The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories

P.D. James has a knack for creating puzzles. These holiday short stories combine the intrigue of crime solving, the charm of carefully crafted characters, and the strong framework of a well written tale.

Four short stories with an editor's introductory essay give us one last taste of James's prose. A quick read, the stories do not represent James at her best, but they still have enough twist to them that each provides at least a mild surprise. They also show how a capable writer can convey a tremendous amount of detail, atmosphere, and imagery in succinct prose. Oh, how I'll miss Dame James. I still wanted more Dagliesh!

We knew PD James, the grand dame of British crime thriller literature, had passed away a couple of years ago. But herein the estate has collected four of her short stories apparently previously published in various periodicals, three of which feature a holiday motif; while two of the four showcase her leading man Adam Dalgliesh. In this charming little 5x8 hardback, three of the tales run some 40 pages, with the final one a tad shorter. We found the brief introduction by Val McDermid a little dry; but enjoyed the author’s own thoughts about writing short stories in an entertaining preface – one remarkably similar to a little essay on the same topic we had previously read by Jeffery Deaver, quite good at this difficult medium himself.

We particularly enjoyed the first entry – “The Mistletoe Murder” – for its terrific ending that we daresay nary a reader will suspect. The remaining tales pale a little compared to that, but are still plenty of fun. For those that followed Dagliesh, his role in the third entry – “The Boxdale Inheritance” – could really have been most anybody; but he was notably amusing and clever in the fourth – “The Twelve Clues of Christmas”.

And so as Yuletide approaches, what a lovely holiday visit with James!

Publicists call P. D. James the Queen of Crime, meaning she is one of the best, if not the best crime writer. She is certainly excellent. She died in 2014. This 2016 collection of short stories contains stories that were written years ago. Each is artistically misleading, causing readers to think that something is happening, and we are surprised to discover that the solution to the crime is something we did not expect. The first tale, for example tells what she says is a true story, something she experienced when she was only 18 years old. The question in the tale is who killed an elderly grandmother and why, and how was it done. In the second tale, a man tells readers how he snuck into a house to read pornography that he knew was there. He could see a window in an adjacent house and watched a young man visit an older woman every Friday. He saw the man come to the house one evening but the woman did not answer his ring. He knows the man never entered the house but tells us he is afraid to testify because he would be embarrassed if he did so because of the pornography. In the third tale, a clergyman asks Chief Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh to investigate a 60-year-old case where a woman was found innocent at a trial for killing her husband. She was a couple of years younger than his grandchild. She is dead now, except for one survivor of the 60-year-old case. Did the “innocent woman” kill her husband? If she did, how did she do it, if not, who did? The last tale also concerns Dalgliesh, when he was just appointed to be a sergeant. He happens upon an apparent suicide and notices twelve clues that help him solve whether the death was indeed a suicide.

PD James was one of my favourite crime writers for many years, so much so that for a couple of decades she was one of my elite group of “must read on publication day” authors even back when this meant paying expensive hardback prices rather than waiting for up to a year for the paperback to come out. It's been a long time though since I revisited her, so I was keen to see if her magic would still work for me in this collection. There are four stories in the audiobook, each quite substantial in terms of length. They were originally written as special short stories for Christmas editions of magazines and newspapers and cover a wide time period from the late '60s to the mid-'90s. As one would expect, the quality is variable, but only within the range of good to excellent.

I listened to the audiobook version, with two stories each narrated by Jenny Agutter and Daniel Weyman, both of whom give excellent performances. There is also a short introduction, narrated by Agutter, in which James considers the differences between writing in short and long form, and discusses the place of the short story in the history of crime fiction. (I believe there's a further introduction from Val McDermid in the paper book, but that's not included in the audio version.)

The Mistletoe Murder narrated by Jenny Agutter, first published in 1995

A country house mystery with the traditional body in the library! This is told from the perspective of a first-person narrator, a war widow who is visiting her grandmother over Christmas while WW2 is still underway. An unexpected and unpleasant guest arrives and is promptly murdered. The narrator uses her status as a family member to uncover the secrets that led to his death. While very well written, I found this a rather uneasy mix of traditional golden age style with a storyline that felt too modern in its concerns to quite fit that approach. It's also very dark and somewhat depressing for a Christmas story, I felt. Murder is always fun, but the war aspect and the bleakness of the motivation aren't. I admired this story more than I enjoyed it.

A Very Commonplace Murder narrated by Jenny Agutter, first published in 1969

This is James at her best. Gabriel, a respectable middle-aged lawyer's clerk, witnesses something that would be vitally important evidence in a murder trial. But since he was doing something he shouldn't have been at the time, he finds himself reluctant to come forward. This is a deliciously wicked tale where we see Gabriel twist his conscience into knots to justify his actions – a beautifully constructed psychological study of a weak and not very nice man. James maybe goes a little far at the end, but I found this added the touch of melodrama the story needed to make it into a shivery chiller – perfect seasonal entertainment!

The Twelve Clues of Christmas narrated by Daniel Weyman, first published in 1996

The first of two stories featuring James' long-running detective, Adam Dalgleish. In this one, Dalgleish is still a young copper with his name to make. He is driving through the snow to spend Christmas at his aunt's Suffolk house when he is stopped by a man who asks for his help. The man's uncle, the curmudgeonly old owner of Harkerville Hall, has apparently committed suicide, but Dalgleish soon finds clues that suggest it may have been murder. Again, James is trying to reproduce golden age style here and openly nods to Agatha Christie, as she also did in The Mistletoe Murder. This one works better in that the motivation is more appropriate to the golden age era, and it's certainly entertaining, but for me it doesn't have the depth that James achieves when she sticks more to her own style.

The Boxdale Inheritance narrated by Daniel Weyman, first published in 1979

Dalgleish is asked to look into an old murder by his elderly godfather, Canon Hubert Boxdale. The Canon's grandfather died of arsenic poisoning way back in 1902. His young second wife was tried for the crime but found not guilty. Now she has left the Canon some money in her will, but his conscience won't let him accept unless he is sure she didn't acquire it by murder. Again a much more traditionally James-ian story in this one, concentrating more on the psychology of the characters than on clues and tricks, though there's some of that too. In the short space available, James hasn't much time to develop a cast of suspects, so Dalgleish's detection seems a bit too slick. But this is well outweighed by the storytelling and characterisation. Another excellent one to end on.

I found it interesting that I enjoyed the two early stories considerably more than the ones from the '90s. This chimes with my feelings about James' novels – that she lost her spark towards the end of her career and began to get too involved in 'issues' or general 'cleverness' at the expense of her real strength – excellent psychological studies. Her 'gentleman detective' also started to feel rather out of place among the more realistic police officers of modern crime fiction, and her later books felt somewhat anachronistic – almost out-dated. But she retained her story-telling skills throughout, and this shows through in the later stories from this collection too. Of course, even when she may have gone off the boil a little, a writer of the stature and skill of PD James was still head and shoulders above most of the competition. A thoroughly enjoyable set of stories overall, then, that would work just as well for newcomers as established fans. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.

The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories by P.D. James is the very first work I have read by this author. I picked it up due to her reputation and, unfortunately, was very disappointed. (I confess to giving the book 3 stars instead of 2 only to avoid being openly hated by the James fans just skimming the review numbers.) My main complaints are as follows: 2 of the 4 stories, The Boxdale Inheritance and The Twelve Clues of Christmas, contain clues known by the detective that are never given to the reader until the big "reveal" at the end. So, the reader never has a chance to try to solve the mystery on their own. This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine for any mystery. I like to match wits with good guys and bad guys and very much enjoy trying to figure out the whodunit from my armchair. And, finding out I was working with only half a deck the whole time is infuriating. My problem with the title story is that, while most of it is clever and "fair" (see above) the narrator's search for a weapon is unbelievable. I will leave out details to avoid spoilers. As for A Very Commonplace Murder: I read it three times and spent 15 minutes googling for spoilers online and still do not understand the end. So, overall this book was not a very enjoyable read for me.

The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories
by P.D. James
22264452
Rita Schuldt's review Nov 18, 2017 · edit
liked it
bookshelves: audio, mystery, short-stories

This audiobook was my first selection received from Overdrive. I'm new to this app and I had fun putting holds on all sorts of ebooks and audiobooks.
I have read almost everything by P.D. James but I was very glad that I hadn't purchased this book or put it on my Christmas wish list, even as a remembrance. I found it it all not that good. It took me a short time to listen to. Her estate must be publishing everything they can find.
There are only four short stories. One featured a younger Dalgliesh, but it was such a pale version, showing little of what he came to be. The other showed him as sharp as ever, doing a favor for an old friend.
This is designed was for those who are huge fans of P.D. James and need to read everything she's written, like me. I don't want to say goodbye to Adam Dalgliesh, my detective/poet.

An alternative title to this collection of four previously uncollected murder mysteries by P.D. James would be “Murder in the Family.” Although I have not always found favor with James’s stories, these short stories are top notch. The titular story has four family members gathered for Christmas, and although the identity of the culprit can be intuited, the story finishes with a delightful flourish. The only non-Christmas story, “A Very Commonplace Murder,” is more of a literary exercise, and the least interesting. “The Boxdale Inheritance” features Chief Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh revisiting a 40-year old murder to determine if justice was served. Who poisoned grandfather on Christmas Eve? The solution is totally unexpected. The fourth story, “The Twelve Clues of Christmas,” introduces “newly promoted Sergeant Adam Dalgliesh and his uncanny powers of observation. James offers tribute to Agatha Christie in a couple of the stories, but the wit is her own.

The author Val McDermid summed up my thoughts quite well in her foreword to the collection: These stories are a delicious gift to us at a time when we thought we would read no more of P.D. James's work.

In general, I am not a fan of reading short stories, but if I like an author's longer works, I will give them a try. In this collection of 4 short stories, I really liked the title story and one called "A Very Commonplace Murder", both of which had nice little twists in them. I did not care so much for the two Adam Dalgliesh ones, though they are true to the style of investigating as portrayed in earlier works. I suspect it was because I came to expect more complex and rounded Dalgliesh stories from the novels. I would still recommend these to fans of P.D. James, though overall, they don't come close to her other mysteries for me.

I was feted recently by reading four posthumous stories by P.D. James in a collection named after one of them, The Mistletoe Murder. An added bonus is that a young Adam Dalgliesh is featured in two of the stories. I inhaled these storied quickly, and was entertained thoroughly. It felt like running into an old friend after a long time spent apart. I was quite thrilled when I finished the first story with the sense I had felt often from this fine writer: she tricked me again! Fans of P.D. James are those readers most likely to enjoy this new collection.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

These four short stories by the Grand Dame of Crime (PD James) are tame and fairly ho-hum. Even 2 early Adam Dalgleash stories aren't enough to save this collection.

In a full-length book, James has the time to develop the place of the crime. Short-stories, or at least these four efforts, don't give this talented author enough space to set the crime in its proper place. I felt cheated by this recombining of four older stories.

The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories is a series of four short murder mysteries by British mystery writer P.D. James and featuring Adam Dagleish. This is a compact book and each story can be read in a brief time. They are interesting and a good way to spend time when you have a few minutes, such as while commuting. Each story has a twist so that you can't really tell what the result will be until the end.

These are entertaining short stories based on Agatha Christie’s formula for cozy mysteries set in country houses. One exception was "A Very Commonplace Murder" which was set in the city (and I figured out the murderer).
It was interesting to read about Dalgliesh in his early days before he became a bigwig. My favorite story was "The Boxdale Inheritance".

I would recommend this small book to those who enjoy P.D. James' full length novels. The only draw back is that each story makes you want to travel down the road with her characters for much more time than is offered in a short story.

Foreword by Val McDermid. Four wonderful short stories from a master story-teller, not appearing in other collections. Two of them feature a young Adam Dalgliesh. All four are meticulously plotted, with sly humor and intricate twists you won't see coming. Sometimes it is so nice to be able to pick up something short and yet totally engrossing.

PD James, you already know is a skilled writer, certain to keep you flipping the pages. 4 short stories but with many of the characteristics you expect in an English mystery novel. The common theme is time of year, Christmas or Boxing Day. Hint, this book would be a excellent find under the Tree.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Despite being a tiny little 4 short story selection, the writing is impeccable. It is a true classic Agatha Christie/Arthur Conan Doyle style book...with one story being creepy in an almost Stephen King kind-of way. A must read :)

This book from the late P. D. James includes four previously uncollected short stories, two of which feature James's detective hero Adam Dalgliesh.
The stories are clever and are in the delightful tradition of British drawing room murder mysteries.