Review
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Like an assortment of presents under a Christmas
tree, there's something for everyone in this Yule-themed reprint
anthology in the British Library Crime Classics series from
Edwards (Guilty Parties). The 15 selections range from stories by
such leading lights of the genre's golden age as Arthur Conan
Doyle ("The Blue Carbuncle") and Dorothy L. Sayers ("The Necklace
of Pearls") to works by such forgotten authors as H.C. Bailey
("The Unknown Murderer") and Ralph Plummer ("Parlour Tricks").
Connoisseurs of locked-room mysteries will welcome Edmund
Crispin's "The Name on the Window." Ethel Lina White's "Waxworks"
will send shivers down readers' spines, though it contains the
now-cliché stopped watch to indicate time of death. In
"Stuffing," Edgar Wallace repeats Doyle's prize-in-the-bird trick
from "Carbuncle," but this is another quibble. These classic
tales of murder and jewel thievery with a light dusting of snow
reveal bygone sensibilities, which, by and large, are fun to read
about. (Publishers Weekly)
This book turned out to be such a treasure trove of "lost" Golden
Age mysteries, each one of them evocative of the era and the
Christmas season. Nice, fairly difficult to solve puzzles and
quirky characters abounded. This made for some wonderfully
enjoyable reading! (Netgalley)
Since I love a good mystery, I was delighted to find this
collection of short stories from the Golden Age of British Crime
classics. I was pleased to find a few authors in the book that I
had heard of in the past and some that are new to me....Martin
Edwards did a nice job of choosing what went into the collection
and gave a bit of background information about the authors which
added to my enjoyment. The stories are short and easy to read,
neatly wrapped up and nicely detailed. There is just something
special about reading books from the past that I really enjoy.
The style is a bit different, and the people seem to always be
most courteous--except when they are the criminal of course!...I
highly recommend this wonderful collection. (Negalley)
An anthology of short mysteries by some of the best authors of
the Golden Age of British Crime fiction writing, all set on or
around Christmas. Any one who is a fan of the classics will love
this. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting authors I have previously
read with their stories starring Holmes/Watson & her Brown
among others. I was thrilled to be introduced to authors I
haven't read before and will now be looking for more of their
work. A great compilation of British Library Crime Classics.
(11/03/2015)
This is a wonderful collection of Golden Age detective stories
all set around the festive Christmas season. Martin Edward's
Introduction whets the appetite for what's to come and each story
is introduced with a useful couple of paragraphs which put the
stories in context and give some basic information about each
author....Because it's an anthology of different authors you
never know what's coming next and the styles are so varied. I
really appreciated the rtunity to sample a range of different
styles of writing, and try several authors I hadn't come across
before. I will certainly be checking out the books of J.
Jefferson Farjeon, H. C. Bailey and Leo Bruce. (Netgalley)
Silent Nights is a collection of short stories written by some of
the top mystery writers of the Golden Age. Some of the authors
will be familiar to you, others won't. Although they're all set
during the Christmas season, there is very little holiday spirit
to be found in them, so don't pick this book up expecting to make
merry....Most of the mysteries seem to involve some sort of
puzzle, and country house settings are found in quite a few. (Of
course-- everyone goes to their country house for Christmas,
don't they?) Editor Martin Edwards' introduction to the book and
his individual introductions to each short story are interesting
and informative, so I suggest that you don't skip them. One of
the interesting tidbits I learned was that several authors
represented in this volume wrote stories Alfred Hitchcock later
made into films....Having already read another British Library
Crime Classic, Resorting to Murder, I knew what to expect. Many
of the authors are no longer well known, but others-- like G.K.
Chesterton and Dorothy L. Sayers-- are included here. On the
whole I enjoyed Silent Nights more, although the quality of the
stories is still a bit uneven. My favorites include Edgar
Wallace's "Stuffing," J. Jefferson Farjeon's "The Absconding
Treasurer," Sayer's "The Necklace of Pearls," Ethel Lina White's
"Waxworks," Marjorie Bowen's "Cambric Tea," and "The Chinese
Apple" by Joseph Shearing (nom de plume of Marjorie Bowen). Of
these, Farjeon's and White's stories were used by Hitchcock. "A
Problem in White" by Nicholas Blake (pseudonym of Cecil
Day-Lewis) was unique in the puzzle category. The solution is not
included in the story itself, but at the end of the book, giving
readers time to mull over the clues and form their own
conclusions....If you're a fan of Golden Age mysteries, you're
still going to find a new-to-you story or two. If you're a novice
like I am, they'll probably all be totally unfamiliar. Since
these were written many decades ago when outlooks were quite
different, you will run into a racial slur now and again. I chose
not to be offended and instead was pleased at how attitudes have
changed. I also found it interesting to see how popular crime
fiction has changed over time....These British Library Crime
Classics being released in the U.S. by Poisoned Pen Press are
both entertaining and enlightening, and I recommend them.
(Netgalley)
A truly fantastic anthology of mysteries to hunker down with on a
winter night; Golden Age fans will definitely find a new favorite
(I particularly enjoyed "A Problem in White" by Nicholas Blake
and " Beef for Christmas" by Leo Bruce) as well as solid entries
by old favorites like Dorothy Sayers and Margery Allingham. Every
anthology has its dead spots, but this is the rare collection
when those stories that jar the reader do so because they are
either a bit experimental in style or only tangentially related
to the Christmas theme. A great addition to the library of a
mystery fan! (Netgalley)
Oh be still my little crime fiction heart! What a perfect gift
for the coming holidays for those into the "Golden Age of
Crime"....Some of the best known authors of that era are
showcased in Silent Nights and I loved the linking theme of
Christmas... possibly as it's almost that time of year again, who
knows? Pretty sure this is indeed the case as I could really see
myself curling up with this book in the "lull" between Boxing Day
and New Year's Day. It would be keeping with the season as well
as feeding my love for a good bit of crime....I'm really loving
the anthologies from the "Golden Age of Crime" that Poisoned Pen
Press have been releasing, but this one so far has to be my
favourite....Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would.
Crime fiction fans into the "Golden Age of Crime" will love
Silent Nights as some of the top authors are included with a fine
array of Christmas time killings. What more could they want?
;-)...Would I buy this book for myself? Yes I would. I do like a
good crime fiction anthology and Silent Nights is indeed a GOOD
crime fiction anthology....In summary: Lovers of crime fiction
from the late 1800's through to the 1930's and looking for
something to read and enjoy during the end of year holidays buy
this book. It fits perfectly into the holiday season as well as
into your passion for a good old whodunit. (Janis' Journal
Reviews)
Silent Nights Edited by Martin Edwards, ebook release
2015...Another collection of Christmas Mystery stories, this one
from the British Library Crime Classics series. Fifteen tales of
murder and thievery at the holidays....I quite enjoyed reading
through this collection, even though I didn't love every story in
it. It's a nice variation of styles and stories. (Netgalley)
Editor Edwards (The Golden Age of Murder) assembles 15 classic
Christmas detective stories that include contributions by Arthur
Conan Doyle, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Margery
Allingham, and that feature favorite characters Sherlock Holmes,
her Brown, and Lord Peter Wimsey. Interspersed are more
obscure but still thoroughly enjoyable golden age mysteries such
as Leo Bruce's "Beef for Christmas", starring the inimitable
Sergeant Beef, and Ralph Plummer's "Parlour Tricks". VERDICT
Follow Edwards's advice to curl up with these good mysteries, as
they're much better for the digestion than another helping of
plum pudding. A delectable treat for fans of classic crime
fiction. (Library Journal)
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About the Author
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MARTIN EDWARDS is an award-winning crime writer best known for
two series of novels set in Liverpool and the Lake District. He
is a series consultant for British Library Crime Classics, Chair
of the Crime Writers' Association, and President of the Detection
Club. The Golden Age of Murder, his study of the Detection Club,
was published in 2015 to international accl, and won the
Edgar, Agatha, H.R.F. Keating and Macavity awards for the year's
best book about the genre.
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