By Cameron Woodhead
The Mistletoe Murder and other stories
P.D. James
The Mistletoe Murder and other stories by P.D. James.
Faber & Faber, $24.99
Who better to cater to your Christmas crime needs than P. D. James? The queen of crime died in 2014, but her work lives on and in The Mistletoe Murder, four of her better stories are republished. Two of them are festively themed. In the title story, a crime writer relates the tale of tiresome guest murdered at a Christmas get-together in 1940. The twist is classic James, as is the steady crumb-trail of clues in the Adam Dalgliesh mystery The Twelve Clues of Christmas. The Boxdale Inheritance also features Dalgliesh, attempting to throw light on a family poisoner. And the final offering, A Very Commonplace Murder, is an unsettling journey into the shoes of a voyeur, who witnesses a murder, but might just decide to stay mum about it. They're all well-turned, atmospheric tales from one of crime fiction's greats.