The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries

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Have yourself a crooked little Christmas with The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries. Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler collects sixty of his all-time favorite holiday crime stories--many of which are difficult or nearly impossible to find anywhere else. From classic Victorian tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy, to contemporary stories by Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain, this collection touches on all aspects of the holiday season, and all types of mysteries. They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant. Included are puzzles by Mary Higgins Clark, Isaac Asimov, and Ngaio Marsh; uncanny tales in the tradition of A Christmas Carol by Peter Lovesey and Max Allan Collins; O. Henry-like stories by Stanley Ellin and Joseph Shearing, stories by pulp icons John D. MacDonald and Damon Runyon; comic gems from Donald E. Westlake and John Mortimer; and many, many more. Almost any kind of mystery you’re in the mood for--suspense, pure detection, humor, cozy, private eye, or police procedural—can be found in these pages. FEATURING:-        Unscrupulous Santas-        Crimes of Christmases Past and Present-        Festive felonies-        Deadly puddings-        Misdemeanors under the mistletoe-        Christmas cases for classic characters including Sherlock Holmes, Brother Cadfael, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse, Inspector Ghote, A.J. Raffles, and Nero Wolfe.ContentsINTRODUCTION Otto PenzlerA Traditional Little ChristmasTHE ADVENTURE OF THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING Agatha ChristieGOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MURDER Catherine AirdBOXING UNCLEVER Robert BarnardTHE PROOF OF THE PUDDING Peter LoveseyTHE ADVENTURE OF THE DAUPHIN’S DOLL Ellery QueenMORSE’S GREATEST MYSTERY Colin DexterMORE THAN FLESH AND BLOOD Susan MoodyTHE BUTLER’S CHRISTMAS EVE Mary Roberts RinehartTHE TRINITY CAT Ellis PetersA Funny Little ChristmasTHE BURGLAR AND THE WHATSIT Donald E. WestlakeDANCING DAN’S CHRISTMAS Damon RunyonA VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS Ron GoulartTHE THIEVES WHO COULDN’T HELP SNEEZING Thomas HardyRUMPOLE AND THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS John MortimerA REVERSIBLE SANTA CLAUS Meredith NicholsonA Sherlockian Little ChristmasA SCANDAL IN WINTER Gillian LinscottTHE CHRISTMAS CLIENT Edward D. HochTHE SECRET IN THE PUDDING BAG & HERLOCK SHOLMES’S CHRISTMAS CASE Peter ToddCHRISTMAS EVE S. C. RobertsTHE ADVENTURE OF THE BLUE CARBUNCLE Arthur Conan DoyleA Pulpy Little ChristmasDEAD ON CHRISTMAS STREET John D. MacDonaldCRIME’S CHRISTMAS CAROL NorvellSERENADE TO A KILLER Joseph CommingsAn Uncanny Little ChristmasTHE HAUNTED CRESCENT Peter LoveseyA CHRISTMAS IN CAMP Edmund CoxTHE CHRISTMAS BOGEY Pat FrankTHE KILLER CHRISTIAN Andrew KlavanTHE GHOST’S TOUCH Fergus HumeA WREATH FOR MARLEY Max Allan CollinsA Scary Little ChristmasTHE CAROL SINGERS Josephine BellWAXWORKS Ethel Lina WhiteCAMBRIC TEA Marjorie BowenTHE 74TH TALE Jonathan SantloferTHE UNINNOCENT Bradford MorrowBLUE CHRISTMAS Peter RobinsonA Surprising Little ChristmasNOEL, NOEL Barry PerowneDEATH ON CHRISTMAS EVE Stanley EllinTHE CHINESE APPLE Joseph ShearingA Modern Little ChristmasAND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE Ed McBainAN EARLY CHRISTMAS Doug AllynTHE LIVE TREE John LutzTHREE-DOT PO Sara ParetskyMAD DOG Dick LochteA Puzzling Little ChristmasSISTER BESSIE Cyril HareTHAT’S THE TICKET Mary Higgins ClarkDEATH ON THE AIR Ngaio MarshTHE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS Isaac AsimovTHE CHRISTMAS KITTEN Ed GormanTHE SANTA CLAUS CLUB Julian SymonsA Classic Little ChristmasTHE FLYING STARS G. K. ChestertonCHRISTMAS PARTY Rex StoutTHE RAFFLES RELICS E. W. HornungTHE PRICE OF LIGHT Ellis PetersA PRESENT FOR SANTA SAHIB H. R. F. KeatingTHE CHRISTMAS TRAIN Will ScottMARKHEIM Robert Louis StevensonA CHAPARRAL CHRISTMAS GIFT O. HenryTHE CHOPHAM AFFAIR Edgar WallaceA CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY Agatha ChristieAbout the AuthorOtto Penzler is the editor of eleven other Vintage Crime/Black Lizard anthologies, including The Big Book of Pulps, The Big Book of Black Mask Stories, and, most recently, The Big Book of Ghost Stories. He lives in New York City.