Christmas is Murder
Author: Val McDermid
Published by: Sphere
Pages: 245
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Published by: Sphere
Pages: 245
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Queen of Crime Val McDermid is a master of the dark and sinister story, and these powers are demonstrated in full force in Christmas is Murder, a festive collection of chilling tales.
From an irresponsible baron whose body is discovered beneath a silver birch tree, to an author who is haunted by the spiteful presence of a jealous writing partner, the characters McDermid conjures are enigmatic and dangerous, never above suspicion.
Follow Tony Hill and Carol Jordan as they track a deadly killer who is preparing to strike on Christmas Day and lose yourself in a festive exclusive - a recently unearthed case for a classic detective duo, set as the lights are going out across Europe.
From an irresponsible baron whose body is discovered beneath a silver birch tree, to an author who is haunted by the spiteful presence of a jealous writing partner, the characters McDermid conjures are enigmatic and dangerous, never above suspicion.
Follow Tony Hill and Carol Jordan as they track a deadly killer who is preparing to strike on Christmas Day and lose yourself in a festive exclusive - a recently unearthed case for a classic detective duo, set as the lights are going out across Europe.
My thoughts:
On Christmas I sat down to this collection of short stories and it turned out to be a good introduction to McDermid’s work. I enjoyed the short stories and found the experience a nice change from reading a full-length crime fiction novel. The stories are generally quite brief, making them ideal to dip in and out of. They are very varied, and some are darker than others, but I wouldn’t exactly call the collection ‘chilling.’
Selected from across the breadth of her career, the stories deal with murder, revenge, poisoning and a kidnapped Santa Claus.
It can’t be easy developing a mystery in such a small space as a short story, getting the reader to the big reveal, keeping it a surprise but it still all making sense. And some stories were more successful at this than others. I felt some deserved to be longer too. My favourites were The Long Black Veil and A Wife in a Million, both of which are really quite creepy.
I enjoyed Christmas is Murder as an intriguing festive collection and a quick entertaining read over the Christmas break.. I finished Christmas is Murder in one sitting and would recommend this if you’re a fan of short stories and crime fiction.
A nice one to curl up with as the frosty winter draws in and each night gets darker than the last. It's a typical cosy crime read, but I had hoped for something more atmospheric and memorable overall..
Overall reaction:
On Christmas I sat down to this collection of short stories and it turned out to be a good introduction to McDermid’s work. I enjoyed the short stories and found the experience a nice change from reading a full-length crime fiction novel. The stories are generally quite brief, making them ideal to dip in and out of. They are very varied, and some are darker than others, but I wouldn’t exactly call the collection ‘chilling.’
Selected from across the breadth of her career, the stories deal with murder, revenge, poisoning and a kidnapped Santa Claus.
It can’t be easy developing a mystery in such a small space as a short story, getting the reader to the big reveal, keeping it a surprise but it still all making sense. And some stories were more successful at this than others. I felt some deserved to be longer too. My favourites were The Long Black Veil and A Wife in a Million, both of which are really quite creepy.
I enjoyed Christmas is Murder as an intriguing festive collection and a quick entertaining read over the Christmas break.. I finished Christmas is Murder in one sitting and would recommend this if you’re a fan of short stories and crime fiction.
A nice one to curl up with as the frosty winter draws in and each night gets darker than the last. It's a typical cosy crime read, but I had hoped for something more atmospheric and memorable overall..
Overall reaction:
