Anthologies are always a mixed bag and even more so these BLCC as some authors are delightful rediscoveries but with others we can see why they have faded over time. Surprisingly, not many of these tales have a Christmas setting, and others are moving more towards thriller-style stories rather than traditional murder mysteries. All the same, this is perfect light entertainment, ideal for snatching a bit of quiet time over the holidays - and the Ngaio Marsh is especially dastardly!

I read this book in January 2021 - the UK edition. I am not a big fan of short stories. However, I really enjoyed the Christmas / Holiday themed stories. It's part of the British Library Crime Classics. Martin Edwards is the editor and writes wonderful informative introductions. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy some holiday crime stories.

I love these anthologies, especially when compiled by Martin Edwards, as he adds a bit of bio to the writer which is really interesting.
These stories don't disappoint, although I have read some previously, it is always good to reconnect with passed friends. All stories have a Christmas theme which is enjoyable and I do enjoy themed compilations . Could not put it down - very enjoyable.

This book was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for review….intriguing stories…quick reads…different…

A collection of Christmas themed short stories. I found that most of them didn't have a particularly strong Chistmas theme, many just set at that time of year, (apart from one where two Father Chistmases play a prominent role), as such i
I feel it can be enjoyed at any time of year, even for people who are seasonal readers.

As with all anthologies, these are a little bit and miss; personally, I didn't particularly enjoy the first two, and I'd had high hopes for the G.K. Chesterton one. I really liked the Ngaio Marsh, the Cyril Hare and the E.R. Pynchon stories.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion*

An absolutely delightful collection of mysteries to keep you entertained and guessing whodunit!

I highly recommend this book.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book, ‘A Surprise For Christmas’.

This collection of old British, mystery short stories highlights some of the best writers from ‘days of yore’. The variety of Christmas, mystery stories test the reader’s ability to guess ‘whodunit’. I chose this book because of the Christmas setting, and was not disappointed, as the variety of mysteries and short stories held my interest.

This anthology of Christmas stories fell a little short for me because the "Christmas" designation didn't seem to fit very often. I do expect that I will get a good mix of familiar and unfamiliar work when I read one of these collections edited by Martin Edwards and this offering was no exception. I count on finding a hidden gem when I pick an anthology to read and this time I discovered Death on the Air by Ngaio Marsh. Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn has always been one of my favorite fictional detectives so I really enjoyed this story. A Surprise for Christmas by Cyril Hare was also a nice little surprise with a twist at the end that I didn't see coming. All in all, worth a read if you enjoy "classic" crime stories even if most of them don't seem to have a lot to do with Christmas. I think Edwards has probably just about finished up that category.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-galley of this anthology.

Collection of short mysteries taking place near Christmas. This is the fourth such collection of these, but the first for me. Great for a read to break up stress from holiday season. Since they are all short, you can read when you have bits of time.

This is a collection of Christmas-themed, short story mysteries that were first published between 1933 and 1963. Many of the stories were clued-based puzzles where the detective gathered clues and gave the solution. A few were from the murderer's viewpoint, so we're told how they did it and see how they're discovered. And, of course, there were some stories where we're told the action as it happened but they weren't puzzles for the reader to solve. I've read a couple of these mysteries before, but I enjoyed all of them. There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting collection of 12 short story mysteries.

Anytime a new British Library Crime Classics comes out is like Christmas. A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries (bit of a mouthful, that), edited by Martin Edwards, is like a box of Christmas crackers. There's something for everyone, and twelve stories in total, one for each day of Christmas.

There are the usual authors - Gilbert (as Malleson), Allingham, and Chesterton, but also a Loveday Brooke by Pirkis that I hadn't seen before, and a Cyril Hare that I had, but still enjoyed.

Like most anthologies, some of the stories are stronger than the others, and this isn't one of the better Christmas collections by BLCC, but it's well-worth a read, especially on a snowy Winter's night.
3.75 out of 5 stars
I received an advance copy from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

“A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries” is yet another collection (the third?) of classical mystery short stories set during the holidays from the British Library golden age mystery collection, collected and introduced by Martin Edwards. And as usual with these collections, some of the 12 stories are better than others, some are too long or quite short, some are by famous authors while others have faded into obscurity.

Out of the twelve, these are some of my favorites:

“Death on the Air” by Ngaio Marsh has Roderick Alleyn solve a case of accidental electrocution that wasn’t exactly accidental.

“Dead Man’s Hand” by E. R. Punshon is a quick little tale of how one mistake can unravel everything.

“On Christmas Day in the Morning” by Margery Allingham has Albert Campion solving a hit-and-run by understanding human behavior at Christmas.

“Give Me a Ring” by Anthony Gilbert shows what can happen if one gets lost in the fog at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Father Christmas Comes to Orbins” by Julian Symons shows how even the most careful planning by the smartest of folks can be undone with one small detail.

And finally “The Turn-Again Bell” by Barry Perowne is a sweet ending to this collection.

I think the other two previous collections probably are more Christmas-themed, this seems to be stretching the concept a bit. But the good stories make it worth the time.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

I am sorry to say that I tried to read this story but was not able to finish it. I was not excited about the characters or the subject matter. Not my cup of tea.

"A Postman murdered while delivering cards on Christmas morning. A Christmas pine growing over a forgotten homicide. A Yuletide heist gone horribly wrong. When there's as much murder as magic in the air and the facts seem to point to the impossible, it's up to the detective's trained eye to unwrap the clues and neatly tie together an explanation (preferably with a bow on top).

Martin Edwards has once again gathered the best of these seasonal stories into a stellar anthology brimming with rare tales, fresh as fallen snow, and classics from the likes of Julian Symons, Margery Allingham, Anthony Gilbert and Cyril Hare. A most welcome surprise indeed, and perfect to be shared between super-sleuths by the fire on a cold winter's night."

Ah, Christmas and crime! Two things that compliment each other so well.

Oh, I do like these British Library Crime Classics! And collections of short stories such as A Surprise for Christmas are my favourites. This collection of twelve stories published between 1893 and 1963 contained only two authors whose work I don’t know – Ernest Dudley and Barry Perowne. The others are by Catharine Louisa Pirkis, GK Chesterton, Ngaio Marsh, ER Punshon, Carter Dickson / John Dickson Carr, Margery Allingham, Victor Canning, Anthony Gilbert (really Lucy Mallinson), Cyril Hare and Julian Symons.
Most of the stories are short, but one – Give Me a Ring – takes over a quarter of the book. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a excellent story featuring Anthony Gilbert’s lawyer, Arthur Crook, and is strong on suspense – but I’d rather have had 3-4 shorter stories occupying the same number of pages.

But are the stories good? Should you buy the book? I’d wholeheartedly say “Yes, absolutely!” if you enjoy crime stories written in the 1950s or earlier. I’d read a couple of the stories before but most of them were new to me. I only knew Victor Canning’s excellent Mr Finchley books but the short story in this collection – Dick Whittington’s Cat – makes me want to get hold of his book about the criminals’ social club: The Minerva Club. Carter Dickson’s locked room mystery in this collection – Persons or Things Unknown – is a modern-day telling of a mystery set in the 1660s. How can a broad-bladed knife, several inches long, be hidden in plain view after a man is killed? The answer is one of those where you say “Oh, of course!” – but only ever after someone has told you how it was done.

I’m also a sucker for Catharine Louisa Pirkis’s female PI, Loveday Brooke. She appeared in stories in the mid-1890s and I love the way she outwits the various men – villains, policemen, her boss – who stumble around and underestimate her because she is a woman. Yayyy – go, girl!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgelley

So much fun! Play a great book for the entire family.

Just as Santa’s bag contains a mixture of gift, this anthology has some stories that are better than others. Surprisingly few have much of anything to do with Christmas. I think after three previous entries in this series of Christmas/seasonal mysteries, Edwards may be running out of prospects. Here is my assessment of each of the stories in this collection:

Catharine Louisa Pirkis: <i>The Black Bag Left on a Doorstep</i>
This is an old story, first published in 1893. The protagonist, Loveday Brooke, is a “lady detective” based in London. In this quite short story, she uses nothing but her powers of observation and making logical connections to quickly solving the whodunnit of a Christmas Eve country house burglary. Pleasant enough.

G. K. Chesteron: <i>The Hole in the Wall</i>
An odd little tale in which an architect who is one of a party visiting a local lord solves the lord’s murder with his analysis of local history. There is nothing Christmas-y in the story. It’s not very interesting, but at least it’s short. And I was happy I read it for these two lines, at least as apt today than when they were written: “Modern intelligence won’t accept anything on authority. But it will accept anything without authority.”

Ngaio Marsh: <i>Death on the Air</i>
I’ve read all of Ngaio Marsh’s mystery novels, but I wasn’t familiar with this story. Marsh’s usual protagonist, Roderick Alleyn, is called in by the family physician when the patriarch is found dead in the early morning of Christmas day, clutching the dials of his custom-built wireless radio. Other than the day of the investigation, this has nothing to do with Christmas. But it turns out to be quite a clever murder method, and of an eminently deserving victim.

John Dickson Carr: <i>Persons or Things Unknown</i>
Carr is famous for his locked-room mysteries, and this is another, set just after the restoration of the monarchy in Britain. Another clever murder method, nothing to do with Christmas.

E. R. Punshon: <i>Dead Man’s Hand</i>
Ultra-short story of a planned robbery/murder undone with no effort by the police. More of a thought than a tale.

Ernest Dudley: <i>The Christmas Eve Ghost</i>
Entertaining story of turning the tables on a murderer and would-be con artist.

Victor Canning: <i>Dick Whittington’s Cat</i>
Until a few months ago, I’d never heard of Victor Canning. Thanks to some algorithm, I came across his delightful and very English comic novels featuring Mr. Finchley, which I highly recommend. In this short entertaining story, one of two men has pulled off a clever theft of a bracelet right off the hand of its owner, while at a Christmas panto. A little knowledge of both suspects leads to a quick solution.

Cyril Hare: <i>A Surprise for Christmas</i>
Cyril Hare’s <b>An English Murder</b> is one of my all-time favorite Golden Age mystery novels, so I was looking forward to this story. Set on Christmas day when the family is feeling its post-dinner cheer, it makes a surprising turn into murder. A very satisfying short tale.

Margery Allingham: <i>On Christmas Day in the Morning</i>
Albert Campion, the protagonist of Allingham’s outstanding mystery novels, helps a village police superintendent solve the case of the local postman’s apparent hit-and-run death. a scene with a local old lady in her tiny cottage makes the story with its Christmas spirit.

Anthony Gilbert: <i>Give Me a Ring</i>
Not a whodunnit, but a crackerjack thriller story. It all begins on Christmas Eve, as young Jill is out shopping for a home-cooked dinner with her fiancé. When she gets lost in a sudden descent of dense fog, she stumbles on exactly the wrong storefront to stop in for directions.

Julian Symons: <i>Father Christmas Comes to Orbins</i>
Hmm, I call foul. This was in a prior collection in this series, but then called <i>Twixt the Cup and the Lip</i>. This is a sign that maybe this series of Christmas mystery stories has run its course. Still, it’s an entertaining story about a meticulously-planned jewel heist at a London department store at Christmas—and how the best-laid plans can still fall apart.

Barry Perowne: <i>The Turn-Again Bell</i>
A touching story of the elderly rector of an 11th-century Norman church, local legends, and the spirit of Christmas.

The book ends on a high note, so if you are turned off by some of those early clunkers, keep reading.

I did not enjoy this compilation of Christmas mysteries at all. They were old, out of date stories that are highly unlikely to appeal to today's readers.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This book will keep you guessing. I enjoyed the several holiday stories that I could not put down until I read all of them.

A great selection of short stories, with many I had never come across before. I especially enjoyed the John Dickson Carr story which combined his compelling storytelling with a locked room mystery and a historical setting.