Next up is a double feature with a bit of an epistolary twist: Denzil Meyrick’s Inspector Frank Grasby series. This first came on my radar last year with Murder at Holly House, as an epistolary mystery potentially worth reading. This year, Meyrick expanded the series with The Christmas Stocking Murders, which follows up with Grasby a year after the events of the first installment. The series combines some of my favorite mystery tropes – small, quirky British village, epistolary framing (memoirs with relevant news clippings). Plus, Christmas settings – both in time, and in place – made this pique my interest.

A genre-blending adventure…

The Frank Grasby series opens with that most common of epistolary tropes – a note from the author on the origins of the enclosed manuscript. Here, Murder at Holly House is supposed to be a relative’s memoir which takes us back to 1950s Britain. Peak Cold War village vibes – resources have been cut, folks are a little grumpy, and Frank Grasby himself has severe PTSD. He’s recently bungled a high-profile case, and gets sent to solve murder in a backwater village as penance.

Of course, it quickly transpires that there’s more to the murder – and the village – than meets the eye. The villagers are exceedingly quirky, from the insomniac police sergant to Grasby’s kooky, strict landlady. The village itself seems to hide many secrets, and there’s government interest in the case for some reason. Meyrick takes what could be a cozy Christmas mystery and moves it through satire, intrigue, and action before landing at a thriller-like denouement. I think the final answer is technically fair-play solvable, but hidden in an almost Snicket level of authorial irony.

The Christmas Stocking Murders continues the story, picking a year after the events in Elderby. Instead of solving a case in disgrace, Grasby’s new case sees him partnering with his boss to solve a fisherman’s murder. For some reason, stockings pop up all over Uthley’s Bay, followed by additional deaths. (Note that, while the title and cover imply Christmas stockings, we’re talking nylon hose.) The Christmas Stocking Murders hews a little more closely to a mystery formula (and is a little more solvable as a result) but can’t help but end up back at action.

…with a holiday setting

Despite festive-sounding titles and technically taking place at Christmas, there is little about the Frank Grasby series that feels festive. Grasby’s generally miserable around the holidays, and the rural settings are more creepy than cozy. Holly House is a literal house, but its residents seem miserable; the titular stockings are literal nylons. It is perhaps shocking how little the exteriors of these novels match the content.

That being said, there are plenty of folks who might relate to Grasby’s perspective on the holidays. The holidays are not always celebratory, and many dread spending them with family. And while those folks might appreciate Grasby’s ironic take on the winter months, this series can feel a little like a bait-and-switch.

An action mystery for your snarky Grinch

I quite enjoyed the Frank Grasby novels, despite my complaints about the holiday theme. They felt a little like reading Alex Rider again – full of reluctant heroism and nefarious secrets, with a snarky twist. Just don’t get tricked by the covers – these have only the barest hint of holiday spirit, and are certainly not cozy mysteries with which you can curl up by the fire.

Tomorrow we’re going all the way to the other end of the spectrum – from curmudgeon to cozy. Until then, stay cozy, and stay curious!

These books will count as my books with over 40 chapters for the 52 Book Club Challenge!