A Christmas Most Foul

Thia is a collection of holiday mysteries ... for fans of traditional British crime with a festive twist. These are considered cozies written many years ago.

On Christmas Day In The Morning by MARGERY ALLINGHAM is an Albert Campion Mystery.

WORD IN SEASON: A STORY FOR CHRISTMAS by MARGERY ALLINGHAM . This one was my favorite. In the hour before Christmas, all animals are given the gift of speech. In this story an elderly dog agonizes over whether he should speak to his human or not.

THOU SHELL OF DEATH by NICHOLAS BLAKE is a Nigel Strangeways Mystery, BK 2. A man receives three threatening letters telling him he has 3 weeks to settle his affairs.

THERE CAME BOTH MIST AND SNOW by MICHAEL INNES is an Inspector Appleby Mystery, Bk 6. A man's cousins come visiting ... and they're all brandishing revolvers.

BOOK BLURB---these holiday tales are perfect for snowy days and fireside nights. Including two Christmas short stories from Queen of Crime, Margery Allingham, and two novels from Nicholas Blake and Michael Innes.

Many thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for the digital copy of this eclectic collection. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

A Christmas Most Foul is a holiday collection of cozy British mysteries. The collection includes two short stories as well as two novels, all of which are charming and well-written.

The characters are interesting and the plots are well-done. From a country house murder to a Christmas morning miracle, there is something here for any fan of British mysteries. I guarantee that you’ll want to sit in front of the fireplace with your feet up and a cup of tea by your side as you enjoy this holiday offering.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

What’s not to like here? Margery Allingham, Nicholas Blake and Michael Innes, all in one volume! This is a collection of vintage, traditional style British mysteries. Those by Allingham are short stories, the other two are full length novels.

The short stories were just okay, nothing particularly outstanding, but to be fair, I’m not really a fan of short stories, no matter how well written they are. However, I really enjoyed the novels.

“Thou Shell of Death” which features Nigel Strangeways as the sleuth, combines well rounded characters, a well plotted mystery and a most unexpected ending in a novel well worth reading. This is a fairly typical British country house novel. It is notable for the fact that it introduces us to Georgia who later becomes Mrs Nigel Strangeways. This was my favorite story in the book.

“There came both Mist and Snow” is one of the Sir John Appleby series. Innes was an English professor for a time, and possibly that influenced his choice of title, which is a phrase from “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. I like Innes’s writing but don’t consider this to be one of his best offerings. I felt that there was quite a lot of setting the scene before the story really got going, but I still found it an enjoyable book.

I loved this book. I like short stories anyway, but the Christmas theme, and the settings were great. Highly recommend.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I'm a sucker for Christmas stories and I love a good mystery. Lovers of classic British mysteries, this is for you. This should be fun!

On Christmas Day in the Morning by Margery Allingham - The murder of a Postman is not what it seems, or is it. Albert Campion is on the case.

Word in Season by Margery Allingham - Campion and his wife are having a spat and his dog is going to take this Christmas to bring comfort to him.

Thou Shell of Death by Nicholas Blake - A WWI flying ace, Fergus O'Brian, has received threating letters, but it's not as it appears. Gentleman detective, Nigel Strangeways has a lot of suspects to work with in this strange house party group.

There Came Both Mist and Snow by Michael Innes - Arthur Ferryman is coming home for Christmas, but home isn't what it used to be and when one of his cousins is shot in the study, Inspector Appleby has to untangle this web of family deceits.