Download or read book A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries written by Martin Edwards and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Exceptional fourth anthology of golden age Christmas-themed mysteries"—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review A Postman murdered while delivering cards on Christmas morning. A Christmas pine growing over a forgotten homicide. A Yuletide heist gone horribly wrong. When there's as much murder as magic in the air and the facts seem to point to the impossible, it's up to the detective's trained eye to unwrap the clues and neatly tie together an explanation (preferably with a bow on top). Martin Edwards has once again gathered the best of these seasonal stories into a stellar anthology brimming with rare tales, fresh as fallen snow, and classics from the likes of Julian Symons, Margery Allingham, Anthony Gilbert and Cyril Hare. A most welcome surprise indeed, and perfect to be shared between super-sleuths by the fire on a cold winter's night.

Download or read book Crimson Snow written by Martin Edwards and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2017-01-03 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Edwards's second winter-themed anthology in the British Library Crime Classics series is a standout. As in the most successful of such volumes, the editor's expertise results in a selection of unusual suspects, expanding readers' knowledge." —Publishers Weekly STARRED review Crimson Snow brings together a dozen vintage crime stories set in winter. Welcome to a world of Father Christmases behaving oddly, a famous fictional detective in a Yuletide drama, mysterious tracks in the snow, and some very unpleasant carol singers. There's no denying that the supposed season of goodwill is a time of year that lends itself to detective fiction. On a cold night, it's tempting to curl up by the fireside with a good mystery. And more than that, claustrophobic house parties, with people cooped up with long-estranged relatives, can provide plenty of motives for murder. Including forgotten stories by major writers such as Margery Allingham, as well as classic tales by less familiar crime novelists, each story in this selection is introduced by the leading expert on classic crime, Martin Edwards. The resulting volume is an entertaining and atmospheric compendium of wintry delights.

Download or read book Murder After Christmas written by Rupert Latimer and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2022-10-04 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[Murder After Christmas] supplies cheerfully calculating relatives, decorously brutal dialogue, and a fiendishly intricate set of Chinese boxes before the surprising reveal...no, they don't make them like this anymore."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "A war's on and a murder has been committed—and we sit here talking nonsense about almond whirls and mince pies!" Good old Uncle Willie—known for an insatiable sweet tooth and being an epic pain in the rear—has come to stay with the Redpaths for the holidays. As luck would have it, he's found dead in the snow, in a Santa suit on Boxing Day. It seems as though someone may have poisoned his chocolate...or was it the mince pie? As the police flock to the house, Willie's descendants, past lovers and distant relatives are drawn into a perplexing investigation to find out how the old man met his fate, and who stands to gain by such an unseasonable crime. First published in 1944, Murder After Christmas is a lively riot of murder, holiday desserts, and misdirection, cleverly twisting the tropes of Golden Age detective fiction to create a pacey, light-hearted package admirably suited for the holiday season. Featuring an introduction by CWA Diamond Dagger Award-winning author and series editor Martin Edwards.

Download or read book Silent Nights written by Martin Edwards and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "Like an assortment of presents under a Christmas tree, there's something for everyone in this Yule-themed reprint anthology in the British Library Crime Classics series from Edwards." —Publishers Weekly Christmas is a mysterious, as well as magical, time of year. Strange things can happen, and this helps to explain the hallowed tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireside as the year draws to a close. Christmas tales of crime and detection have a similar appeal. When television becomes tiresome, and party games pall, the prospect of curling up in the warm with a good mystery is enticing—and much better for the digestion than yet another helping of plum pudding. Crime writers are just as susceptible as readers to the countless attractions of Christmas. Over the years, many distinguished practitioners of the genre have given one or more of their stories a Yuletide setting. The most memorable Christmas mysteries blend a lively storyline with an atmospheric evocation of the season. Getting the mixture right is much harder than it looks. This book introduces of readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards' selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans. The result is a collection of crime fiction to savor, whatever the season.

Download or read book Shakespeare s Christmas written by Charlaine Harris and published by Minotaur Books. This book was released on 2015-12-22 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cleaning woman and karate expert Lily Bard is back in Charlaine Harris's latest cozy-but-noirish mystery about the dark secrets of a small Southern town In Shakespeare’s Christmas, Lily heads home to Bartley, Arkansas--always an uncomfortable scenario for the introverted Lily--for her sister Varena’s Christmas wedding. But Lily has more to worry about than being a bridesmaid for a sister to whom she’s no longer close. Soon after she arrives in Bartley, Lily’s private-detective boyfriend shows up too, and not just for moral support: He’s investigating a four-year-old unsolved kidnapping. Try as she might, Lily can’t help but get involved when she discovers that the case hits dangerously close to home--for Varena’s new husband is the widowed father of a girl bearing a remarkable resemblance to the vanished child.

Download or read book The Christmas Egg written by Mary Kelly and published by . This book was released on 2019-10 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Murder at the Manor written by Martin Edwards and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-02-02 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder "[T]he entire book is filled with country-house-mystery wonders: the closed-circle puzzle, the dying-message clue, and the sociopathic guest who invades the weekend house party." —Booklist The English country house is an iconic setting for some of the greatest British crime fiction. This new collection gathers together stories written over a span of about 65 years, during which British society, and life in country houses, was transformed out of all recognition. It includes fascinating and unfamiliar twists on the classic 'closed circle' plot, in which the assorted guests at a country house party become suspects when a crime is committed. In the more sinister tales featured here, a gloomy mansion set in lonely grounds offers an eerie backdrop for dark deeds. Many distinguished writers are represented in this collection, including such great names of the genre as Anthony Berkeley, Nicholas Blake and G.K. Chesterton. Martin Edwards has also unearthed hidden gems and forgotten masterpieces: among them are a fine send-up of the country house murder; a suspenseful tale by the unaccountably neglected Ethel Lina White; and a story by the little-known Scottish writer J.J. Bell.

Download or read book The Coffin Trail written by Martin Edwards and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-09-30 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "...a beautifully-evoked sense of the Lake District and an interesting and diverse group of characters. Martin Edwards got plenty of kudos for his Harry Devlin series, and he should get even more for this one. His DCI Hannah Scarlett is a fine creation." —Peter Robinson, New York Times bestselling author Oxford historian and TV personality Daniel Kind and his new lover, Miranda, both want to escape to a new life. On impulse they buy Tarn Cottage in Brackdale, an idyllic valley in the Lake District that Daniel knew as a boy, a place so remote that the dead had to be carried out over the peaks on pack animals along the ancient Coffin Trail. Tarn Cottage was once home to Barrie Gilpin, an autistic youth suspected of a savage murder. A young woman visitor to the valley had been found laid out on the Sacrifice Stone, an ancient pagan site up on the fell. Barrie fell to his death near the crime scene before he could be questioned. All these years later, Daniel retains his belief in Barrie's innocence and questions his own policeman father's handling of the case. When DCI Hannah Scarlett and her squad launch a cold case review, Brackdale's skeletons begin to rattle. The wild geography of the Lakes District plays against local literary references, all backdrop to the lives of villagers and outsiders drawn to this beautiful spot—but for what reasons? The Coffin Trail launches a new series by a master British hand.

Download or read book Christmas Sweets written by Joanne Fluke and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2019-10-29 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gathered in one delightful volume time, here are three yuletide tales of mystery, murder, and romance, featuring your favorite sleuths . . . THE TWELVE DESSERTS OF CHRISTMAS by JOANNE FLUKE It’s the perfect mix of naughty and nice when two lovestruck boarding school teachers watch six kids over Christmas break. But when someone wants the cozy couple’s romance to burn out faster than a scorched fruitcake, it’s Hannah Swensen to the rescue . . . NIGHTMARE ON ELF STREET by LAURA LEVINE Aside from the mortifying costume, how bad can a gig as a mall Santa’s elf be? Jaine Austen finds out when she’s teamed up with the Santa from Hell. But things go from bad to worse when he’s found murdered—and Jaine is suspected of being the naughty one . . . THE CHRISTMAS THIEF by LESLIE MEIER Elizabeth Stone is ready for a white Christmas in Tinker’s Cove, Maine—until a fancy Yule ball at the Florida hotel where she works dumps snow on her plans. The sponsor’s jewels have gone missing and the police are asking about her ties to a cute mystery guest. Good thing Elizabeth’s mother, Lucy Stone, flew down to surprise her . . . Includes Luscious Holiday Recipes!

Download or read book Who Killed Father Christmas written by Patricia Moyes and published by . This book was released on 1996-09 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who Killed Father Christmas? And Other Unseasonable Demises contains 20 short stories ranging from holiday homicides to Caribbean crimes and village villainies. The book also has a short detective novel, "The Holly Wreath", set at Christmastime. Each story is told with quiet warmth and urbane charm. Introduction by the author.

Download or read book Death by Hot Apple Cider written by Alex Erickson and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2021-10-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Krissy Hancock’s bookstore-café in Pine Hills, Ohio, is teaming up with the local library for a seasonal celebration, but someone is spiking the refreshments—with fatal results . . . With autumn in full swing and Thanksgiving on the way, Krissy’s supplying cider and her staff is manning the apple-bobbing booth at a town event. But then a patron dunks his head in—and doesn’t come back up. It soon becomes clear that Krissy’s brew wasn’t to blame. But with her policeman boyfriend looking to make detective, she can’t help being drawn into the investigation. The victim was notorious for harassing not only her own bookstore but the library and the school for promoting supposedly scandalous literature—before someone censored him permanently. Now, Krissy will have to check out a stack of suspects to find a killer who’s rotten to the core . . .

Download or read book Christmas Cocoa and a Corpse written by Maddie Day and published by Kensington Cozies. This book was released on 2022-09-27 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ʼTis the season to indulge in hot chocolate and irresistible holiday treats—until too much of a good thing turns downright deadly . . . When local businessman Jed Greenberg is found dead with a Chocolate lab whimpering over his body, the police start sniffing around Robbie Jordan’s country restaurant for answers. Was it something in Robbie’s hot cocoa that killed Jed, or was it Cocoa, the dog . . . ? As the suspects pile as high as her holiday tree, Robbie attempts to get to the bottom of the sickly-sweet murder . . . Previously published in Christmas Cocoa Murder

Download or read book Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen written by Vicki Delany and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Rudolph, New York, it’s Christmastime all year long. But this December, while the snow-lined streets seem merry and bright, a murder is about to ruin everyone’s holiday cheer in the first Year-Round Christmas mystery. As the owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, Merry Wilkinson knows how to decorate homes for the holidays. That’s why she thinks her float in the semi-annual Santa Claus parade is a shoe-in for best in show. But when the tractor pulling Merry’s float is sabotaged, she has to face facts: there’s a Scrooge in Christmas Town. Merry isn’t ready to point fingers, especially with a journalist in town writing a puff piece about Rudolph’s Christmas spirit. But when she stumbles upon the reporter’s body on a late night dog walk—and police suspect he was poisoned by a gingerbread cookie crafted by her best friend, Vicky—Merry will have to put down the jingle bells and figure out who’s really been grinching about town, before Vicky ends up on Santa’s naughty list…

Download or read book A Christmas Party written by Georgette Heyer and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-10-04 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Georgette Heyer has given me such great pleasure over the years in my reading, and rereading, of her stories. —#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts 'Tis the Season—for murder... A colorful assortment of guests at a festive holiday house party discover there is a killer in their midst when their universally reviled host is found dead—in a room locked from the inside. For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard, the investigation is complicated by the fact that every guest is hiding something—throwing all their testimony into question and casting suspicion far and wide. The clever and daring crime will mystify readers, yet the answer is in plain sight all along... PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS ENVIOUS CASCA Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty books, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. Her barrister husband, Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, inventive plots, and sparkling characterization. "Sit back, slip away to a happier time and enjoy." —New York Times bestselling author Kasey Michaels "One never forgets one's first Heyer." —New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney "The wittiest of detective writers." —Daily Mail "Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me." —Dorothy L. Sayers

Download or read book Twelve Slays of Christmas written by Jacqueline Frost and published by Crooked Lane Books. This book was released on 2017-10-10 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Holly White’s fiancé cancels their Christmas Eve wedding with less than two weeks to go, Holly heads home with a broken heart. Lucky for her, home in historic Mistletoe, Maine is magical during Christmastime—exactly what the doctor prescribed. Except her plan to drown her troubles in peppermints and snickerdoodles is upended when local grouch and president of the Mistletoe Historical Society Margaret Fenwick is bludgeoned and left in the sleigh display at Reindeer Games, Holly’s family tree farm. When the murder weapon is revealed as one of the wooden stakes used to identify trees on the farm, Sheriff Evan Grey turns to Holly’s father, Bud, and the Reindeer Games staff. And it doesn’t help that Bud and the reindeer keeper were each seen arguing with Margaret just before her death. But Holly knows her father, and is determined to exonerate him.The jingle bells are ringing, the clock is ticking, and if Holly doesn't watch out, she'll end up on Santa's naughty list in Twelve Slays of Christmas, Jacqueline Frost’s jolly series debut.

Download or read book The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding written by Agatha Christie and published by MB Cooltura. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An oriental prince begins an affair in London with a girl of dubious reputation, to whom he gives an emblematic ruby that disappears along with the young woman. Hercule Poirot is summoned to retrieve it. Posing as a guest at the Lacey family home, the detective will share a traditional Christmas to follow the thieves' trail until he finds the valuable jewel.

Download or read book Slashing Through the Snow written by Jacqueline Frost and published by Crooked Lane Books. This book was released on 2023-08-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Maine innkeeper Holly White returns to sleuth another seasonal slaying in the third Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost. Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm is going into the B&B business, and Holly White is looking forward to her new role as innkeeper. Even better, Mistletoe, Maine's sheriff, Evan Gray, has deputized his little sister Libby to help Holly wrap presents for Mistletoe's toy drive. But a cold wind ruffles the cheery holiday decorations when a new guest checks in: Karen, a vicious B&B critic, who could make or break the new inn. And the short December days turn even darker when Evan and Libby find Karen's dead body in the gift-wrapped toy donation box. The suspect list is longer than Santa's naughty list, and local resident Cookie is on it, since her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, a metal nutcracker that she gave to Holly. So is Libby, who recently moved to town from Boston in less-than-savory circumstances. But cranky Karen was an oh-holy-nightmare to lots of the townsfolk, such as Evan's reporter friend Ray; Christopher, the inn's former contractor; and confectioner Bonnie, whose Gum Drop Shop was a direct target of Karen's scathing prose. To figure out the killer's identity and clear Cookie's name, Holly and her friends brainstorm at The Hearth, the farm's café, while her mother keeps them fueled with Christmas goodies fresh from the oven. But if they can't put the culprit on ice, Holly may never see another Christmas.