Under 200 Pages! discussion

All discussions to go in this folder. Share with us your thoughts on the book, ur favourite quote or line, the character you like the most or any or everything that you liked or disliked about this book.

Readers who have read the book already can also discuss the book but keep away from spoilers or use the spoiler tab.


A little about the Book
No one gets inside the head of the murderer--or makes it a more thrilling read--than the late, great P. D. James. Fast on the heels of her latest best seller: a new, fiendishly entertaining gathering of previously uncollected stories, from the author of Death Comes to Pemberley and The Private Patient.

It's not always a question of "whodunit?" Sometimes there's more mystery in the why or how. And although we usually know the unhealthy fates of both victim and perpetrator, what of those clever few who plan and carry out the perfect crime? The ones who aren't brought down even though they're found out? And what about those who do the finding out who witness a murder or who identify the murderer but keep the information to themselves? These are some of the mysteries that we follow through those six stories as we are drawn into the thinking, the memories, the emotional machinations, the rationalizations, the dreams and desires behind murderous cause and effect.

Pages: 178 (depending on the edition)

Looking forward to everyone’s active participation and fun discussion.

HAPPY READING!📚📚

Discussion are now open

I am going to plan to read one story each day until finished. I will give my comments after each of the six stories.

SPOILERS

Story one ~~ The Yo-Yo.

An unexpected murder.

(view spoiler)[An elderly retired judge reminisces about one night during his childhood, when he comes across a red yo yo. He had been an accomplice to a murder. It wasn't until later that he understood that the man killed had once been a father and husband and was a loving man, since he had known him as a cynical bully. The yo yo was found at the murder scene.

A yo yo. A toy. It still held the truth years later. (hide spoiler)]

♥ Sandi ❣ wrote: "I am going to plan to read one story each day until finished. I will give my comments after each of the six stories.

SPOILERS

The Yo-Yo.
An elderly retired judge reminisces about one night duri..."

I plan to do the same thing

Story two ~~ The Victim

As advertised another murder. One planned and executed with precision. (view spoiler)[ A man loses his wife to another man and he wants revenge. He thinks he has the best plan and wants to torment the victim for a full year with periodic notes about murdering him. His plan works. He gets off scott free. Until the day his ex-wife appears to let him know that even though he is a college educated librarian, he still cannot spell!) (hide spoiler)]

Story three ~~ The Murder of Santa Claus

This is the longest story of the group, at approximately 50 pages. It is more the original who-dun-it type murder.
(view spoiler)[ and the only person who figured it out kept quiet about it, other than revealing it to the murderer themself. And as time went on each player on that Christmas night killed themself or was killed by accident - leaving the author Charles Mickledore to tell the tale. (hide spoiler)]

Story four ~~ The Girl Who Loved Graveyards

A convenient loss of memory and the murder of not one, but two.

(view spoiler)[ A ten year old goes to live with relatives after both her father and her maternal grandmother die. Until a walk through her grandmothers empty house brings it all back she has no memory of her part in the deaths (hide spoiler)]

Like Sandy I'm doing a story a day. But to start, the design of the copy I have is beautifully autumnal and the shade of orange inside the cover is so warm and uplifting. ENOUGH! The yo-yo. Who'd a thought it? A Judge up to no good as a child? There are power imbalances in this story pupil /teacher , servant /employer and Upper Class / Working Class. In the end the underdog triumphs and it is a very satisfying story.

I've read an extra today. Story five ~~ A Very Desirable Residence

Role reversal - and all for a house.
(view spoiler)[ A plot gone wrong. A man tricked and left to die in prison. A mild woman becomes the aggressor. Her accessory loses the one thing he wanted, the house, and is left to live in a brick box. (hide spoiler)]

The victim. I enjoyed this murder story, especially the description of the planning and the twist at the end. I did go back through the story to check out something…. Did you?

Found The Yo Yo to be okayish. Now half way on with the second tale and I m loving the tone, the narration and the way the mystery is evolving. Hoping for a great twist at the end. 🤞

The Murder of Santa Claus. Enjoyed the Christmassy Golden Age of Crime Fiction feel of this story. Which contrasted with the more modern switching of two different viewpoints in the narration. I’m thinking this story would work well as an audio book.

Toni wrote: "The victim. I enjoyed this murder story, especially the description of the planning and the twist at the end. I did go back through the story to check out something…. Did you?"

?? What did you check for?

spelling

The Girl Who Loved Graveyards. A good title, because I quiet like graveyards too, the gothikness and the nature as well as the architecture and family history appeal to me. I thought this was a perfect little horror story. Blackwell described as a furry lizard...... who has described a cat like that before? And the protagonist describing her life as a blancmange ' a sensation rather than a taste'. Excellent.

A very desirable residence- be xareful what you wish for.

Story six ~~ Mr Millcroft's Birthday

A switch on a death. If not the bottle, the bag.
(view spoiler)[A man murders his cousin for the family money. But how is the question? (hide spoiler)]

Thought this story was a bit outlandish - instantly having two soldiers at your command? Hmmmm.

I personally think I enjoyed Story 2 - The Victim - the best. It was well executed and altho you knew the murderer and the victim early there was the twist at the end.

My review ~~ No spoilers

Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P.D. James

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mr Millcroft’s birthday. A classic Tales of the Unexpected 1980’s story ( if you have ever seen this show you’ll know what I mean, if not check it out on YouTube)

A very desirable residence - A liked the twist in the read never saw it coming.

Not reading the stories in line, so now I m half way through The girl who loved graveyards.

Reading The Murder of Santa Claus. Liked the others stories as well.