Reading the Detectives discussion

Sorry to be a day late with this, it slipped my mind! It's time to nominate for our December group read.

We are trying something different for a couple of months and asking for nominations on themes, and for December the theme is Christmas/winter. As usual, the books can be written in/set in the GA period, or a little earlier or later.

Just one nomination per group member, please. Also, only one book by any individual writer can be nominated per month.

How about Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan ?

A festive mystery for the holiday season: mulled wine, mince pies... and murder

When Mordecai Tremaine arrives at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve, he discovers that the revelries are in full swing in the sleepy village of Sherbroome--but so too are tensions amongst the assortment of guests.

When midnight strikes, the partygoers discover that presents aren't the only things nestled under the tree...there's a dead body too. A dead body that bears a striking resemblance to Father Christmas. With the snow falling and suspicions flying, it's up to Mordecai to sniff out the culprit--and prevent anyone else from getting murder for Christmas.

I really enjoyed Murder at Christmas, Hilary -!great nomination!

I think the group may have read this some years ago, but as Susan said there are now lots of new members, I wondered if I could nominate The Santa Klaus Murder. By Mavis Doriel Hay. If this isn't acceptable, let me know and I will rethink.

Jill wrote: "I think the group may have read this some years ago, but as Susan said there are now lots of new members, I wondered if I could nominate The Santa Klaus Murder. By [author:Mavis Dor..."

I think that's fine to nominate, as this was the very first group read back in December 2015 when we only had a few members, so it will be three years ago. While checking that, I've just noticed it was the group's third birthday yesterday - Happy Birthday to us!

Another Little Christmas Murder

A classic country house mystery republished for the first time in nearly seventy years. Perfect for fans of Murder at the Old Vicarage and Partners in Crime.

When Dilys Hughes finds herself snowbound in the middle of a bleak and lonely stretch of Yorkshire, she has no option but to accept help from passing motorist Inigo Brown, who is on his way to visit his uncle.

Arriving at his uncle's remote country house, Wintry Wold, the couple encounters a less than warm welcome from Inigo's new young aunt, Theresa. Why is she reluctant to let Inigo see his uncle, and is he really as ill as they are told?

As the snowstorm brings more stranded strangers to their door, Dilys starts to realise that all is not as it seems at Wintry Wold. When the morning brings news of the death of Inigo's uncle, Dilys sets out to investigate - was it a natural death, or was it murder?

Judy wrote: "Jill wrote: "I think the group may have read this some years ago, but as Susan said there are now lots of new members, I wondered if I could nominate The Santa Klaus Murder. By [aut..."

Thanks.
[book:The Santa Klaus Murder|25571847]. By. Mavis Doriel Hay

When it comes to Christmas stories, one typically thinks of those that embody the spirit of the season, such as O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” and Charles Dickens’s 'A Christmas Carol'.

The Yuletide-themed murder mystery is not usually the first thing that comes to mind. But in 1936, Mavis Doriel Hay wrote 'The Santa Klaus Murder', one of three detective novels she published in the 1930s.

A classic country-house murder mystery, 'The Santa Klaus Murder' begins with Aunt Mildred declaring that no good could come of the Melbury family Christmas gathering at their country residence Flaxmere. So when Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered — by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus —with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day, the festivities are plunged into chaos.

Nearly every member of the party stands to reap some sort of benefit from Sir Osmond’s death, but Santa Klaus, the one person who seems to have every opportunity to fire the shot, has no apparent motive. Various members of the family have their private suspicions about the identity of the murderer, but in the midst of mistrust, suspicion, and hatred, it emerges that there was not one Santa Klaus but two.

I'd like to nominate A Christmas Visitor

...(Anne Perry) has given readers another gift-a yuletide offering full of holiday magic . . . and murder.
The Dreghorn family is gathering for an anticipated reunion in the Lake District of England. The blissful tranquility of the snowbound estate, however, is soon shattered by what appears to be an accidental death. The victim's distraught wife, Antonia, summons her godfather, distinguished mathematician and inventor Henry Rathbone-one of the most beloved characters from Perry's bestselling William Monk series. But questions about the tragic event turn into whispers of murder, sending shock waves among members of the Dreghorn clan, who haven't seen each other in ten years.

A Christmas Visitor looks good, thanks Frances. I see Anne Perry has written a lot of short Christmas mysteries.

I'll nominate one I meant to read last Christmas but didn't get round to, Crime at Christmas by C.H.B. Kitchin

It's in paperback and on Kindle in the UK. Sorry, this is second in a series, but the first one looks to be expensive and not on Kindle (and isn't a Christmas story!) Here's the Goodreads blurb:

A Christmas party in Hampstead is rudely interrupted by a violent death. Can the murderer be one of the relatives and intimate friends celebrating the festive season in the great house? The stockbroker sleuth Malcolm Warren investigates, in this brilliantly witty mystery from this classic crime writer.

First published in 1934, the second in the Malcolm Warren series sees our some-time detective unravel the mystery behind two gruesome deaths in a mere twenty-four hours. A master of suspense and surprise, Kitchin sets the festive scene by conjuring up the most vivid of characters and presents us with a likeable narrator to guide us through.

'Kitchin's knowledge of the crevices of human nature lifts his crime fiction out of the category of puzzledom and into the realm of the detective novel. He was, in short, ahead of his day.' H .R. F. Keating (less)

Nominations so far:

Hilary - Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

Jill - The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay

Susan - Another Little Christmas Murder by Lorna Nicholl Morgan

Judy - Crime at Christmas by C.H.B. Kitchin

Any more nominations? Remember, they can be set in winter, don't all have to be specifically Christmas!

You've missed A Christmas Visitor. Looks like a good list!

Frances wrote: "You've missed A Christmas Visitor. Looks like a good list!"

Oops, so I have. Apologies.

Full list:

Hilary: Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan

Jill: The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay

Susan: Another Little Christmas Murder by Lorna Nicholl Morgan

Frances: A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry

Judy: Crime at Christmas by C.H.B. Kitchin

I think this could be a tight vote when the poll goes up!

They are very similar in theme, it will be a tight vote, I agree.

Our poll is now up! Please cast your votes.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Murder for Christmas is in the lead at the moment, but not many people have voted yet. The ballot box is still open, and every vote counts! :)

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

I found it really hard to choose, they all sound good! I've chosen one but I wouldn't mind which one wins. Looking forward to it. :-)

That's good to hear, Sue. Looks like we will have a nice festive read, whichever one wins.

Yes, lots of good choices, as always.

Great choices. I just finished Portrait of a Murderer and Mystery in White so looking forward to any of these.

We have a winner - it's Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan It was a very close vote in the end.

I've read this and thought it was a lot of fun - some similarities to Poirot.

It is the second in original publication order of the books featuring detective Mordecai Tremaine, but it was reprinted first, so some places list it as book 1 and some as book 2!

It works fine as a standalone, anyway. Also, I suspect there may be earlier books in the series which haven't been reprinted, so these may not be books 1 and 2 at all - all quite confusing!

Full results:

Murder for Christmas (Mordecai Tremaine #2) 8 votes, 30.8%
The Santa Klaus Murder 7 votes, 26.9%
A Christmas Visitor (Christmas Stories, #2) 6 votes, 23.1%
Crime at Christmas 4 votes, 15.4%
Another Little Christmas Murder 1 vote, 3.8%

Looks good, Judy. I could still, vaguely recall, the ending of Santa Klaus Murder, so I am pleased I have a new mystery to read - although all the choices were good ones.

For more Christmas reads coming up, we have The Case of the Abominable Snowman in mid-November (not a Christmas mystery as such, but a nice, snowed in house - as, indeed, is our next Ngaio Marsh read, Death and the Dancing Footman

In December, we also have a Christmas Buddy Read An English Murder Currently £1.49 on kindle.

Judy wrote: "We have a winner - it's Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan It was a very close vote in the end.

I've read this and t..."

He had written earlier books but not in the Mordecai Tremaine series according to this website. It also gives a biographical summary of Francis Duncan.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/fr...

Thanks for the link, Lesley, nice bio. I'm glad he has been rediscovered - must be lovely for his family to see his work appreciated.

I don't think any information is currently available about the books which haven't been reprinted, so it is possible that some of those with "murder" type titles may also be Tremaine novels ... but we will probably never know unless they reappear!

I have a vague memory that the first book, Murder has a Motive, refers to previous cases, but of course these could be like the mythical cases which turn up in Sherlock Holmes stories.

My library has Murder has a Motive available on Hoopla and I may try to fit it in before December. I've read Murder for Christmas a prior Christmas but will need to reread as these 'buried in snow' plots all blend together after a bit.