The Santa Klaus Murder

August 17, 2015
Originally published in 1936, this delightful entry in the British Library Crime Classics series from Hay (1894–1979) contains all the elements of a golden age English whodunit. At Christmas-time, the members of the Melbury family gather at their ancestral home, Flaxmere, in the county of Haulmshire. Almost everyone at Flaxmere has some motive for murdering the family patriarch, Sir Osmond, who’s discovered shot in the study on Christmas Day. Colonel Halstock, a neighbor and the local chief constable, leads the investigation, and he soon comes to the unsatisfying initial conclusion that the only person who had the opportunity to kill Sir Osmond was the young man in the Santa suit who had no motive for the deed. Hay (Murder Underground) sets Halstock a merry puzzle, with family members changing their stories at every turn for their own reasons. Halstock eventually susses out the killer’s identity in such a way to cause the reader to exclaim, “Of course!”

September 23, 2013
In this charming reprint of a title published in 1936 by Hay (1894–1979), someone masquerading as the jolly man in red shoots Sir Osmond Melbury, a miserly cookie manufacturer, as his family members gather for Christmas at his country house, Flaxmere, outside of Bristol, England. Motives abound for the murder: Melbury cut off his eldest daughter after she eloped with an artist, pressured his second daughter into renouncing her first love, opposed his youngest daughter’s engagement, replaced the faithful family chauffeur with a Cockney “Socialist,” and ousted his impoverished spinster sister from Flaxmere in favor of his scheming secretary. Following the convention of different characters narrating individual chapters popularized by Wilkie Collins in The Moonstone, the novel reflects the preoccupations of the period with its complex timetables, concealed doors, and alternate wills. Readers seeking to keep details in order may need to consult the cast of characters and floor plan provided, but they are part of the enjoyable universe of this Golden Age mystery.

October 15, 2015

The Melbury family Christmas gatherings at country residence Flaxmere are dreaded by all except for the patriarch, Sir Osmond Melbury. Not willing to risk their inheritance, members dutifully obey the holiday summons, but this Christmas arrives with a terrible surprise when Santa Klaus finds Sir Osmond shot in his study. With so many at the house, who would benefit from Sir Osmond's death? It won't be easy for the chief constable to determine the culprit. VERDICT Hay's 1936 country-house mystery joins a series of classic titles rediscovered by the British Library. While Hay is not as well known as Agatha Christie or Dorothy L. Sayers, her golden age mystery holds up well and will appeal to mystery lovers of this era.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Despite its title, this British Library Crime Classics reissue of a 1936 novel isn't just an entertaining Christmas read. It's a fine example of the old-time country-house murder mystery, with loads of suspects, lots of period atmosphere, and much caustic wit. It even starts with a plan of the ground floor of the estate where the murder occurs, complete with servants' hall, drawing room, dining hall, library, study, and, ominously, gun room. Yes, the novel reads today like a template for the classic board game Clue. And, yes, as in the game, a body, that of Sir Osmond, the possessor of great wealth and no charm, is found in the study of his country house, with a bullet in his head, discovered there by the guest enlisted to play Santa Klaus. Part of the charm of this puzzle is that it's presented from the point of view of several guests, which alerts us to explosive secrets and poisonous rivalries. Pair this with Mystery in White, by another Golden Age author, J. Jefferson Farjeon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)