McDermid covers a lot of ground in a series of twelve stories. From St. Petersburg to Sarajevo to the highlands of Scotland and beyond, readers meet a variety of people.
From Sherlock Holmes in "Holmes for Christmas" when he and Watson search for the true king of Scotland to a Carol Jordan and Tony Hill story in "Happy Holidays," readers find themselves in many different situations and feeling many differing emotions.
There's not a weak story in the bunch. Among my favorites is the humorous "The Girl Who Killed Santa Claus" when an eight-year-old girl thinks a burglar is stealing her Christmas presents.
There are interesting tidbits to be learned in these stories, too. (I'll have to remember the item about birch trees.) If you're a crime fiction fan who's in the mood to be enlightened and entertained, Christmas Is Murder is a fine way to spend a few hours by a holiday fire.
I didn't know McDermid had done this collection, Cathy! It sounds good and she is a great writer. Some story collections can be a little uneven; it's rare to have a consistently good collection like this. Nothing like Christmas cheer, is there.... ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo, there's not! ;-)
DeleteChristmas and Chanukkah and Kwanzaa and Eid cheer.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this does look enticing. I wonder if my library has it.
I hope so, but it was published in the UK.
DeleteI definitely don't associate McDermid with festive holidays, but she's high on my (unofficial and unwritten) list of respected authors, so I will have to check this out.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find it, Kate!
DeleteThis sounds like a change and I like the sound of it. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Mystica.
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