Thanks to years of media, winter and Christmas have become inextricably linked, even if you live in year-round summer. So when I saw Murder on a Winter’s Night, I thought: “this book would be perfect for the Christmas season.”

Edited by Cecily Gayford, Murder on a Winter’s Night collects 10 crime stories from various classic crime writers. Despite the title, not all stories are about murder. Most of them are fun, so I’ll just cover each of them briefly in my review:

• A Surprise for Christmas by Cyril Hare: This short story, while involving a murder, doesn’t really count as a crime story (in my opinion, anyway). It’s about a couple hosting their nieces and nephews and I won’t say anything more because I’ll give it away. I could sort of see the twist coming, but I still enjoyed it.
• The Snowball Burglary by H.C. Bailey: This was definitely a mystery, but one that didn’t involve a murder. Someone is set upon and the house is burgled, and Reggie Fortune has to find out who is responsible. This was fun and I loved this description of a character: “Sally Winslow is a wisp of a creature who has no respect for anyone, even herself.” That just painted a picture in my mind.
• Tall Story by Margery Allingham: I read this, but something about the narrative just made it fly over my head.
• A Present from Santa Claus by Julian Symons: Someone is stealing from a department store, during the Christmas season of all times! I wasn’t terribly impressed by this story, apart from the fact that apparently a department store is willing to make a loss on its Santa Claus grotto by giving gifts greater than the value of the price of entry.
• The Undignified Melodrama of the Bone of Contention by Dorothy L. Sayers: This is the longest story in the collection and the one that I enjoyed the most, probably because it’s a Wimsey mystery and I’m already fond of this detective. Peter Wimsey goes to stay with a friend where tragically, a local and rather mean-spirited man’s funeral is about to be held. More concerning, however, is the appearance of a ghostly carriage that heralds death and a break-in at the Church while people are keeping vigil. Wimsey solves this one rather satisfyingly, in my opinion.
• The Motive by G.D.H and M. Cole: A rich and miserly old woman is found dead in her house. With a personality like hers, many people have the motive to kill her but who is the true culprit? I really enjoyed this mystery, since it felt very much like a classic Golden Age tale.
• Underneath the Mistletoe Last Night by Mark Billingham: Santa Claus is murdered while delivering presents? Even a cynical detective can’t quite believe it. It’s a startling premise, but I wish there was more investigation; the story felt rather rushed.
• The New Catacomb by Arthur Conan Doyle: This is perhaps the least Christmas-y of the collection, since it takes place in Rome and could be during any season (except that they mention it’s cold). It’s a fun story, as expected of Doyle, but I saw the ending coming halfway though the story.
• The Movie by Ronald Knox: Yes, there are two short stories with the same title. I have to say, though, this one isn’t as entertaining and the last line quite ruins the story for me.
• Dog in the Night Time by Edmund Crispin: The last story in the collection, I enjoyed this Gervase Fen tale as he tries to help a student. There’s a crime, but even though it doesn’t take center stage (the exact crime is unclear until the end, and the reveal takes place soon after), I found myself satisfied with how Gervase solved the case.

As you can tell from the authors, these are mostly stories from the Golden Age of fiction. I think it would actually go quite well with the book The Golden Age of Murder because many of the authors mentioned in the book are in this collection as well and would make a good introduction to the various authors.

This was a fun collection and I’d definitely recommend it to those looking for a seasonal read or who are just looking to read more from the Golden Age of mysteries.