The Christmas Card Crime

And Other Stories

De: Martin Edwards

Narrado por: Gordon Griffin, Anne Dover

A Christmas party is punctuated by a gunshot under a policeman’s watchful eye. A jewel heist is planned amidst the glitz and glamour of Oxford Street’s Christmas shopping. And lost in a snowstorm, a man finds a motive for murder....

This collection of mysteries explores the darker side of the festive season, from unexplained disturbances in the fresh snow to the darkness that lurks beneath the sparkling decorations. With neglected stories by John Bude and E. C. R. Lorac, as well as tales by little-known writers of crime fiction, Martin Edwards blends the cosy atmosphere of the fireside story with a chill to match the temperature outside. This is a gripping seasonal collection sure to delight mystery fans.

©2018 Martin Edwards (P)2018 Soundings

A Satisfying Holiday Smorgasbord

Since everyone, from the editors at Audible to the reviewers, coyly refuse to list the stories and authors presented here, I’ll do so:

“A Christmas Tragedy” by Baroness Orczy
“By the Sword” by Selwyn Jepson
“The Christmas Card Crime” by Donald Stewart
“The Motive” by Ronald Knox
“Blind Man’s Hood” by Carter Dickson (aka John Dickson Carr)
“Paul Temple’s White Christmas” by Francis Durbridge
“Sister Bessie or Your Old Leach” by Cyril Hare
“A Bit of Wire-Pulling” by E. C. R. Lorac
“Pattern of Revenge” by John Bude
“Crime at Lark Cottage” by John Bingham
“Twixt the Lip and the Lip” by Julian Symons

The best thing about these collections is the range of authors. You’re either finding new work by authors you know or finding new authors whose work you’ve never heard before. On the strength of the last story, I’ve made definite plans to dig deeper into Julian Symonds’ work. Two of the three stories I’ve heard before as individual recordings (“Aunt Bessie”, “Blind Man’s Hood”) I enjoyed all over again; unfortunately, the third, "Pattern of Revenge" is not up to John Bude's usual high standard of storytelling.

True, the categories in which these collections are organized (Christmas, Bibliophiles, Water) can be less that strict (Julian Symonds’ contribution could just as easily fitted into Murder by the Book). But that is a mere quibble. Even the less satisfying offerings are interesting, and the best ones (“By the Sword”, “Christmas Card Crime”, “The Motive”, “Blind Man’s Hood”, “Sister Bessie”, “Crime at White Cottage”, and “Twixt the Cup and the Lip”) are terrific.

As always with the British Crime Classics, the performances and production are peerless.

Wintry mystery variety

Variety of well-written mystery short stories taking place in a variety of Christmas-y settings

informative!

liked this little collection of stories and especially liked the informative narrative before each story about the authors.I plan to find some of the authors books to read! Fun!

Delightful Collection of Christmas Mysteries

This is the third compilation of Christmas short stories in the British Crime Classics series. There is a nice mix of humorous stories and slightly darker ones. My favorites were the titular “The Christmas Card Crime” and “The Motive.” The narrators are outstanding, although Anne Dover only narrates the first story. Highly recommended!

Aahhh... Just The Right Blend Of Mystery, Murder And Christmas.!!

If you’re looking for Christmas season Cozy mystery thrillers,.. then this is the audiobook for you..!!

Crimes @ Christmas

I really like short stories and Stories about the holiday season and Martin Walker is a great author so my expectations were high. No disappointment here because he also displayed his talent as an editor. All of the stories were good, some were great. No story in this book should have been left out, I read the whole book. I enjoyed getting to read authors from the early detective & mystery stories. I have some new favorites just from this book that I must seek out more of their work. Reading a bit of history & background about the author was a good idea. The book is easily recommended. I also like the cover.