A fun collection of short stories about Christmas by writers from the 1930s. Some of the stories are better than others of course, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Would recommend.

Fun holiday story, I read it while cozy one evening at home. Great addition to a holiday reading list.

A collection of holiday-themed mystery shorts is always fun, but here, some worked better than others. When they worked, they WORKED, but when they failed... it was disappointing. A few of the authors are much more suited for writing short stories than others, and some felt like filler.

From http://www.bookbarmy.com

Is it possible to have a crush on a publisher?

My heart beats faster, my fingers fondle their book covers, and my wallet giddily opens its arms -- all for The British Library Crime Series by Poisoned Pen Press.

Just look at these beauties, I mean really, what mystery reader could resist?
I first became aware of this series with my first purchase of THIS long lost favorite mystery. Since then I have cultivated a insatiable craving finely-tuned taste for this Poisoned Pen Press imprint.

In 1997, husband and wife founders, Robert Rosenwald and Barbara Peters, who are also the owners of the legendary Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, saw an opportunity to re-publish the wonderful British mysteries novels of the 1930's and 1940's. They tapped into every bibliophile's secret desire --out of print titles, long lost authors, and beautiful covers to lovingly add to a bookcase:

“We knew that mystery readers wanted complete collections, so we thought we could make a business out of that.”
I've read several of these and, while some are better than others, all are well-plotted mysteries graced with some classic crime writing and completely interesting settings - in short they are pure fun escape reading.

There are locked room mysteries (Miraculous Mysteries), murders in Europe (Continental Crimes), small village settings (Death of a Busybody), and dead bodies in crumbling manors (Seven Dead).
In short, there's a British mystery for you in The British Library Crime Series. You got to love any publisher/bookseller who states this as their mission statement:

We are a community Bound By Mystery.

and who gathers praise such as this:

Hurrah to British Library Crime Classics for rediscovering some of the forgotten gems of the Golden Age of British crime writing.(Globe and Mail)

Might I suggest you support this fine enterprise by buying the books direct from their website ~ just click this logo.

Love Christmas? It’s always fun to read Christmas stories during the season, and Martin Edwards has compiled some classic mystery/crime short stories from the 1930s that are well-worth reading in modern times. During the busy season, readers don’t always have time to read an entire novel, but short stories are definitely doable. This collection is excellent, and while many Christmas stories are “feel-good” stories, mystery fans will prefer these delightful stories with a bit of suspense. This is an excellent compilation from years past and very enjoyable.

Silent Nights is an anthology of British Christmas mysteries all set around the golden age of mystery writing (earlish 20th century). A very nice collection of short stories, which can be read all at once or spaced out over time (which I did). All are well-written, classic mysteries and I highly recommend this treasury of lost gems to any and all lovers of cozy mysteries - even better if you can read it around the holidays! A+