Who Killed Father Christmas? and Other Seasonal Mysteries is another collection of Christmas short stories edited by Martin Edwards. It’s part of the British Library Crime Classics. Edwards always manages to inform with the brief biographies of the authors while picking entertaining stories for the collections. This one is the fifth anthology of seasonal mysteries for the series.
Everyone has preferences when it comes to stories. I like the straightforward mysteries more than the ghost stories. I’ll admit there was even one I just didn’t get. One by a long-time favorite author was disappointing.
I liked “The Christmas Thief” by Frank Howel Evans. This story of two down-on-their-luck honest young men was originally published in 1911 in “Chums”, a popular boys’ newspaper. I can understand why. It’s in the tradition of stories with the moral that honesty will pay off.
I’ve enjoyed some of Catherine Aird’s mysteries in this past year. I liked her short story “Gold, Frankincense, and Murder” with a clue I didn’t recognize, but it worked perfectly.
Patricia Moyes’ “Who Killed Father Christmas” had a clever solution with a twist that I didn’t see coming.
I haven’t yet read one of Michael Innes’ novels featuring John Appleby of Scotland Yard, but after reading “Who Suspects the Postman?”, I’m even more eager to try one of the novels with that character. Again, in the new year.
As I said, different stories in collections will appeal to different readers. Who Killed Father Christmas? is an entertaining book for the season.
Martin Edwards’ website is https://martinedwardsbooks.com/
Who Killed Father Christmas? and Other Seasonal Mysteries edited by Martin Edwards. Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks, 2025, 288p.
FTC Full Disclosure – My copy came by way of Poisoned Pen Press, with no expectation of a positive review.
Michael Innes, Patricia Moyes, and Catherine Aird: I enjoy seeing these names because these are the mystery writers my mother read avidly, along with Nicholas Freeling, Michael Gilbert, and Rex Stout. I’m still a Michael Gilbert fan thanks to her. His most famous one, I think, is SMALLBONE DECEASED, but he wrote a lot of good mysteries.
There’s a Michael Gilbert story in this one, too. I love that the book brings back memories for you, Kim. I never read them, but I did read Rex Stout. I’m making up now for missing them.
Of course, I will read this one as soon as the library gets it, as I have read all of his other British Library collections, holiday and otherwise. I know I read the Moyes and possibly some of the others.
Kim, you should also look out for Michael Gilbert’s great short stories about former spies Calder & Behrens. I think there are two collections. But all of his short stories are worth reading.
Crippen & Landru published a Moyes collection early on, and they’ve published a Michael Gilbert and Michael Innes, I know.
I think of you, Jeff, whenever I read a new story collection, knowing you’re probably waiting for it.
That is odd that we both reviewed it on the same day. As you said, I’m sure you read some of hte stories, but I hope you find a surprise or two.
By coincidence, my friend George reviewed this on his blog today too. I just downloaded it from the Cloud Library.