Thursday, January 01, 2015

The Twelve Deaths of Christmas


The Twelve Deaths of Christmas is a 1979 mystery novel by Marian Babson. To be honest, I only bought this because I was looking for Christmas-related mysteries. I'd never heard of the author, and I didn't expect much from the book. I am so pleasantly surprised. Nicely written, there are well-developed characters, a setting you can envision easily from the descriptions, and a plot that brings you right into things. I'm going to be making an effort to find more by Babson. I say "making an effort" because my local bookstore has nothing by her on the shelf. I'll be looking online to see what's in print.

from the back of the book:
A string of grisly holiday murders had London terrorized. The police knew that the homicidal maniac was probably a perfectly respectable resident of a perfectly ordinary rooming house. But only when all the guests were gathered for Christmas dinner did Detective Superintendent Knowles realize that the killer planned to carve more than turkey... and that the last death of Christmas was about to take place right before his eyes!
teaser from inside:
'TIS THE SEASON TO BE DEADLY....

"It's a nightmare come true." Knowles faced his men. "A homicidal maniac stumbling on the perfect formula for murder: kill a stranger. Use whatever means comes to hand. Turn the most innocent objects into deadly weapons."

The detective shuddered. Nothing in the world was completely harmless. Everything could be turned to lethal use by a distorted mind bent on destruction.

"He's walking around, the same as anyone else. Except he's a maniac with a hair-trigger temper. No one knows what's likely to set him off. We've got to find him before he strikes again."

Kirkus Reviews says, " In Babson's skilled hands, the old which-one's-the-homicidal-maniac? chestnut flies again--for a fast-moving, one-sitting treat...". Cozy-Mystery.com has a list of recommended Christmas mysteries that includes this book.

6 comments:

  1. Not familiar with Babson. I'm going to check out the cozy mystery site. Every once in awhile I'm in the mood for a good old Cozy.

    Darla

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    1. I also enjoy the cozy mysteries, but I find some of the "modern" ones downright silly. They seem like the romantic comedies of the book world instead of like mystery novels.

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  2. Happy New Year to you!

    Don't know this author ....

    xoxoxo
    Susi

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    1. I don't know why, but she's not well known. Finding her work in print is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

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  3. Never heard of her either, but I am really in a cozy-murder-period right now, so I might try her out, as she is on Kindle. Seems to have a thing for cats...

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    1. I still haven't gone the e-reader route, but the books for them seem to cost a lot less.

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