Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries

by Martin Edwards

Overview

Mystery crime fiction written in the Golden Age of Murder

"Like an assortment of presents under a Christmas tree, there's something for everyone in this Yule-themed reprint anthology in the British Library Crime Classics series from Edwards." —Publishers Weekly

Christmas is a mysterious, as well as magical, time of year. Strange things can happen, and this helps to explain the hallowed tradition of telling ghost stories around the fireside as the year draws to a close. Christmas tales of crime and detection have a similar appeal. When television becomes tiresome, and party games pall, the prospect of curling up in the warm with a good mystery is enticing—and much better for the digestion than yet another helping of plum pudding.

Crime writers are just as susceptible as readers to the countless attractions of Christmas. Over the years, many distinguished practitioners of the genre have given one or more of their stories a Yuletide setting. The most memorable Christmas mysteries blend a lively storyline with an atmospheric evocation of the season. Getting the mixture right is much harder than it looks.

This book introduces of readers to some of the finest Christmas detective stories of the past. Martin Edwards' selection blends festive pieces from much-loved authors with one or two stories which are likely to be unfamiliar even to diehard mystery fans. The result is a collection of crime fiction to savor, whatever the season.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781464205002
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/02/2024
Series:	British Library Crime Classics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	306
Sales rank:	43,869
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Martin Edwards is an award-winning crime writer best known for two series of novels set in Liverpool and the Lake District. He is series consultant for British Library Crime Classics, the Vice Chair of the Crime Writers' Association, and President of the Detection Club. The Golden Age of Murder, his study of the Detection Club, was published in 2015 to international acclaim, and has been nominated for both the Edgar and Agatha awards for the year's best book about the genre. He received the CWA 2020 Diamond Dagger Award for sustained excellence in crime writing and significant contributions to the genre, joining the ranks of Sue Grafton, Ian Rankin, and Lee Child.

Editorial Reviews

Oh be still my little crime fiction heart! What a perfect gift for the coming holidays for those into the "Golden Age of Crime"....Some of the best known authors of that era are showcased in Silent Nights and I loved the linking theme of Christmas... possibly as it's almost that time of year again, who knows? Pretty sure this is indeed the case as I could really see myself curling up with this book in the "lull" between Boxing Day and New Year's Day. It would be keeping with the season as well as feeding my love for a good bit of crime....I'm really loving the anthologies from the "Golden Age of Crime" that Poisoned Pen Press have been releasing, but this one so far has to be my favourite....Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. Crime fiction fans into the "Golden Age of Crime" will love Silent Nights as some of the top authors are included with a fine array of Christmas time killings. What more could they want? ;-)...Would I buy this book for myself? Yes I would. I do like a good crime fiction anthology and Silent Nights is indeed a GOOD crime fiction anthology....In summary: Lovers of crime fiction from the late 1800's through to the 1930's and looking for something to read and enjoy during the end of year holidays buy this book. It fits perfectly into the holiday season as well as into your passion for a good old whodunit.

Janis' Journal Reviews

Since I love a good mystery, I was delighted to find this collection of short stories from the Golden Age of British Crime classics. I was pleased to find a few authors in the book that I had heard of in the past and some that are new to me....Martin Edwards did a nice job of choosing what went into the collection and gave a bit of background information about the authors which added to my enjoyment. The stories are short and easy to read, neatly wrapped up and nicely detailed. There is just something special about reading books from the past that I really enjoy. The style is a bit different, and the people seem to always be most courteous--except when they are the criminal of course!...I highly recommend this wonderful collection.

Negalley

"Not a nice murder. Not at all a nice murder."...Silent Nights, another entry in the British Library Crime Classics series, is a compilation of short stories—all with the common factor that the action takes place over Christmas. Police agencies and even the FBI warn that crime increases during the holiday season. Is it all the late night shopping, the carrying of cash? In other words, is the increase due to increased opportunities or are the statistics driven more by the need of the criminal to provide extra for their families? After reading Silent Nights, if there's a connective theme, it's how the Christmas season creates opportunities for criminals, and in some instances the season even creates such tempting opportunities that cause normally honest people turn to crime....Short story collections are a great way to discover new names, and in Silent Nights, there are some very famous names and others I'd never heard of. This collection begins with an intro by Martin Edwards and each story is prefaced with short biographical content....Some of the stories are very traditional "who-dun-its," so in Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Blue Carbuncle," the mystery concerns a lost top hat and a stolen diamond with Holmes managing to deduce a great deal from the hat that has seen better days while Watson stands on the sidelines wondering just how Holmes manages to make such brilliantly accurate conclusions. Other stories, such as Dorothy Sayers' "The Necklace of Pearls" and Edgar Wallace's "Stuffing" take place at Christmas country gatherings. Some stories are very deadly serious detective stories which concern murder while other stories are light and humorous in tone.

Netgalley - Guy Savage

The Christmas season is ripe for mysteries and ghost stories, like Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and the holiday adventures of Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. A connoisseur of British crime fiction, Martin Edwards has collected 16 short stories from the genre's Golden Age in his third mystery anthology, Silent Nights....Edwards (The Golden Age of Murder) includes a few classic pieces by well-known authors, notably Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Blue Carbuncle" and stories by G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers. But the collection also includes less familiar names such as Ralph Plummer, H.C. Bailey and Ethel Lina White. Eager to provide fresh material for even the most diehard mystery fans, Edwards has done a bit of sleuthing himself, tracking down one or two stories that have never been anthologized....Each piece is prefaced by a brief introduction to the author and his or her work, which is especially helpful for the book's more obscure contributors. Many of the pieces (as Edwards admits) are festive in setting only: jewel theft and murder at country-house parties and a sinister collection of waxworks are hardly traditional Christmas fare. But the stories provide a varied and entertaining glimpse into Golden Age crime fiction, and may prompt readers to seek out more work by authors who are new to them....A bit uneven in quality, but still moody and atmospheric, Silent Nights will amuse and satisfy mystery lovers who like a little murder with their eggnog. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Cakes, Tea and Dreams - Katie Noah Gibson

What an absolute treasure! Some of the stories I already knew and some were from authors I've been unfamiliar with. Typically I'll come across stories in an anthology that I end up viewing as "throw-aways" and would likely skip over for future readings. Here, though, I can see myself re-reading each in holiday seasons to come.

Netgalley

A really interesting and intriguing collection of classic crime short stories - some by authors that I've read before (Sayers etc) some by people I'd never heard of. Some creepy, some cunning - all enjoyable.

Goodreads