Continuing the theme of short and sweet, next on our list is Death Comes at Christmas. This collection of short stories aggregates new writing by some of the most exciting modern crime writers. The promise is a compendium of Christmas crime stories that explores the spirit of the season, while providing intriguing puzzles from today’s best crime talent. And with 18 entries from different authors, you’d hope to see a diverse array of perspectives.

But this is a cozy reading blog, and one that loves a good mystery. So how well do these Christmas tales stack up on those fronts?

Dropping in with established sleuths…

My foray into mystery short stories has me convinced that they’re extremely difficult to write. Short stories are most successful when they explore a single idea or two, and mysteries need layers. The most successful mystery short stories I’ve read are Agatha Christie’s, and those rely on well-established characters and relationships to quickly add those layers without expending too much prose. Most other writers seems to lean into more of the thriller genre, eschewing puzzles for suspense.

So I was curious to see which way this group of writers, which includes several authors of long-running series, would lean. Would they try for a standalone, and lean into suspense? Or would they extend their existing fictional universes, and try for the mystery angle.

To my pleasure, many of the established mystery authors chose the latter. Vaseem Khan, Tom Mead, and A.K. Benedict expand their respective characters’ storylines. And at least one story chooses to expand the world of Scrooge to create a new mystery. As an avid fan of these worlds, these stories were a joy to read. (I also think they hold their own as puzzles even for those unfamiliar with the detective protagonists.)

Of the remaining stories, one (a longer one) is a full-blown Christmas mysteries, while the remaining 13 are more in the style of “puzzly crime”. Yet even with the suspenseful bent, I found these crime stories to be a bit more twisty and tangled than those in similar compendia – mystery vibes, if not mystery structure. Given the constraints of the short story format, it’s a lot better than I’d hoped for.

…for a tour of Christmases past and present

A benefit of a short story collection like this one is that it doesn’t have to stick to one definition of “festive”. Authors can – and do – apply their own interpretation of crime at the holidays.

The result is a delightfully diverse set of stories, from the creepy to the warm. You’ve got the Dickensian setting, and a historical Indian one. There are stories set in Victorian England and at an office Secret Santa. There are the snowed-in villages that turn dangerous, and the hotel Christmas crimes. And of course there’s the requisite bookshop crime story, almost required in this kind of collection.

The stories are also ordered in a way that maximizes this feeling of diversity, bouncing from setting to setting, vibe to vibe. I personally love warm, cozy Christmas, and this ordering helped me get through the darkness of the thrillers. Knowing a cozy or heartwarming story would soon follow made it easier to sink into the creepier stories.

Christmas for all

If you’re a fan of modern crime writing, there is likely at least one short story here that will tickle your fancy. Whether you enjoy the entire collection likely depends on your approach to diversity in your reading. I love that Death Comes at Christmas has introduced me to so many different takes on the holiday. Plus, I have so many new authors to look out for!

Tomorrow we’re back to one of my favorite authors from last year’s advent. Until then – stay cozy, and stay curious!