It was with the greatest of pleasure that I downloaded my advanced reader’s copy of “The Christmas Card Crime.” I have read a number of these British Library Crime Classics books, and every one of them, this book being no exception, has been great fun. The British Library Crime Classics series is made up of wonderful crime novels and short stories from the past which have been allowed to languish in obscurity until now. Some of the works are by people whose names are still famous, while others are from writers who are lesser known in the twenty-first century. There is always an interesting and informative introduction by Martin Edwards who is a mystery writer himself.

This book is an anthology of stories revolving around Christmas. There are eleven stories in this book, each from a different author. The original publication dates range from 1909 to 1965. I enjoyed all of the stories save one, and that is because I have a particular dislike of that kind of story, not because it was not well written and interesting. I do not like spoilers, so I am not going to give any. I will say that I particularly liked the stories by Selwyn Jepson, Cyril Hare, John Bingham and Julian Symonds.

If you like mystery short stories you cannot do better than this beguiling anthology. I highly recommend this book, and do yourself a favor, take a look at others in the British Library Crime Classics collection. There are a lot of terrific books which should not be forgotten.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I have two things to get off my chest. In the interest of full disclosure, The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories proves not as good as editor Martin Edwards’ previous holiday anthology, Silent Night (2015). Also, I received this book from NetGalley, British Library and Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an honest review.

Still, Edwards has compiled some real gems in his latest anthology: “By the Sword” by Selwyn Jepson, “Sister Bessie or Your Old Leech” by Cyril Hare, and the final, lengthy short story, “Twixt the Cup and the Lip” by Julian Symons. The best of all was Carter Dickson’s “Blind Man’s Hood”; sadly, I read (and reviewed) Dickson’s The Mad Hatter Mystery, and I was not impressed by his renowned sleuth, Dr. Gideon Fell.

On the other hand, “Crime at Lark Cottage” impressed me so much that I will seek out other works by John Bingham. So did “Paul Temple’s White Christmas” by Francis Durbridge; I definitely want to read more Paul Temple book, although the stories may only exist as radio shows. John Bude contributed “Pattern of Revenge”; I have adored Bude’s series featuring the dogged Inspector William Meredith, and I have read each one as they have been re-released. (Thank you, British Library and Poison Pen Press!) Bude did not disappoint with the short story in this wonderful anthology.

The eponymous “The Christmas Card Crimes” by Donald Stuart, “A Bit of Wire-Pulling” by E.C.R. Lorac, and “The Motive” by Ronald Knox were pleasing but nothing special. Even so, without a single dud in the bunch, Edwards has compiled an anthology that will make your holiday merry and bright.

What a delight this book is. Some of the language is a little dated, it's not at all p.c. and the societal niceties have definitely changed over the years but the actual crime stories were beautifully written and I enjoyed them all.

The cover drew me in and fits the book perfectly. The authors were all new to me except for Francis Durbridge whose television series was a favourite of my dad's. I guessed some of the murderers or at least a few of the clues in most of the tales but that didn't matter. Instead I was just enjoying the differences between the crime stories of the past and those I read today and I think I will read this again when the festive season is a little closer.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a slightly different but nonetheless entertaining type of short story; all of these will take you to Christmases in the past in a very pleasing way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-Galley of this anthology.

This is the third winter themed anthology in the collection of books offered as part of the British Library Crime Classics. Once again Martin Edwards is the editor and there is an Introduction by him as well as information regarding each author at the beginning of their story. There are eleven stories from these authors: Baroness Orczy, Selwyn Jepson, Donald Stuart, Ronald Knox, Carter Dickson, Francis Durbridge, Cyril Hare, E. C. R. Lorac, John Bude, John Birmingham, and Julian Symons. Through that introductory information I discovered that one of these authors was an Earl, was recruited by MI5 and was the basis for the George Smiley character by John Le Carre. I never skip over those story introductions because you just never know what you will find out about the authors.

I was delighted to find that I had not previously read any of the stories offered here. That was surprising since I've been reading mystery anthologies for a long time. I was pleased to see contributions from authors I've liked for a long time and offerings by authors I've recently discovered through these British Library Crime Classics. Some of the authors were new to me so I now know a little about their style of writing. There isn't a "bad" story in the collection but, of course, some I enjoyed more. Recommended for readers who enjoy authors who wrote during the golden age of mystery; maybe they are now considered old fashioned, but they are very satisfying reading for me.

This is a wonderful collection of stories from the golden age of mysteries. I love that these stories are being republished for a whole new generation to enjoy. Every story in this collection is well plotted and a fun glimpse into another era. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

As an anthology fan, I enjoyed this nice mix of stories. The editor is excellent, and provided excellent intros. Kudos on the selections overall. Recommended.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

While it feels incongruous reading a Christmas anthology while in the midst of a summer heatwave, not all these stories are really that Christmassy. As with all anthologies, this is a mixed bag: known crime names are here such as Cyril Hare, Ronald Knox, Carter Dickson and John Bude, with some unknowns to liven up the mix. The plots range from locked room mysteries to that old chestnut which I still love of a group of strangers stranded on a snow-bound train. This would make an ideal winter/Xmas present especially for someone who loves reading vintage mysteries on the commute.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

This is a delightful collection of old, short, mystery stories set at Christmas time. Each writer sets the scene and creates an excellent twist on the season and how human nature can be turned to a darker hue.

This is a fine collection of stories that will capture the reader’s interest.

The Christmas Card Crime & Other Stories is a short story collection compiled by the British Library in an effort to bring back to print many stories that have not seen the light of day in more than half a century.

Yes, I know this review is being written in July, but I received an advanced copy for review from the publisher and if I’m being honest, I’m a Christmas lunatic and will take my festive fiction when and where I can get it. That being said, many of these stories could barely be classified as Christmas themed. I’m talking a few throwaway lines at the beginning of the story to set the novel in December and then it’s never mentioned or touched on again.

However, that doesn’t hold true for all of them. There are many stories that make great use of the season. The title story – The Christmas Card Crime by Donald Stuart – builds a locked-room mystery around killing involving a torn Christmas card, Sister Bessie or Your Old Leech (my favorite of the bunch) by Cyril Hare involves a bit of blackmail originating from a family Christmas party and John Bingham’s Crime at Lark Cottage invokes a great twist ending during a tense Christmas Eve in the country.

A few of the stories just didn’t do it for me, but that’s to be expected in a short story collection from various writers. It’s sort of a mixed bag when it comes to a reader’s taste. One story in particular, The Motive by Ronald Knox, put me to sleep; it was about as dry as fireplace kindling.

There seems to be very little in the way of Christmas-themed fiction around the holidays that isn’t primarily romance, so I welcome a bit of mischief, misdirection and mayhem under the tree. While The Christmas Card Crime & Other Stories isn’t perfect, it’s worth checking out. You’re not going to like everyone at a Christmas party, are you?

The Christmas Card Crime & Other Stories will be released on October 01, 2019

Another fabulous dip into the stories from, and around the golden age. I do really enjoy reading books from this era, and these anthologies give a taste of authors that have not yet discovered and will seek out in the future.
Martin Edwards again give a informative overview of the author at the beginning of each stories, and how they fitting in to this type of crime writing. These ones, as the title says are written employing the Christmas theme and do not disappoint.