The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)
“Anyone who cares about the best mystery writing of the past century and beyond would be lucky to receive this thick volume during the holidays. . . .One of the joys of the collection is how many are delightfully funny. . . . Note that many of these stories turn on simple theft, of diamonds or candlesticks or a lottery ticket; they hark back to simpler days before the modern thriller began to provide endless serial killers and ax murderers for our edification. To read today’s talented crime writers can be a pleasure, but it’s good to be reminded that they build on the work of others whose talents remain undimmed."   —The Washington Post “[A] magnificent collectionof any kind of Christmas murder that mystery fans could ever desire.”     —The Plain Dealer, Grade: A+“Pure malicious deliciousness.”     —The Christian Science Monitor“My favorite mystery peddler has put togetherhis best collection ever.. . . If you love mysteries, and enjoy the holidays (or even if you don't), you'll love The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries.”     —Nina Sankovitch,Huffington Post “Less noisy but just as entertaining as ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. . . . Includes many ofthe best Yuletide whodunitsof the past 100 years.”     —Richmond Times-Dispatch “[Penzler] knows this turf.”     —Fort Worth Star-Telegram“A feastof 59 (loosely) Christmas-themed stories for mystery and crime-fiction lovers.”     —The Seattle Times“None of these arresting holiday tales turns out at all the way you might expect. . . . [The book]could last a diligent reader all the way to Easter.”     —The Virginian-Pilot“A future classic.. . . Penzler, the prime minister of crime fiction, delivers the goods once again with . . . a collection of holiday whodunits that’ll have you eyeing the department-store Santa with suspicion.”     —Book Page “More femmes fatales, double crossing and deceit than you can shake a peppermint candy cane at. . . . Entertaining and interesting.It should rightfully become a perennial gift, no matter the occasion.”     —PopMatters“Penzler mines the rich vein of American and British Christmas stories from the 19th to the 21st centuries for thisimpressivecollection of 59 short stories featuring authors still in their prime as well as others mostly forgotten by today's readers. . . . A representative andentertainingselection of yuletide stories that mystery fans might like to see on Christmas morn.”    —Publishers Weekly “There’s something for everyone. . . .Mystery readers will not be able to resist.”     —Library Journal