark until the last chapter. With many of these older mysteries, it is easier to spot the killer early on, but it is still fun to watch the way the author fits all the pieces together. But, this one was very clever and sly, and I honestly couldn't be sure who the murderer was.

I ended up enjoying this novel more than I would have imagined. This is a perfect mystery to curl up with on a cold winter night!!

Although this is a classic novel, you won’t have any trouble finding it, since it is now available in digital format. (If your library offers ‘Hoopla’ you can check it out now, with no hold time!)




4 stars

[Anissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't believe this was just okay for me. It had all the things. The country house. Snow. Christmas tree and trimmings. An assortment of characters that wish to be elsewhere and with others to varying degrees. The perfect ingredients for strife and murder with plenty of suspects. And finally, an amateur sleuths.

And yet.

The murder finally takes place in the eighth chapter. Not the halfway mark but there are only eighteen chapters so, way to long to get to on with it. And all that preceded it was not riveting enough to make up for that. Not one of the characters were interesting or memorable enough in all that is related about them to offset the delay and overall felt like tedium.

The end is fine as were the revelation of the murderer and why but I just didn't really care much by then. I am totally surprised that this is my review but even the setting couldn't save it for me. I'd read another in this series but right now I'm going to hopefully find another seasonal read.

[BrokenTune · Rating 2 out of 5]

NO one could have foretold how it was going to end.
Not even the murderer.

Well, that's not quite true... I had the murderer picked out @41% and even had a hunch about the motive ... because the setup of this story reminded me of a Graham Greene story.

The downside of all this was that the following 59% of the book were pure tedium.

It is a shame because the Preview of the book, where we get a snap shot of the discovery of the victim before the story has even been set up, made for fun reading. Unfortunately, the actual story was riddled with excruciatingly over-written internal monologue, and no reference to Dickensian characters or attempts at a Poirot-like MC could make up for it.

[Mayke ☕️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book review to come and see for other reviews and posts my blog (bio)
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What a fun classic murder mystery to read around this time. I felt quite cozy and easy to read. The amount of characters felt overwhelming in the beginning, but I managed to distinguish and seperate them well. Overall a nice relaxing read for the December month.

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a novel in an audio format - & I hope I am being completely fair to this novel. If anyone has any tips for staying engaged during an audio read, let me know below! What I found (late in the read) worked for me was doing housework at the same time or sitting outside on my deck. Lying on my bed I fell asleep, on my computer I got too distracted!

Narrator Geoffrey Beevers has a rich plummy voice, perfect for reading a Golden Age mystery. For an audio, for me there was too many characters to keep track of & Our Hero kept being called Mordecai Tremaine (rather than just one of his names) in the narration. A little thing like this wouldn't bother me in print, listening it was grating.

The pace of the novel was too slow (& it was repetitive) & increasing to 1.25 took away from the pleasure of listening to Beever's rich voice. The whodunnit at the end took 37 minutes! & the reason for Tremaine being brought to Benedict Grame's manor was pretty unlikely.

While I have Spotify Premium I may try a short 21st century book, in the hopes that a recent book is more suited to the format.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally fall in love with the quintessential British murder mystery landscape. A house party, a smattering of assorted guests with hidden agendas, a sleuth in the midst, and ultimately a murder. You would even think I'd love this one more so since it takes place at Christmas! Yet, despite a few Agatha Christie references, this one fell flat. I just couldn't get into the story and it felt like a rehearsed play devoid of depth. If that makes sense? The characters were somewhat interesting, yet flat. I kind of guessed at the identity of the culprit early on which sort of ruined it for me. And the threads of the plot were so loosely unfolded that when it wound together for the ending, it just seemed like a rushed hodge podge towards the finish line.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as a classic Christmas mystery with mulled wine, mince pies and murder, I have taken a small step out of my comfort zone, as traditional country house murders are not usually my thing. However, it is with some delight that I can report that I really rather enjoyed this Christie-esque mystery with its oddball cast of characters, and a rather intriguing amateur detective, Mordecai Tremaine…

Mordecai Tremaine, former tobacconist and perennial lover of romance novels, has been invited to spend Christmas in the sleepy village of Sherbroome at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame. Arriving on Christmas Eve, he finds the revelries in full flow, but tensions run high between an assortment of guests. Midnight strikes and the guests discover it’s not just presents nestling under the tree…there’s a dead body too. A body that bears a strong resemblance to Santa Claus. As the snow intensifies and everyone a possible suspect, it’s up to amateur sleuth Tremaine to sniff out the culprit, and an intriguing investigation ensues.

With typical Golden Age panache, Duncan immerses us in a mystery of everyday grasping rich folk, with a finite group of suspects in an atmosphere of entitlement. Throw into the mix the seemingly unassuming character of Tremiane and a taciturn police detective, Superintendent Cannock, and the resemblance to some of Agatha Christie’s finest works is undeniable. Tremaine is a wonderfully affable and good-humoured man, which belies his sharp wits and natural observation of his fellow guests. Having sharpened his powers of detection in a previous case, but now striving to duck under the radar of the attendant publicity, he cannot resist the temptation of this invite to the home of a man that he has only met briefly, but soon his sleuthing nose is set a-twitching. With all of his fellow guests in the frame for the murder of the be-suited Santa Claus, he finds himself encountering blackmail, embezzlement, greed and thwarted love. Although some of the guests are aware of his sleuthing credentials, there are some token moments of loose lips sinking ships, as Tremaine undertakes his own investigation. Duncan’s characterisation of the guests is also well-drawn throughout from the touching relationship of young lovers Denys and Roger, the grumpy scientist Lorring, the natural ebullience of the lord of the manor Benedict Grame, and the contrasting characters of the mousey Charlotte (Benedict’s sister), the temptress Lucia Tristam, along with others. In the rarefied air of this country house, you get a real sense of a country Christmas, with the popping of the fire, the luxurious surroundings, and the gentle falling of snow outside. It’s all very festive indeed. Apart from the surprise gift of a cold-blooded murder.

To his credit, Duncan keeps the reader in suspense until the final few pages as to the guilty party, and it was refreshing to read a book of this ilk where the culprit remains so well hidden, but with a believable conclusion. As I alluded to, apart from a dipping into Poirot on the small screen, Golden Age mysteries hold little appeal for me as a rule, but this was a welcome surprise. And I didn’t guess the killer. Will you?

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having enjoyed, “Murder for Motive,” I was interested to read the second mystery featuring Mordecai Tremaine.

Mordecai Tremaine has been invited to spend Christmas at the country house of Benedict Grame. He is surprised at the invitation, as, although he met Grame, and his companion and secretary, Nicholas Blaise, he does not know them well. However, he is intrigued by a postscript to the invitation, by the secretary, asking for his help and he decides to go.

Christmas Eve brings snow, and a collection of guests, including a politician and a scientist. What is more, there seems to be little Christmas spirit – rather a feeling of unease, with issues between some of the guests causing friction and argument. Santa, though, does arrive. Indeed, he is found dead, beneath the Christmas tree…

This is a fairly typical Christmas mystery, with a number of suspects and motives. I think I preferred the first in the series more, but I liked this enough to read on.

Rated 3.5.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a very enjoyable Golden Age mystery, with a strong festive atmosphere. It's set at a house party, with a motley selection of guests, including Duncan's series detective, mild-mannered tobacconist Mordecai Tremaine, who has a secret passion for romantic literature.

Inevitably, Tremaine finds himself having to investigate a murder and unravelling the secrets of his fellow-guests. The book is very well written, witty and readable, and kept me guessing to the end (I did guess the killer, but it was just a lucky guess, as I didn't get why or how until it was explained!) , and Tremaine is an appealing character. I'm hoping that the whole series of Tremaine books will now be reprinted. Fingers crossed.

After revisiting a second time, in 2018, I was slightly less keen on this and noticed a lot of unlikely elements in the plot. This time round I listened to it on audio book and I think perhaps it isn't strong enough to hold my attention in that format. I didn't remember whodunit until quite late on.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan was originally released in 1949 and you can tell it is a classic. I loved the old-school whodunnit feel and the audio really puts you in the mood for the setting. The narrator is John Curless, and he was the perfect person to voice this book. It is told completely from the viewpoint of our main character Mordecai Tremaine, and he is such a fun viewpoint. Listening to this book reminded me of a game of Clue, or maybe the movie Knives Out, in the best possible way. There are tons of suspects and I for one did not guess the killer.

I thought it was pretty suspenseful throughout and I loved the setting in a country mansion. Lots of readers have mentioned that this is a Golden Age mystery, and I definitely agree with that. I haven't read too many books set in this period, but I have loved all of the ones I have, and now I can add Murder for Christmas to that list. This was my first time reading this author and I had actually never even heard of him before, so I am looking forward to reading more of his books and the other books in this series. It seems they are being re-released now plus they are on audio, so I will be taking advantage of that. Even though this is book four of the Mordecai Tremaine series, it didn't feel like I was missing anything, so I would consider it great as a standalone. If you are looking for a classic whodunnit this is the perfect read for December!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Yun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder for Christmas is a quintessential old-fashioned English murder mystery, set during the holidays, complete with an old manor, shifty figures, secrets, and all the holiday trimmings. The story itself has a slow and delicious pace, perfect for reading while snuggling up with a blanket and a hot cup of tea. As the story went on, I started to see parts of what was going on, but it was still fun to read to the end and see how everything ties together. It's my first introduction to amateur detective Mordecai Tremaine, and I look forward to reading more from the series.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

"»Mord«, erwiederte er, »zeugt selten von gutem Geschmack.«" - Francis Duncan, "Ein Mord zu Weihnachten"

Der Hobbydetektiv und ehemalige Tabakhändler Mordecai Tremaine wird unerwartet eingeladen, die Weihnachtsfeiertage auf dem kleinen britischen Landgut von Benedict Grame zu verbringen. Er ist eigentlich nicht sonderlich gut bekannt mit dem Gastgeber, dessen Privatsekretär bittet Tremaine aber inständig, an den Feierlichkeiten teilzunehmen - denn er spürt, dass sich schreckliche Dinge in dem altehrwürdigen Gemäuer zutragen werden. Also macht sich Tremaine in ein verschlafenes und vor allem verschneites Eckchen Englands auf, um seiner Leidenschaft, der Detektivarbeit, zu frönen.

Alte englische Krimis haben einfach was. Bereits 1949 wurde "Ein Mord zu Weihnachten" erstmals veröffentlicht und 2017 vom Dumont-Verlag wiederentdeckt - zum Glück! Denn Francis Duncans weihnachtlicher Kriminalroman kann sich wirklich sehen lassen und war sowohl spannend, als auch sehr stimmungsvoll und gemütlich.

In bester Agatha-Christie-Manier begleiten wir den leidenschaftlichen Detektiven auf der Suche nach dem Täter und der Wahrheit, Puzzleteil um Puzzleteil findet an seinen Platz und zum Miträtseln kommt man auf jeder Seite. Ich liebe diese Art von Kriminalromanen sehr und habe mich rein vom Setting auch häufiger an den letztes Jahr im Kino erschienenen Film "Knives out" (gibt es mittlerweile bei Amazon Prime, unbedingt schauen falls noch nicht geschehen!) erinnert gefühlt.

Schnee, ein imposanter Weihnachtsbaum, ein verschlafenes Städtchen mit Cafés und Kneipen, ein verwinkeltes altes Landgut - schon allein deshalb lohnt es sich, dieses Buch zu lesen. Hinzu kommen viele Charaktere, für die es etwas Zeit braucht, bis man sie alle auseinander halten kann, die aber alle ihren Charme hatten und ein klassischer, etwas ältlicher Schreibstil.

Für mich ein rundum spannender und gelungener Krimi, der mich richtig in Weihnachtsstimmung gebracht hat!

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wüsste ich es nicht bereits durch Agatha Christie besser, wäre ich doch von dem gewissen Charme in englischen Krimis enttäuscht.
Denn was ich bekam, war altbacken und so gar nicht charmant. Man merkt dem Roman sein Alter an - er erschien 1949 - oder doch eher das des Autors. Francis Duncan war 1914 geboren worden und seine Figuren entsprechen doch sehr damals gängigen Klischees: das verwirrte Dummchen,der attraktive und erfolgsgewohnte Mittvierziger etc.
Ich wurde den Verdacht nicht los, dass Duncan die Figur des Hercule Poirot kannte und sich dachte, dass könne er auch. Herrausgekommen ist ein, ich kann es nicht anders sagen, kleiner Widerling. Man hat durchaus nicht den Eindruck, dass er so pfiffig ist wie sein großes Vorbild. Er kupfert es nur ab und das merkt man.
Und ich mochte es wirklich nicht, wie der Autor die Figuren gestalte hat. Frauen sind maximal schön, sonst verfügen sie über keine Vorzüge. Die Männer sind dagegen "die Herren der Schöfpung". Ständig hat irgendwer ein gewinnendes Lächeln. Die ganze Atmosphäre ist sehr piefig und anstrengend.
Zuletzt ist Duncan ein Erklärbär und alles mögliche wird immer wieder erzählt oder erklärt. Seine Geschichte ist mit Ausnahme des Endes sehr vorhersehbar. Da Mordecai Tremaine - der immer mit vollem Namen genannt wurde - über das Wissen des Autoren verfügt, um es mal so zu sagen, kann er auch den Fall lösen. Was er da zusammenkonstruiert, ist schon weit hergeholt.
Beistpiel
ACHTUNG SPOILER
Mordecai Tremaine stellt den Täter und in einer langatmigen Ausführung erklärt er ihm, warum er es ist und wie alles ablief. Die beiden sind allein in einem Raum. Vorher bat er den Komissar um Hilfe, da er noch Beweise bräuchte. Ja! Der Komissar lauscht die ganze Zeit an der Tür und betritt dann zur Rettung des Helden den Raum. Tada!

Mein Tipp. Lest das Original. Lest Agatha Christie.

Das sind z.B. Weihnachtsgeschichten.

[Susan in NC · Rating 3 out of 5]

12/2024: more 3.5 stars; likable amateur detective, but a bit of a mishmash as a character- supposed to be a good investigator, but comes across as a nosy, sentimental (he secretly reads romance stories) middle aged man. Nothing wrong with that, but he doesn’t really draw me in or bring me back to the story. I noticed in my previous review, also, that there are too many characters to keep track of, and slow to get to the murder…also found the murder method too elaborate.

2018: Well, that was a satisfying and twisty motive - well done! I really enjoyed this, my first Mordecai Tremaine mystery, read with the Reading the Detectives group.

I love British Golden Age mysteries, but wanted to explore authors I had missed over the years; I really like this amateur sleuth, and will look for Duncan’s other mysteries. At first, I wasn’t really drawn in, because several of the Christmas house party guests seemed edgy and unhappy to be present, which confused me; also, there wasn’t much dry, British humor, which I have come to expect from reading Golden Age favorites like Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie and Georgette Heyer (I’ll be reading Envious Casca next - another house party murder mystery). The ending, however, with Tremaine’s intricate and very clever summation (Poirot-style!) of the motive - to the murderer - took me by surprise and explained the lack of humor and claustrophobic feel of the house party! I hadn’t seen it coming at all, and had to toss out the motives and suspects I thought were correct! Kudos to Duncan, gobsmacked me in a very satisfying conclusion.

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not the best English village Christmas murder mystery I've read - and I've read lots! - nor was it the worst. Amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine has been invited to the annual Christmas party hosted by Benedict Grame in his country house. He is puzzled because he has only just met Grame at a party in the city. But Nicholas Blaise, Grame's secretary, has sent the invitation, explaining he thinks something bad is going to happen at the party, and knows Tremaine has discreetly helped solve crimes at other country homes. At the heart of this party are a number of regular guests, a rival of Grame's of sorts and a pair of young lovers who feel the world is against them. Throw in a Christmas tree decorated with hand-picked gifts for each guest and Grame dressing up as Father Christmas and you've got a recipe for murder and intrigue. I was kept guessing right up to the big reveal!

A couple of things made me laugh, not about the story but about the main protagonist. Mordecai Tremaine was never called Mordecai, nor was he called Tremaine, but always referred to as Mordecai Tremaine. Maybe this stood out more to me because I listened. The second thing that gave me a chuckle was that Mordecai Tremaine came as a matched set with his Pince Nez. He was often looking over his PN, he was pushing his PN up on his nose, he took his PN off to rub his eyes, etc. ad nauseum! Written in 1949, the Pince Nez made me wonder what era this was set in as PN's were worn mainly in the late 1800's.

This was a quick listen, well narrated by John Curless.

Why I'm reading this: Kicking off my annual holiday/winter reads with this classic village murder mystery.

[Jazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this Golden Age mystery set in a country house at Christmas. A closed group of suspects with an amateur detective among the group makes for an intriguing murder mystery. And of course, Mordecai Tremaine explains all in the end bringing it to a satisfying conclusion. Great fun! I’d never heard of Duncan before but will eagerly seek out his other books now that a number are back in print.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s better than an old-fashioned English country house party murder? Why, an old-fashioned English country house party murder at Christmas!

I really enjoyed Murder Has a Motive, the second entry in a series featuring the mild-mannered amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine. It’s the only one I’d read, so I was pleased at a second chance with Murder for Christmas, which is the fourth novel in the series. Author Francis Duncan didn’t disappoint. Tremaine attends a weeklong Christmas party at the country home of the genial Benedict Grame with an ill-assorted group of people. To no reader’s surprise, there’s a murder. (Hey, it’s in the title!) Tremaine, in his diffident way, unravels the crime to discover a perpetrator I never guessed. Highly recommended.

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever mystery with an absolutely charming amateur detective.
Mordecai Tremaine is 60+ yr old bachelor with a fondness for solving mysteries. By nature an optimist and a romantic, with a hefty dose of sentimentality, he really wants to believe that people are good. However, he also possesses a sharp intellect and the willingness to confront evil when it appears. I loved him.
The author has a fine style and a nice touch with the characters, all of whom were deftly presented. This is a classic 'murder during a house party' story, with our suspects being those staying at the house. Lots of twists and turns made for an engrossing read.

I am so happy that this book has been rescued from obscurity and that we will soon be treated to more stories featuring the lovely Mr Tremaine.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Für mich war das ein entspannter Weihnachtskrimi, der mich recht gut unterhalten hat. Müsste ich nur die Handlung bewerten, hätte sich dieser Roman sicher vier Sterne verdient, die Übersetzung finde ich allerdings sehr holprig zu lesen und - obwohl das sicher nur Kleinigkeiten sind - ich mag es nicht, wenn auf Seite 34 eine Distanz noch in Meilen angegeben wird, auf Seite 41 dann aber in Kilometern.
Bei diesem Krimi kann man als Leser super mitraten, was mir Spaß gemacht hat und teilweise konnte ich die Verbrechen lösen, die Auflösung war dann in einigen Punkten doch überraschend aber stimmig.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder for Christmas

This book was written in the 1940s and republished several years ago. It is an old-fashioned mystery, set in an English manor house where a number of unrelated guests have gathered to celebrate Christmas at the invitation of the confirmed bachelor who owns the historic home. One of the guests, Mordecai Tremaine, is an amateur sleuth, invited by the owner’s personal assistant who suspects something unnamed but sinister is about to happen. Of course, there is a murder and Tremaine is quietly enlisted by the local Superintendent of police to assist in solving the crime. Thereby commences an intrigue—every one of the invited guests could be a suspect and the suspense builds ( a little) as Mordecai goes about his investigation. It’s light, interesting and sort of fun. Not the edge of your seat, read all night novel, but enjoyable. Written at a different time, in today’s world we might think the story could have been more condensed, but I recommend the book nonetheless as a pleasant holiday read.

[Annette Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first mystery featuring the endearing old gentleman with the wonderful name of Mordecai Tremaine, but I enjoyed it so much that I’ve ordered all of the others in this series and finished a second one that was equally as good. This does not seem to me to be a series that you have to read in order, and since I started in the middle I plan to continue jumping around. Mordecai has a soft spot - he is a romantic soul - but that doesn’t stop him from being able to see through criminals with an observant eye. These are my kind of mysteries!

[Abigail Bok · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unless you're a superfan of Golden Age mysteries set in a country house party at Christmas, I don't recommend reading two of them back to back, as I just did with this and Envious Casca. Both feature an ill-assorted crew of cranky people who don't want to celebrate the holidays together, with mutual animus that leads to a murder.

In this effort, amateur sleuth Mordecai Tremaine is invited to spend Christmas in the home of a man he's barely met; the host's private secretary has added a personal message to the letter of invitation, hinting at mystery and danger, which intrigues Tremaine enough that he agrees to attend. He is met outside the gates by a sinister and hostile figure, and inside the gates by a group of strangers who all seem to have something to hide. The host is determined to treat them all to a full-on traditional holiday complete with decorated tree, carol singing, and Father Christmas impersonation, even though there are no children present, and guests are instructed to play along, which they dutifully do with varying degrees of grace. As expected, the festivities end in disaster and death.

The setup and cast of characters had potential, but I found this book barely competent as a murder mystery. Tremaine is supposed to be a sweet sentimentalist and yet simultaneously a relentless investigator, but he seemed just a muddle to me, his personality and mood shifting from scene to scene in response to the demands of the plot. The author seeks to delay the reader's enlightenment by concealing clues, which I consider cheating: for instance, Tremaine at one point looks in the basin of dirt that holds the Christmas tree, but we aren't told what he finds there. Foul!

By the time we got to the grand reveal of the perp and method of killing, I'm afraid, the author had lost me. I guessed some elements of the mystery (the likely killer and the intended victim), but the red herrings seemed arbitrary and the method of killing preposterous. Tremaine's explanation of how he sussed it all out was equally preposterous, and the perp's reaction so predictable as to leave me yawning. I could have done without this one.

[Melissa Joulwan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn’t bad, really, but I got about halfway through and realized I just didn’t care.

[Kate | KatesBookNook · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for a lovely vintage Christmas mystery, but this was soooooo slow. Exceptionally long winded descriptions and almost nothing happened in the majority of the book. Should’ve been a DNF

[DziwakLiteracki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Połowa grudnia już za nami, śnieg prószy za oknem, a długie wieczory maksymalnie rozpieszczają; zapach pomarańczy, ciepło bijące z kominka, gruby koc i wciągająca powieść, to absolutny niezbędnik każdego książkoholika. Sama w tym roku złapałam się na tym, że ochoczo sięgam po historie mocno osadzone w świątecznym klimacie. Prym wiedzie kryminał oraz sensacja, ponieważ ani romans, ani literatura obyczajowa nie do końca trafiają w mój gust. Za to tajemnicze morderstwo, skomplikowana zagadka, czy śledztwo poprowadzone pod dyktando domorosłego detektywa, już owszem; nic nie sprawia mi przyjemności bardziej, niż zbrodnia w eleganckim stylu!
****

Mordecai Tremaine, jako doświadczony badacz nielegalnych przedsięwzięć, czuje niejakie zdziwienie, gdy otrzymuje zaproszenie do posiadłości szacownego dżentelmena, którego przyszło mu poznać ledwie parę tygodniu temu. Święta Bożego Narodzenia zazwyczaj mają charakter stricte rodzinny, więc zaskoczenie jest znaczne, bowiem on, Mordecai, do grona rodziny z pewnością nie należy, o szczególnej zażyłości ze swym dobrodziejem, nie wspominając. Ciekawość jednak rośnie, wyobraźnia pracuje, instynkt podpowiada jedno: na przekór logice oraz chęciom, należy wybrać się do wiejskiego dworku, by spędzić w gronie nieznajomych wigilijny wieczór. I jak się szybko okazuje, ta decyzja była strzałem w dziesiątkę – mury domostwa kryją wiele sekretów oraz… Trupa Świętego Mikołaja.
****

Klasyczny angielski kryminał ma to do siebie, że zawsze, ale to zawsze, kojarzyć się będzie z twórczością Agathy Christie. Zresztą to bardzo chwalebne skojarzenie, przydające gatunkowi wspaniałych cech i ogólnej świetności. Nie dziwi też zbytnio chęć czerpania z ów motywów; są one na tyle uniwersalne, atrakcyjne i pociągające, by pragnąć w pełni z nich korzystać.
Francis Duncan, autor ,,Morderstwa na święta’’, ochoczo po schemat ‘zbrodni w zamkniętej przestrzeni’ sięga. Ale, co może dziwić, wcale nie przekształca go na własną modłę, wręcz przeciwnie - pozostaje wierny pierwowzorowi; zamiast zabawy konceptem, przedstawia swemu czytelnikowi oczywistą oczywistość, z jasno określonymi priorytetami i jednoznacznym kierunkiem. Wypełnia historię nie innowacją, nie świeżością pomysłu, oryginalnością, niebanalnością, lecz wszystkim tym, co swojskie i dobrze znane.
Jedyny przejaw ekstrawagancji dostrzec można w tworzeniu arcyskomplikowanej intrygi, gdzie bohater musi się zmierzyć z rozwiązaniami wykraczającymi poza wszelkie ramy; gdzie należy porzucić zwyczajowe traktowanie tematu, powszechne rozumowanie, logikę zwyczajowo podejmowanych działań.

Duncan zdaje się doskonale rozumieć istotę kryminału jako powieści rozpalającej zmysły. Jego książka jest lekka, a jednocześnie skrajnie absorbująca. Kreśli on interesujące postaci, nadaje im wyśmienity rys psychologiczny, w tle akcji umiejscawia wiekową posiadłość, tworząc wokół niej urokliwą aurę mroku oraz niepewności. Całości dopełnia zaś nie tylko fantastycznie zagmatwaną zagadką kryminalną, ale i sylwetką detektywa o nieprzeniknionej naturze i błyskotliwej inteligencji. Całość wypada nadzwyczaj udanie, bo wszystkie elementy doskonale się uzupełniają. Humor, elegancja, odrobina makabry i groteski…
Zdecydowanie, to jedna z tych mile komfortowych lektur, które uprzyjemniają zimowe wieczory!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

My choice of Christmas Theme Book for Friday Book Fix! A good old fashoned Who Dunnit? One of the Vintage Murder Mystery series, all written between about 1937 and 1959 so no forensics or computer records.
Set in a country house, with a house party of assorted charaters, gathering to celebrate Christmas with their host. Unfortuanely one of them was murdered and it was up to Mordecai Tremaine, an amateur sleuth, to solve the mystery.

[Turtelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hat mir sehr gefallen! Absolut erfrischend einen klassischen Krimi zu lesen, ohne wahnsinnige Psychopathen drumherum. Das Setting war genial und was ist besser als ein toter Weihnachtsmann unterm Christbaum mit einem Haus voller Verdächtiger? Ich fands genial und werde sicher mehr aus dieser Reihe lesen.

[Kiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was fun! I think I would have like it more if I read it before my last 2 recents, but still enjoyable! I felt like I was playing a board game of clue, definitely got some cozy mystery vibes from me.

[John Frankham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fun in this golden age whodunit. If a Father Christmas is murdered, is it the man intended? And perhaps more than one house guest was dressed as him and seen out in the house and garden that Xmas eve!

The GR blurb:

'A festive mystery for the holiday season: mulled wine, mince pies... and murder

When Mordecai Tremaine arrives at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve, he discovers that the revelries are in full swing in the sleepy village of Sherbroome--but so too are tensions amongst the assortment of guests.

When midnight strikes, the partygoers discover that presents aren't the only things nestled under the tree...there's a dead body too. A dead body that bears a striking resemblance to Father Christmas. With the snow falling and suspicions flying, it's up to Mordecai to sniff out the culprit--and prevent anyone else from getting murder for Christmas.'

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“No,” he said. “But I’m curious. I’m wondering just why you’ve been talking to me as you have.”
“What do you mean?” she said quickly, but the telltale color was in her cheeks. Mordecai Tremaine thought that it made her look very lovely. He said, “I don’t think our conversation has been altogether casual. After all, I’m a stranger, and yet you’ve been ready to tell me all sorts of things I hardly imagine you usually tell to strangers. And I can’t help wondering why.”
For an instant or two she faced him, the flush in her cheeks. “All right,” she finally said. “You win. What do you want me to tell you?”
“Only why you’re troubled. And only if you want to tell me.”
“I do want to tell you,” she returned slowly. “And yet I don’t know what there is to tell. I know that sounds stupid,” she added hastily, seeing his look of surprise, “but there isn’t any other way to express it.”
“You feel,” said Mordecai Tremaine, “that something is going to happen, but you can’t give that something a name or do anything to stop it, and you feel restless and frustrated.”
“That’s it,” she said eagerly. “That’s just the way I feel. Why is it? What is it that frightens me?”
“I’m a stranger,” he told her. “All I can see is a rather jolly house party getting ready to enjoy Christmas in a really old-fashioned way.”
“Perhaps it is like that."

With the dead man’s shadow lying oppressively over this Christmas night party, there was something of the macabre in Grame’s apparent lightheartedness, something that gave him the air of a painted clown frolicking in a graveyard.

There was a sense of oppression in his soul. All the deep love of sentiment that was a part of him was stirring in helpless revolt. It was all wrong that greed and hatred, fear and violence should find their way into the lovely places of the earth. It was all wrong that the cold winter beauty upon which he was gazing should be marred by man’s inability to live in charity with his neighbors and that murder should lie like an evil smudge across perfection. He liked to feel that the sun shone always upon lovers. He liked to feel that God was in His Heaven and that all was right with a world in which there was no false note. Perhaps it was a sign of weakness in him. Perhaps it was a shrinking from reality, a refusal to face the bitter truths of existence. But it was an integral part of him, and he could not change it.