The Christmas Card Crime and Other Stories

Really 3.5 stars. A mixed bag, but right up my alley.

this is my first foray into the british library crime classics series and i can comfortably say i enjoyed it. it may be a bit strange to pick up a christmas collection in october but i wanted to get a taste of the series before getting some of the other christmas collections for my christmas holiday reading.

the collection grabbed me from the first page where, in the introduction, martin edwards argues the case for the short story as a literary form. i wish i could express the joy and comfort i received from seeing my own thoughts - matters that i have literally discussed with my friends, passionately - mirrored on the page by an author of his experience and caliber and at a british library publication.

i feel like his introduction to this collection could serve as a mission statement of a lot of the work the british library have been doing with series like crime classics, tales of the weird and many others of the collections they regularly put out. i think it is important to pay attention.

moving onto the meat of the book, the collection is pleasantly varied. there are stories that lean more towards the supernatural, others that lean more towards mystery, as well as some very grounded in plausibility. there truly is something for every crime fiction lover.

my personal favourites were "the christmas card crime" by donald stuart, "blind man's hood" by carter dickson, "sister bessie or your old leech" by cyril hare and "a bit of wire-pulling" by e.c.r. lorac