What better way to add a gentle thrill to the familiarity and comfort of our end-of-year festivities than with a collection of Christmas-themed crime stories that can be enjoyed between more intense bouts of holiday activity?
This collection of short fiction from the Golden Age of the genre explores now-familiar tropes from a variety of points of view and features a good diversity of sleuths, both amateur and professional. Country houses, multiple suspects and misdirection all make their expected appearance, although there are a few surprises in store even for crime connoisseurs. While I enjoyed the stories overall, I found this selection rather uneven, with only three truly standing out from the lot ("Blind Man's Hood" by Carter Dickson, "Sister Bessie or Your Old Leech" by Cyril Hare, and "Crime at Lark Cottage" by John Bingham) thanks to an interesting twist.
I was provided with a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, in exchange for an honest review.
rating: ***
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