On to our final day of Alexandra Benedict’s Christmas mysteries. Murder on the Christmas Express has a classic setup with a holiday twist: murder on a stuck train, nowhere to go, and it’s Christmas Eve. By now we know a little bit of what to expect: a lonely – and clever – protagonist, reluctant to accept love or help from others. A closed-circle murder at Christmastime, followed by others as the murders frantically covers their tracks. And layers of additional puzzles, including anagrams.

It should feel like more of the same, but Murder on the Christmas Express is my favorite of the triad. It’s more human, less arbitrary. The motives make some degree of sense and there’s a real arc that ties into the story. And it’s a warmer representation of the holiday – about the spirit and not just the decor of Christmas.

A Golden-Age homage

As fans of the Golden Age know, the train is a classic setting for a murder mystery. It offers a multitude of puzzle benefits: a closed circle, a seemingly arbitrary cast of strangers, a time limit to create a sense of urgency. Murder on a train can mean a short timeline to root out and eliminate all but the “correct” obscure connection between victim and killer. And they offer a multitude of vibes – from the cozy warmth of the beginning of the journey to the claustrophobia of a stalled, powerless carriage.

Benedict uses all of these tricks to her advantage here. Instead of a series of games left by a puzzle master, we’re dealing with a true-blue murder mystery. The murder is a surprise, the suspects seem unrelated, and our protagonist has to understand each of them to figure out what transpired. I found myself much more engaged by this puzzle, rather than those that seemed to consist entirely of personal history between characters. The puzzle also feels the closest to fair-play, relying on actual physical clues and psychology to solve.

The seasonal spirit

I’ve mentioned that I prefer my Christmas stories to have the holiday spirit. And while Murder on the Christmas Express is quite dark, to me it is the best reflection of holiday themes out of Benedict’s oeuvre.

First off – you’re got a protagonist that actually wants to be with her family at the holidays. The entire point of the train ride is to get home in time for a very special Christmas indeed. And while Ron has plenty of anxiety around the journey and her family interactions – that is a normal part of my holiday season. On a similar note, because the murder happens on a train, you don’t have to deal with a family that hates each other. There’s plenty of dark history (and current events) in this novel – but without the added misery of decades-long family feuds.

Perhaps more important to me are the themes. Murder on the Christmas Express explores themes of redemption, forgiveness, justice, and love that to me fit right in with the holiday spirit. The protagonist has to substantially change to internalize these themes – and it’s clear from the story how events make that happen. On my first read-through a year ago, I found that the darker sides of those themes stuck out more for me. But this year, Murder on the Christmas Express feels like it belongs on the warmer end of the spectrum.

Reader’s notes and rating: 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁

Murder on the Christmas Express is, to me, the best out of Alexandra Benedict’s holiday murder stories. I love train mysteries, and I love that Roz’s arc ties to actual holiday themes. It’s still a little bit on the darker end – perhaps too dark for some readers – but that darkness hits more deeply because of the focus on story and not just on puzzle.

4 Christmas presents .

Tomorrow we’re transitioning to another set of Christmas mysteries, this time by Ada Moncrieff. Get ready to go full cozy – and until then, stay cozy, and stay curious!