Reading the Detectives discussion

It's time to nominate for our December group read. Please nominate books which were either written in the Golden Age, or a little earlier or later, or are set in that period. If in doubt whether a title is eligible, just ask. It can be Christmassy if you like but doesn't have to be - we do already have a Christmas-themed buddy read coming up in mid-December, The Night of Fear by Moray Dalton).

Usual rules apply. Only one nomination per group member. Only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month, and authors can't nominate their own books. If you aren't sure whether we have read something, the group bookshelves may help, or just ask. If it was at least 3 years ago that we read it, it's fine to re-nominate. Happy nominating!

I would like to nominate Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer

An ingenious lost Christmas mystery returns to print for the first time since 1944

'Did you say he was ill?' asked John from behind.
'Nothing much. Wanted some mince pies. Paulina said they were unlucky before Christmas, so of course he ate five or six.'

Good old Uncle Willie - rich, truculent and seemingly propped up by his fierce willpower alone - has come to stay with the Redpaths for the holidays. It is just their luck for him to be found dead the morning after Christmas day, dressed in his Santa Claus costume, seemingly poisoned by his favourite chocolates. Or was there something sinister in the mince pies? If so, was it the ones stashed in his room or those sent to him mysteriously by post? More importantly, since his will was recently redrafted, who stands to gain by this unseasonable crime?

First published in 1944, Murder After Christmas is a lively riot of murder, mince pies and misdirection, cleverly playing with beloved murder mystery tropes to create something pacey, light-hearted, and admirably suited for the holiday season.

Susan wrote: "I would like to nominate Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer

An ingenious lost Christmas mystery returns to print..."

I liked that book and would not mind reading it again. It is $8 on kindle in the US but the BLCC series are often available in libraries.

I will nominate The Caxton Manor Murders : Book 1 Alexander Wolfe Series, a book I own so it must have been free once. It is currently $5 on kindle in the US and available through kindle unlimited.

Book 1 The Alexander Wolfe Series

Best selling author with sales of over one million books

Christmas at Caxton Manor promises to be a festive gathering of old friends, but the holiday cheer turns deadly when an uninvited guest, the ruthless industrialist Boris Bullen, is found murdered in the snow. Called in to discreetly investigate, the enigmatic Alexander Wolfe arrives to find himself embroiled in a perplexing mystery with echoes of a past crime. With a pearl-handled knife as the only clue and a house full of secrets, Wolfe—accompanied by his newly appointed and rather inept valet, Dicks, the erratic James Fox, and the mischievous terrier, Wilf—must navigate a labyrinth of suspicious characters, hidden agendas, and a potentially dangerous woman with a killer past. As the snow falls and the secrets unravel, Wolfe must uncover who killed Boris Bullen and why, before the festive season turns into a deadly winter nightmare.

I’m not sure if we are continuing our Christie challenge next year, if so, I can nominate something else. But as a change of pace from Christmas, I’ll nominate Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie: Among the towering red cliffs of Petra, like some monstrous swollen Buddha, sat the corpse of Mrs Boynton. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist was the only sign of the fatal injection that had killed her.

With only 24 hours available to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalled a chance remark he’d overheard back in Jerusalem: ‘You see, don’t you, that she’s got to be killed?’ Mrs Boynton was, indeed, the most detestable woman he’d ever met.

Should be widely available, but $1.99 kindle US

Susan, thank you for the suggestion, but we already have a Christie book, They Do It With Mirrors as our challenge read in December (Miss Marple rather than Poirot!) and we will be carrying on with the challenge next year, so please could you pick something else to nominate? Sorry about that.

Oh, sorry, I forgot about “Mirrors” - and so glad we’re carrying on with the Christie challenge.

It’s always tough as we never know about availability for the most members. I’ll nominate The Case of the Headless Jesuit by George Bellairs: On New Year’s Eve a string of grisly deaths strike a remote English hamlet

For centuries Cobbold-in-the-Marsh has been haunted by the ghost of a Jesuit priest who lost his head rather than deny his faith. Since then, there hasn’t been much bloodshed in this peculiar little village, but all that changes during the icy week just after Christmas. First a policeman is found drowned in the canal, a tragic death that shows signs of foul play. Then, as the whole town gathers for midnight mass on New Year’s Eve, the prodigal son of the manor house staggers down the aisle. The congregation thinks he’s drunk—until they notice the blood seeping down his side.

Detective-Inspector Thomas Littlejohn and Detective-Sergeant Robert Cromwell are called in from Scotland Yard to oversee the investigation. As they dig into the quirks and secrets of this eerie little enclave, they find that Cobbold is haunted by more than a decapitated priest.

Free for Kindle Unlimited in U.S. or $7.99 for the kindle; published 1950 so hopefully available for most of us

Thank you, Susan, The Case of the Headless Jesuit is £4.66 on Kindle in the UK so it's fine to nominate and sounds very interesting, with the New Year's setting.

Sandy's nomination, The Caxton Manor Murders : Book 1 Alexander Wolfe Series, is £3.99 on Kindle and also on Kindle Unlimited in the UK. I remember enjoying a previous book we read here by the same author, Karen Baugh Menuhin. That was in a different series.

Susan's nomination, Murder After Christmas, is also on KU (£2.99).

All three of our nominations look very festive and would be great choices! Does anyone have any more to suggest?

Susan wrote: "I would like to nominate Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer

An ingenious lost Christmas mystery returns to print..."

I have this book but haven't read it yet.

What about Envious Casca? I haven't re-read it for awhile.

Thanks Jackie! I've just checked and we last read Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer in 2023. We usually say 3 years between reads of the same book, but I'm happy to be a bit flexible as it's a Christmassy title, and it was about 2 1/2 years ago!

In the UK, there are Kindle and paperback editions under the alternative title A Christmas Party - so confusing when the original title is really well known!

Last call for nominations before the poll goes up this weekend.

So far we have:

Susan: Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer

Sandy: The Caxton Manor Murders : Book 1 Alexander Wolfe Series by Karen Baugh Menuhin

Susan in NC: The Case of the Headless Jesuit by George Bellairs

Jackie: Envious Casca aka A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer

Looks like a lovely selection of Yuletide mayhem and murder!

Jackie wrote: "What about Envious Casca? I haven't re-read it for awhile."

Oh, a Christmas favorite of mine, yay!

FYI, not publishing until the 14th, but I’d like to read “Golden Age Christmas Mysteries” by Otto Penzler - great way to sample new to me authors: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

And the poll is up... sorry, I meant to put this up at the weekend but got distracted by going to a book festival! ;)
Please vote for your preferred choice.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

Hope you had fun, Judy!

Yes, I hope it was delightful!

Thanks everyone! The poll is currently a draw, so please vote if you haven't yet done so!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

I wish my library had the audio version of Envious Casca, I would listen to that even though it's not going to win.

Jackie wrote: "I wish my library had the audio version of Envious Casca, I would listen to that even though it's not going to win."

I’m bummed, the only book I can’t get through usual sources is the likely winner!

I can get Murder After Christmas ebook at my library.

aha!

Envious Casca audio is on YouTube! Praise Be! I think I will start it early since I'm already cold, lol. (and what if it gets taken down if I wait?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUE7y...

Jackie wrote: "aha!

Envious Casca audio is on YouTube! Praise Be! I think I will start it early since I'm already cold, lol. (and what if it gets taken down if I wait?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUE7y..."

Exactly, you never know…my library doesn’t even have the ebook of Murder After Christmas. I put in a purchase request, but not holding my breath!

We did read Envious Casca back in summer 23. Here is a link to the Spoiler Thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If people want to read it again, the thread is there to comment.

Thank you Susan! The non-spoiler thread is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

thank you, Susan and Judy!

And the winner is... Murder After Christmas by Rupert Latimer, which will be our December group read.

Full results:
Murder After Christmas 6 votes, 42.9%
The Caxton Manor Murders : Book 1 Alexander Wolfe Series (The Alexander Wolfe Series) 4 votes, 28.6%
The Case of the Headless Jesuit (Thomas Littlejohn #16) 2 votes, 14.3%
Envious Casca (Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway, #6) 2 votes, 14.3%

Thanks to all who nominated and voted!