"Twelve deliciously dark short stories steeped in wintery weather and Christmas festivities from the pen of one of our most loved and brilliant crime writers."
A glorious feast of 12 short stories await your reading pleasure, the cover is delightful and lures you in to tales where winter and Christmas sit front and centre. For those of you who adore murder, mystery, and mayhem slipping into your Christmas festivities I can highly recommend this collection, and what better time of the year to sit and indulge in the mastery of Val McDermid’s pen. I absolutely love a short story, all of my favourite aspects of a novel distilled into a few pages. Here you can meet some favourite characters and tales, along with some brand new ones. I particularly love the stories that are drenched in Christmas and The Girl Who Killed Santa Claus is an absolute dream. Along the way you’ll meet Holmes and Watson, sit through the miners’ strike, and find yourself admiring the christmas tree in an English country house. Val McDermid spins tales that take your imagination on the most wonderfully vibrant and atmospheric tour. Christmas is Murder joins our LoveReading Star Books collection, and would make the most fabulous gift for anyone who likes to walk on the dark side during one of the most sparkly and tinsel laden times of the year.
| Primary Genre | Shorter Reads |
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Like a Christmas pudding. A good mixture that satisfies. Pick up a copy now!
A marvelous collection of short stories from Val. Some but not all centred around Christmas. I have been a fan of Val's fiction for a number of years but this is my first foray into her short stories. Val is known as a crime writer and though there are some elements of crime in this collection she also has some supernatural elements. A story that caught my attention was what you could call alternative history? Sherlock Holmes getting involved in foiling the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and therefore changing history. Will he succeed? You will need to buy the book, read the story and find out. As I said a good mixture of the supernatural, crime and that staple of many a good story, Revenge! I would recommend this collection of stories as there is something for everyone.... Read Full Review
A varied and gripping short story collection, perfect for dipping into over the festive season, or indeed any cold winter’s evening.
I have enjoyed many of Val McDermid’s novels but had never read any of her short stories before this collection. I was not disappointed; her writing is as masterful as ever in this book. There is a wide variety of locations, from her native Scotland, to settings as far afield as St Petersburg and Sarajevo. The colourful cast of characters includes references to some of her own creations, plus famous figures real (Eric Blair) and fictional (Sherlock Holmes) among others. Stories even play out on the sidelines of real historical events.
Each story is gripping, building inexorably to a climax, many involving some effective, gripping twists and turns, especially surprising given the short story form. It’s hard to single any story out because, although varied, I enjoyed them all equally.... Read Full Review
A great collection of short stories perfect for the festive season
Christmas is a busy period, so the time and concentration for reading can often elude even the most dedicated of us. Short stories are the perfect solution and if some of them are Christmas-themed then all the better. Dark tales of murder can also reflect the festive mood, especially after being in close proximity to our nearest and dearest over the holidays.
This is a great collection of stories whose settings range from an English country house, to Russia, the USA, and an isolated Highland landscape. There are foul deeds and gory murders, spiced with some very dark humour. And interesting and clever extrapolations from history with some very well-known characters intervening in famous events.... Read Full Review
