I would have like a little biographical section about each author and some mention as to why each story was chosen. The stories don't have details of the dates when they were written or previously published, which is a shame. Sleuths on the Scent by Dorothy Sayers - in which the solution hinged on the detective and reader on observed details. Though there are 2 - 3 stories that were genuinely fun and exciting to read, most of them were a bit of a letdown – being rather clumsy and awkward. This series of books, being a collection of murder stories by well known authors, is a regular Christmas present for my wife.

I liked the vast majority of this collection and there are some authors in here that I will definitely read from again. Austin Freeman - not a name I knew - whose 'Mr Ponting's Alibi' was long enough, like the Doyle and the Chesteton, to develop a neatly attentuated investigation by lawyer Thorndyke whose relations with the local detective, Superintendent Miller are similar to Holmes and Lestrade. Perhaps a bit more than just the title and author, even just the date first published (even the credits at the back of the book only mentions 4 of the stories and no dates), would have been the icing on the cake. But for shivers down the spine, the opener Haunted House by Gladys Mitchell is well worth reading by candlelight before turning in on Christmas Eve.Well I just inhale short stories at Christmas, there is just something about cold winter nights, curled up in front of the fire, solving murders from the sofa! The Michael Innes story is also great - less wordy than his full-length Appleby novels, and very clever. I really enjoyed Mr Pontings Alibi by the latter, twistingly clever, designed to fox the reader and just great fun to read!

Here are ten classic crime stories for the winter months, from the greatest minds of the mystery genre. Perfect to dip in and out of between other festivities and I am building my collection of this joyous series! All of these classic stories have their merit, but I think the seasonal theme is sometimes stretched a little too far, with one of the stories set in late October – cold though the featured lonely signal box no doubt is!Loved the plots and characters, such of which would not look out of place on a television adaptation now. Several of these stories have been published in various other anthologies and I had certainly read some of them before. Off the Tile by Ianthe Jerrold - a good story that I came across in another anthology: Crimson Snow: Winter Mysteries. JANICE HALLETT, THE SUNDAY TIMESIt's only the afternoon, but dusk is already falling and a log fire burning in the grate.

Sadly, a couple are more meandering, as told by one colourful character from the past to another equally colourful character from the past, without ever creating much sense of mystery or suspense. This collection of short winter chills boasts tales from GK Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Dorothy L Sayers and more.

I'll just repeat what I said from that review: in which a fall from a roof in November turns out to be more sinister than originally thought. This is a collection of 10 short classic crime stories that all feature a murder and take place in a wintry setting. A quick and easy read - while some were interesting most we pretty mediocre, no real twists or turns, they seemed to get more lame as the book went on - the best stories being at the front of the book.

In The Mystery of Felwyn Tunnel by LT Meade and Robert Eustace, our narrator investigates the mysterious deaths of two signalmen on a remote section of the mountainous Welsh railway. The Adventure of Abbey Grange' by Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes chooses to play judge and jury, after his detective work is done . Whilst there are now much fewer instances of stories set at Christmas, all the stories are set in the cold or snowy winter months.Unbelievably, this is the seventh seasonal collection in this series of cosy crime short stories edited by Cecily Gayford. It begins with the description of the cushy and immoral life of an international gigolo and ends with justice being dealt out on a cold, snowy Christmas Eve in freezing London. The sub-title "Ten Classic Crime Stories" gives it away that Cecily Gayford put these stories together. Following the workings of the great mind of Sherlock Holmes is always enjoyable, and here we have The Adventure of Abbey Grange, a satisfactory case that allows Holmes to display his superiority and magnanimity, and Dr Watson his common sense and general dullness. T. Meade and Robert Eustace - a very good story in which murder is suspected near a train tunnel in winter but the solution is completely natural.