Mystery For Christmas: Twelve Tales of Seasonal Suspense

by cynthia-manson (Editor)

Behold! Stealthy sleuths and shocking Yuletide crimes with just enough clues to keep you guessing. This collection of twelve ho-ho whodunits makes for perfect holiday reading. The cast of characters, including Santa Claus, Bob Cratchit, and the ghost of Jacob Marley, appear here in horrifying new guises.

More than one tale finds Santa heading back to the North Pole in a body bag. He's the target of a Christmas Eve plot. A daffy mother does him in. He's picked off in a department store. You'll also meet a jaded undercover cop transformed by the season and a modern day Robin Hood straight from the back alley. One story answers the question: " Whatever became of Ebenezer Scrooge?" The answer will surprise you.

These stories---taken from the pages of Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine---range from the glib to the grim and will remind you of the wicked and wonderful things people do in the name of Christmas. Each story in Mystery for Christmas is as distinctive as a great gift. This is Christmas, as you've never before seen it---chock full of crimes you'll never forget.

From Acknowledgements after page 230:

"Christmas Cop" by Thomas Larry Adcock, c1986
"On Christmas Day in the Morning" by Margery Allingham, c1952
"I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus" by George Baxt, c1990
"Mystery for Christmas" by Anthony Boucher, c1942
"The Marley Case" by Linda Haldeman, c1982
"Dead on Christmas Street" by John D. MacDonald, c?
"Kelso's Christmas" by Malcolm McClintick, c1984
"Who Killed Father Christmas?" by Patricia Moyes, c1980
"The Plot Against Santa Claus" by James Powell, c1970
"The Christmas Bear" by Herbert Resnicow, c1989
"Santa Claus Beat" by Rex Stout, c1953
"Whatever Became of Ebenezer Scrooge?" by Tom Tolnay, c1988

Genres: Mystery, Christmas, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Holiday

230 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a steady collection of Christmas stories that meets the title requirement more than other such collections I've read.

The reader of noir books will particularly like this set. This is decidedly a dark turn on the holiday. Wouldn't expect less when John D. MacDonald is part of the authors. Lots of dead bodies and bloody turn of events...with Christmas cheer added in.

Bottom line: i recommend it. 7 out of ten points.

[Cavak · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I had some favorites, the overall impression of the collection was rushed. Sometimes it felt rushed to include the mystery or the Christmas themed element. Lots of murders when mystery can mean more than that too. Three standouts for me were a small town mystery, an epilogue for A Christmas Carol, and a elf driven detective story.

[Gheeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection that is quite manageable to read over the course of days or weeks leading to Christmas. I think the collected stories are more obscure and may not seem completely “typical” of the authors included even if featuring familiar characters. I don’t know that I will read them again. Not bad, just meh.

[Tibbara's Den · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay collection. Not all of the stories fit the mystery vibes. While I enjoyed a couple of the stories for the most part, this just wasn't for me. If you are someone who likes both short stories and you enjoy reading mysteries, you might enjoy this more than I did. It was a nice collection to read as a countdown to Christmas every other day.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anthology of short stories that mention Christmas-y stuff. Definitely NOT Hallmark stories! Mysteries, including "Santa" being killed. A couple of rewrites of Scrooge & Marley. Short stories aren't my favorite form, I prefer something longer I can really get into.

[Deby Beran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were very entertaining, but on the whole not a very rewarding read. It shouldn't have taken me so long to finish, proving it just don`t hold my interest.

[Barb Dudziec · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories for the most part were engaging and varied. Great to take on travel.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay but not great stories. One story I couldn't even finish but I read all the others.

[LecturerRich · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a fun read - enjoyed all the stories especially the two A Christmas Carol related ones

[Meri McCoy-Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the variety in these stories, with some more clever and some more noir, and a few new riffs on old classics like A Christmas Carol. Nice light reading for a hectic December.

[Debbie Gilbert]

Fun!

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of 12 short stories is very much in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock with twists, turns and surprising endings. I enjoyed them as I always have like Alfred Hitchcock type plots, and I liked the fact that I could read each one of them in a single sitting.

[Trudy Nye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery for Christmas is a collection of 12 Christmas-themed short stories reprinted from the pages of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Some of the stories are good, and others are ho ho hum.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short mystery stories with a holiday twist.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several short mysteries with a Christmas theme. Some are decent but nothing really stands out.