Fans of British author P.D. James, who died in 2014 at the age of 94, will be happy to hear that a collection of six short stories by her was published in the book, Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales, which was released in November 2017 in the US. The six stories are short in length, but well worth the time, because they reflect the writing genius of P.D. James. James published her first novel at the age of 42 when she was holding down a full-time job, raising two daughters, and taking care of a sick husband. She was a master at murder mysteries, especially those featuring the detective Adam Dalgliesh. I first became a fan of her books when they were put on film and shown in America on PBS’s Mystery in 1985. When I read one of them in print, I was impressed by how there never seemed to be any loose ends that didn’t add up and by the quality of the writing. When I heard James interviewed once on PBS I found out why. She talked about spending an enormous amount of time researching and outlining her novels down to the last detail before beginning the writing process which explains why they never had any loose ends. James was born in Oxford, raised in Cambridge, and worked in the police laboratories of the Home Office. To quote James herself from an interview done by NPR and shared on a December 1,2014 NPR Fresh Air broadcast: “On how modern mysteries differ from older mysteries:
‘I think unless you had a solution at the end, it really wouldn't be a mystery. It wouldn't be written within the genre — to use a word I don't like, but it's the only word I think we can use. It might be a crime novel, but it wouldn't be a detective story, so you have to have the solution.

Nowadays, [mysteries] seldom have a complete restoration of order as you used to in the days of Agatha Christie and Mayhem Parva [a fictional village setting, coined by mystery historian Colin Watson]. There was this wonderful little village in which everybody, whether they were the parson or the doctor or the chemist or the district nurse or the squire, moved like figures on a chessboard — and this disruptive crime happened and then order was restored.

Certainly in my novels, order isn't restored — or not necessarily so — because the innocent can suffer more than the guilty.’”

The six stories included are: The Yo Yo The Victim The Murder of Santa Claus The Girl Who Loved Graveyards A Very Desirable Residence, and Mr. Millcroft’s Birthday It was serendipitous to be able to read six more James stories when I did not think any more would be forthcoming. Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this volume and for allowing me to review it.

P. D. James gives us six noirish classic mysteries in Sleep No More. Six murderous tales of revenge justice in which the murderers are not caught but several suffer from the consequences of remorse and other after affects.
One features the Murder of Santa Claus; in another a bully gets his comeuppance. Enjoy excellent plots and interesting characters.

I enjoyed this book, as the storylines were clever and held my attention.

No one writes mysteries like PD James did. How wonderful to get these 6 short stories, 2 of which pertain to Christmas. Great addition to her published works.

A really nice bookend to P.D. James' long career, this collection of short stories twists and turns slyly.

The loss of P.D. James has not been felt as acutely with the release of another posthumous collection of stories with Sleep No More at Christmas. The following stories are included: The Yo Yo , The Victim, The Murder of Santa Claus, The Girl Who Loved Graveyards, A Very Desirable Residence, and Mrs. Millcroft's Birthday. I recommend curling on with a blanket, hot cocoa, and this book this holiday season to savor another P.D. James serving of mysterious delight.

Two of the six stories center around Christmas but this collection can be read any time of year when you're wanting literary mysteries. These are classic P.D. James style with twists and a bit of black humor. Sometimes we know who has murder on their mind but the how and why is unfolded in the course of a brilliantly crafted short story.

If you need some dark mystery in your life, this collection of short stories is wonderful. PD James always does such a wonderful job in writing mysteries. Love Love love!