Challenge period: Now to 31st December, 2021
Aim: To read and review as many Christmas-themed titles as you can from a list you compile. You can even add those read in November.
My target was to read at least four books from my original list, discounting the one book read and reviewed in November 2021 (Death on a Winter's Day by Verity Bright).
I managed to read five books for this challenge, but Christmas/New Year, work and the weather (I find Australian summers draining, especially when they are unusually humid) have all conspired against me so that I am only able to provide mini reviews for these books.
| 01. A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer (previously published as Envious Casca) |
 'Tis the season-to be dead... Resigned to spending Christmas at Lexham Manor, Mathilda Clare wasn't sure what she dreaded most--the foul temper of Nat Herriard, the filthy-rich old Scrooge who owned the place, or the sweetness-and-light of his brother, Joseph. Joseph had concocted a guest list brilliantly headed for mayhem... acid-tongued young Stephen, his sly sister Paula, and Nat's sharp-dealing partner, with a finger in some strange pies. "There'll be murder before we're through," Mathilda laughed. And she was absolutely right. This it is no ordinary Christmas, when the holiday party takes on a sinister aspect when the colorful assortment of guests discovers there is a killer in their midst. The owner of the substantial estate, that old Scrooge Nathaniel Herriard, is found stabbed in the back, and the six holiday guests find themselves the suspects of a murder enquiry. For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard, 'tis the season to find whodunit. Whilst the delicate matter of inheritance could be the key to this crime, the real conundrum is how any of the suspects could have entered the locked room to commit this foul deed. The investigation is complicated by the fact that every guest is hiding something-throwing all of 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.... I was so pleased that this novel was nothing like Heyer's Penhallow which I gladly returned to the library without finishing, although I will tackle it again at a later date. Like Penhallow, the characters in A Christmas Party don't like each other very much. However, they are tolerable and, thankfully, there are not so many to keep track of. By the end of the book I even liked some of them. As to the solving of the crime, sadly the murder didn't mystify me as the book description claimed it would. I'd worked out how it was done and by whom very early on, but enjoyed how Inspector Hemingway pieced it all together. |
| 02. A Christmas Garland by Anne Perry |
 In A Christmas Garland we meet Victor Narraway, one of the characters from her other Victorian series, The Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Mysteries. Set in 1857 India, after the Siege of Cawnpore and a few days before Christmas, Lieutenant Victor Narraway is under orders to defend a soldier against a charge of murder. An impossible case, as his superiors have already decided that John Tallis, a medical orderly, is guilty, but due process must be observed. Narraway cannot uncover a motive and believes that Tallis is innocent. While contemplating the evidence and how best to present his case, Narraway wanders the British cantonment where he meets a widow and her children. One of the children gifts Narraway with a blue paper chain which he later hangs up in his quarters. This is about as Christmasy as this story gets, but it was a great mystery and how Narraway deduced what happened adds a very satisfying twist. |
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03. The Cockermouth Mail by Dinah Dean |
 Travelling to a new position as governess in Cockermouth, Miss Dorcas Minster views with dismay the bleak, snowy fells of the Lake District. When an accident forces the passengers of the stage coach to seek refuge in a lakeside inn over Christmas, she surprisingly finds herself wishing she could stay there indefinitely. For so stimulating are her fellow passengers, particularly the dashing Colonel Sir Richard Severall, en route to stay with his sister after being wounded on the Peninsula. Sir Richard’s thoughtful consideration is an entirely new experience for Dorcas, used to being treated as little better than a servant. But do his natural good manners really mask more serious intentions? This is a sweet, traditional Regency romance that never fails to delight me. It is a favourite Christmas re-read and also a comfort read when I'm in need of one. The simple plot of this romantic adventure is enhanced by the wonderful descriptions of the wintery landscape of the Lake District and the difficulties inherent with 19th century travel during wintertime, including the threat of highwaymen. But what really makes this novel so engaging are the characters and their interaction with one another over the five days they are forced to spend together. Comic relief is provided by Jem, Sir Richard's manservant, who enlivens every scene he's in by his interesting, cant-laden conversations and observations. A gem of a book! |
| 04. An English Murder by Cyril Hare |
 Bad weather prevents communication with the outside world, so until the local police can be contacted, Rogers sheds his bodyguard persona to instigate a preliminary investigation. His enquiries reveal that all present in the house have a motive, even the staff. When Lord Warwick also dies, a family secret is revealed that puts a different connotation on the previous death. Who the murderer turns out to be and the motive is hidden within laws peculiar to England – hence the title An English Murder. What I liked about this mystery was the foreign guest, Dr Bottwink, a Hercule Poirot-like character who while not really investigating the crime is very observant and it is his deductions that name the murderer and the motive at the end. It is he that pronounces it a very English crime. An English Murder is a quick and entertaining read, with lots of false trails to challenge the imagination before the murderer is finally revealed. I'm looking forward to grabbing another of Hare's mysteries from the library. Fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy this one. |
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05. A Christmas Carol Murder by Heather Redmond |
 When Harley's body is snatched on the way to the cemetery, Screws asks Charles to find the body. Charles agrees, and being unhappy with the coroner's verdict, with Kate's help, mounts an investigation of his own into what he believes is Harley's murder. Their sleuthing partnership is cut short when Charles' guardianship of an orphan threatens his reputation, livelihood and future marriage. Despite this setback, a ghostly visitation and another murder, Charles finally uncovers the truth of Harley's death. I enjoyed this cosy mystery which includes some biographical facts about Dickens and characters that may have appeared in his famous Christmas novella, albeit under different names. We get to meet members of Dickens' family. Although we only meet his father briefly, I didn't like him due to his treatment of Charles and that he questioned his own son's honesty. Although A Christmas Carol Murder is the third in a series, it worked as a standalone. I have A Tale of Two Murders and Grave Expectations to enjoy at a later date. |
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