Murder for Christmas

August 7, 2017
First published in the U.K. in 1949, this captivating reissue from the pseudonymous Duncan (1918–1988) takes amateur sleuth and former tobacconist Mordecai Tremaine from London to the West Country, for a Christmas party hosted by retired businessman Benedict Grame at his new home, Sherbroome House. Nicholas Blaise, Grame’s confidential secretary, expressed unease in the invitation, so Tremaine looks carefully at the guests, who include Grame’s edgy sister, Charlotte; Grame’s shady old friend, Jeremy Rainer; and Rainer’s lively ward, Denys Arden. Denys’s devoted suitor, Roger Wynton, whom Rainer dislikes, and a surly stranger hovering outside the house also capture Tremaine’s interest. Grame’s holiday tradition—dressing up as Father Christmas and leaving a present for each guest—takes a morbid turn when someone in a Santa outfit is found dead next to the Christmas tree, and the gifts, along with a valuable necklace, go missing. Unexpected and accomplished twists to the cozy mystery formula add to the old-fashioned pleasures of this novel.

August 15, 2017
Duncan, the pseudonym for William Underhill (1918-88), returns to print with a classic Christmas country-house puzzle.Although Sherbroome House is the ancient seat of the Melvin family, no one of their line is the present owner. The manse was purchased from the penurious last living relative and completely redone by Benedict Grame, who is well-known for celebrating Christmas in a sweeping, old-fashioned way. Among this year's guests are Grame's old friend Jeremy Ranier, Ranier's ward, Denys Arden, and her boyfriend, Roger Wynton, whom Ranier appears to dislike. Old favorites include Rosalind Marsh, Austin Delamere, Mr. and Mrs. Napier, and the stunning Lucia Tristam. New additions this year are professor Lorring and Mordecai Tremaine, a talented amateur sleuth. Grame's secretary, Nicholas Blaise, is the glue that holds things together for the disparate guests. And adhesive seems to be needed this year, for Tremaine notices a good deal of tension among the guests because several of them are hiding secrets. He's seen Grame's sister Charlotte in the nearby town having tea with an unknown man, though she denies she was there. It's her screams that awaken the household on Christmas Eve, the night Grame famously hangs presents for all his guests on the Christmas tree. This cycle of gifts includes a body lying beneath the tree. The murdered man, who at first everyone assumes is Grame, turns out to be Ranier. Tremaine is fortunate that Superintendent Cannock is an old friend of an officer Tremaine once worked with and is willing to let him investigate. As is often the case in golden-age mysteries, seemingly innocent discussions reveal the secrets so many are trying to hide, at least one of which is dangerous enough to kill for.Fans of classic British mysteries will delight in this Christmas tale loaded with red herrings and cleverly planted clues.

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October 15, 2017

The release of this holiday tale marks the relaunching of British golden age mystery author Duncan's 1950s "Mordecai Tremaine" series. Tremaine has been invited to spend Christmas at a country estate in the little English village of Sherbroome, but the holiday brings a rather ghastly surprise as the house guests awake to a dead Father Christmas under the tree. In his retirement, the former tobacconist with a penchant for romance novels has taken up the hobby of amateur investigator and become friendly with Scotland Yard, so, of course, he surreptitiously begins questioning the guests and looking for clues to the murderer. Sporting his pince-nez and making astute observations, Tremaine adeptly solves the mystery. VERDICT Fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers will enjoy Tremaine's exploits. Pair with Mavis Doriel Hay's The Santa Klaus Murder for a double shot of golden age yuletide mystery.

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