‘Christmas Stalkings‘, a collection of thirteen Christmas-themed short stories by well-known crime writers, was a fun way to read myself into the spirit of Christmas.  Even though some of the stories are about murders, they’re pleasantly free of violence and gore. A number of them are ‘Christmas Special’ appearances by the detectives who made their writers famous. Some are amusing. Most are clever. All of them are well-written. If you’re looking for a collection of short stories that you can did into as you sip your eggnog and open yourself up to Christmas, I recommend ‘Christmas Stalkings‘.

Charlotte MacLeod, who was a co-founder and then President of the American Crime Writers League, seems to have known everyone in the crime-writing  business. She’s garnered stories from an impressive and diverse set of authors.  Published in 1991, ‘Christmas Stalkings‘ features stories from writers who made their reputations in the 70s and 80s.  I was reading Science Fiction and not Crime back then, so many of the writers were new to me.  I came away from this collection keen to read novels by Reginald Hill, Medora Sale, Patricia Moyes and Evelyn E Smith.

I’ve given each story a rating and a short review below.

COUNTERFEIT CHRISTMAS by Charlotte MacLeod ★★★

I almost skipped this story when I saw it featured Peter Shandy. A few years ago, I tried to read Charlotte MacLeod Christmas crib novel ‘Rest You Merry’, featuring Peter Shandy. I abandoned it on Christmas Eve unfinished. The only thing I enjoyed about it was writing a piece of doggrel as a review. If you’re curious, you can find it HERE.

Despite my earlier experience, I decided to give ‘Counterfeit Christmas’ a try. I’m glad I did. It was slight but charming story, full of Christmas spirit but free from maudlin sentimentality. I enjoyed watching Shandy come up with a clever and pleasant way of dealing with a counterfeiter.

Now I’m wondering if I judged ‘Rest You Merry’ too harshly. 

THE RUNNING OF THE DEER by Reginald Hill ★★★★

I haven’t read any of Reginald Hill’s books, although I enjoyed the TV adaptation of his Dalziel and Pascoe stories. I had no idea that he had a series featuring Joe Sixsmith, a black Brit from Luton who used his redundancy money to set himself up as a Private Detective. 

‘The Running of the Deer’ was a good introduction to Joe. He’s not your usual PI. He has no idea what he’s doing really. But he has knack for finding things out, even if it’s sometimes by accident. This story took him from Luton to the wilds of Cumbria where he floundered about on the hills, fell into a bog and drank with the locals until he finally figured out what was really going on. It was clever, down to earth and delivered with wry humour. 

I’ll be reading more Reginald Hill, starting with ‘Blood Sympathy’

LIZ PETERS, PI by Elizabeth Peters ★★★

This was a smile. It was Elizabeth Peters having fun with a Christmas story in which she casts herself as a mystery writer who is a PI on the side. The style was a playful tilt at noir. The story was ‘Gumshoe‘ meets ‘A Christmas Carol’, (right down to having a candidate for Tiny Tim) plus some satire at the dumb behaviour of men. This managed to be cozy, ironic and slightly snarky all at the same time.

Plus, I learned that the USA, where the right to bear arms is written into the constitution, banned women from having hatpins of ten inches in length in case women used them as a lethal weapon. Could there be a more phallic symbol of male fragility? If you’re interested, check out this article in the Smithsonian Magazine

ANGELS by Medora Sale ★★★★

‘Angels’ is about a cold blooded assasination at a children’s Christmas Pageant. The solution at the end is so rapid, if you blink you’ll miss it. So I ought to be going – not cosy and a bit of a meh mystery. Instead I’m going – this really caught the atmosphere of a Christmas pageant at a posh girls’ school, I liked the people, enjoyed the humour, found the idea original and thought the ending worked. I think that’s all down to how Medora Sale writes.

The detective in this was borrowed from her six-book John Sanders/Harriet Jeffries Mystsery series. I’m going to give the first one. ‘Murder On The Run‘ (1986) a try.

THE ONLY TRUE UNRAVELLER by John Malcolm ★★★★

On an unusually snowy Christmas Eve, two old friends walk through a cemetery, searching for a specific grave that one man wants to show the other. As the day darkens and the weather worsens, the civilised conversation between the two men develops an edge that builds into a sense of menace and then of doom. What was erudite becomes primal and deadly. 

It’s beautifully done. The pace is perfectly controlled. The structure reminds me of Poe: inexorable, unhurried and chilling. 

The story was published in 1991 but the language is that of an educated Englishman of the 1950s. It is rich, precise, complex but clear, giving the story a civilised tone deliberately at odds with th violent and visceral content.

THE JANUARY SALE STOWAWAY by Dorothy Cannell

The humour in this didn’t work for me. It felt too much like a children’s story so, I set it aside.

THE SANTA CLAUS CAPER by Bill Crider ★★

This was competently done but not my sort of thing. Neither of the two men in the story, both of whom were trying to date the same woman, interested me. They felt real enough, I just wouldn’t want to spend time with either of them. The woman felt more like a concept than a person. The story didn’t capture my interest because it was more about the two men than about solving the slight but clever mystery of who was stealing from the department store at Christmas.

FAMILY CHRISTMAS by Patricia Moyes ★★★

A sad, slightly dark tale, told in a gentle almost whimsical tone that made everything sound harmless and cosy when it was actually lethal and tragic.

I admired the storytelling. It’s reminded me that I have Patricia Moyes’ debut novel ‘Dead Men Don’t Ski‘ in my TBR. I must dig it out soon.

MISS MELVILLE REJOICES by Evelyn E. Smith ★★★★★

This was fun. Dark, quirky fun but fun all the same and with a Festive feel. Yes it’s a story about an assassin but she’s a civilised, interesting assassin who intends to kill someone who does not deserve to be allowed to live.  True, killing on Christmas Eve is a little tacky but you have to play the hand you’re dealt.

This was my first encounter with Miss Melville, Evelyn Smith’s wonderful creation, but it won’t be my last. I’m adding ‘Miss Melville Regrets‘ (1986) to my shelves.

TWO IN THE BUSH by Eric Wright ★★★

A story about East End criminals sorting out their grievances at Christmas time was unlikely to win my heart. Even so, my curiosity pulled me into the story. I needed to know how the criminals were going to use the Salvation Army to take down their opponent.

THE FABULOUS NICK by Mickey Friedman ★★★★

A fun tale of Santa, posing as Chimney repair man, solving a crime that has resulted in a young boy hating Santa. This was simple but engaging. I enjoyed meeting Santa. The puzzle was interesting. And I found out just how much of a cookie addict Santa is.

A POLICTICAL NECESSITY ★★★★

I’ll happily confess to bias here. A big part of my enjoyment of the story was my growing hope that a slime-ball Tory politician was going to get what he deserved rather than what he was certain he was entitled to. The rest of my enjoyment came from trying to figure out how that would happen. I didn’t see the twist coming but I enjoyed it when it arrived and I enjoyed the satirical tone throughout.

I also learned about the existence of the Norwegian Christmas Gnome. It was mentioned so I had to look it up. Now I know who really delivers the presents in much of Scandinavia. If you’re interested, heres a link to NISSE

FRUITCAKE, MERCY AND BLACK-EYED PEAS by Margaret Maron ★★★

A heartwarming tale with a distinctive North Carolina flavour. Set between Christmas and New Year’s day, this story made me smile because it managed to be kind and credible while looking squarely in the eye of some difficult things. Not cosy in an unrealistic way, but human and gentle and full of the best kind of Christmas spirit.