Crime at Christmas, a Box of Murderous (and other) Delights, to take your mind off the rigours of the festive season. Here are eighteen short stories and no old sweats-Π²Πβabsolutely no stories which, however excellent, you must have read a score or more times before. Most have never appeared in book-form and two, by British crime writer James Melville and American suspense-writer Bill Pronzini, have been written especially for this anthology.
There are tales of tension, tales of brain-racking ingenuity; grim tales, comic tales, atmospheric tales, undeniably acidic tales, tales with twists to their tails. There is a puzzle-story to ponder over, perhaps while cracking nuts beside the fire. There's even a recipe (and a very good one too; and from a surprising source). And all illustrated in fine style by Brian Denington.
CONTENTS
Introduction
NICHOLAS BLAKE A Problem In White
JOHN DICKSON CARR Detective's Day Off
JAMES MELVILLE Santa-San Solves It
'PETER TODD' Herlock Sholmes's Christmas Case
EDWARD D. HOCH The Three Travellers
PETER LOVESEY Murder In Store
ETHEL LINA WHITE Waxworks
JOSEPH COMMINGS Serenade to a Killer
EDGAR WALLACE Stuffing
BILL PRONZINI No Room at the Inn
CYRIL HARE Sister Bessie
MARGERY ALLINGHAM Murder Under the Mistletoe
WILL SCOTT Christmas Train
ROBERT ARTHUR A Present for Christmas
JULIAN SYMONS The Santa Claus Club
'HERLOCK SHOLMES' The Secret in the Pudding Bag
ANTHONY BURGESS The Great Christmas Train Mystery
JAMES POWELL The Plot Against Santa Claus
AFTERWORD Biggles' Apple Snowballs
Acknowledgements
Sources
Solution to A Problem in White