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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
This book had quite a few problems, although it was enjoyable enough just to breeze through.
1) Way too many characters. The front page of the book has a list of them with a very short description which is very handy but made less useful by the fact that each character is referred to in multiple different ways that require you to check through the opening list. This makes it very hard to keep track of each character's motivations, movements etc and means only a few get much interesting characterisation. In general a lot of the characters are extraneous - for example, there are 4 kids in this book, only 1 of whom ever does anything even vaguely relevant - and some of the characters totally disappear after a certain point. This makes the impact of any particular clue a lot less because you had to try and remember everyone involved.
2) Strange way of revealing information. There was very little police work done and so many of the revelations came from characters giving a new statement and saying their old one was total lies or just that they missed out something major. Often this isn't really provoked by anything, they just do. Other clues aren't resolved for ages because the police simply don't question people properly. This also leads to a lot of trouble keeping straight what the current story is - multiple people apparently kept pacts to lie for each other for very little reason and so after one person gives their story they've often contradicted the other person's. It's not super confusing but it does leave you feeling like you're not really following a process of investigation, just waiting it out. It's also notable that the book opens with multiple chapters from different characters' points of view but it turns out they're documents that exist within the story, but they only make an appearance 2/3rds of the way through - and the main character takes ages to read them even then! So he makes multiple claims which you know are untrue but aren't hidden, which is confusing. And again it'd have been avoided if the people involved had actually said everything they'd experienced.
3) The ending doesn't solve anything! This is the most important point, probably. Everything gets wrapped up in 3-4 pages and it doesn't explain some really major things, most notably why the Santa Claus costume was adopted as part of the murder in the first place! It also doesn't really give conclusions for many of the characters. The book is *full* of red herrings and then the ending just ties together a bunch of obscure stuff. Massive ending spoilers follow.
It's weird because it wasn't unenjoyable and I did have some fun for what it was. But there are plenty better stories and that ending was just naff.
1) Way too many characters. The front page of the book has a list of them with a very short description which is very handy but made less useful by the fact that each character is referred to in multiple different ways that require you to check through the opening list. This makes it very hard to keep track of each character's motivations, movements etc and means only a few get much interesting characterisation. In general a lot of the characters are extraneous - for example, there are 4 kids in this book, only 1 of whom ever does anything even vaguely relevant - and some of the characters totally disappear after a certain point. This makes the impact of any particular clue a lot less because you had to try and remember everyone involved.
2) Strange way of revealing information. There was very little police work done and so many of the revelations came from characters giving a new statement and saying their old one was total lies or just that they missed out something major. Often this isn't really provoked by anything, they just do. Other clues aren't resolved for ages because the police simply don't question people properly. This also leads to a lot of trouble keeping straight what the current story is - multiple people apparently kept pacts to lie for each other for very little reason and so after one person gives their story they've often contradicted the other person's. It's not super confusing but it does leave you feeling like you're not really following a process of investigation, just waiting it out. It's also notable that the book opens with multiple chapters from different characters' points of view but it turns out they're documents that exist within the story, but they only make an appearance 2/3rds of the way through - and the main character takes ages to read them even then! So he makes multiple claims which you know are untrue but aren't hidden, which is confusing. And again it'd have been avoided if the people involved had actually said everything they'd experienced.
3) The ending doesn't solve anything! This is the most important point, probably. Everything gets wrapped up in 3-4 pages and it doesn't explain some really major things, most notably why the Santa Claus costume was adopted as part of the murder in the first place! It also doesn't really give conclusions for many of the characters. The book is *full* of red herrings and then the ending just ties together a bunch of obscure stuff. Massive ending spoilers follow.
Spoiler
Part of the assumption was that the second Santa Claus handed out crackers to mask a shot. Yet it's also described that he *pulled the crackers* with them while he was there. It seems a massive stroke of luck for nobody, not even those with the crackers, to notice a shot, or not to think "wow that cracker noise happened while we weren't pulling crackers". They didn't have infinite crackers. It's also noted that nobody was expecting the crackers to be pulled that day. All it would have taken was one person to say "hey what the heck are the crackers for" or even just to speak to the guy *at all* and his entire disguise would have been ruined. Hell, even *looking closely* at him would have done it. Not a single point in the ending touches on how the murder was achieved. His alibi was also incredibly shoddy and would have fallen apart without a lucky meeting of other characters AND them totally lying about their positions! It's also notable that ALL the evidence against him is circumstantial. The only solid thing they have to pin on him is that he lied to the old chauffeur to try and get him to take the blame. Yet there was absolutely no reason for him to even have done that, and anyway that doesn't prove murder. I also found it ridiculous to think that *straight* after the murder he'd just be like "oh hey want to marry me" straight away and someone just go "oh yeah sure".It's weird because it wasn't unenjoyable and I did have some fun for what it was. But there are plenty better stories and that ending was just naff.
Review - I actually really enjoyed this book. I thought that it was well-written, though it did take me a while to get into it. I began to enjoy it much more once the murder had happened and was being investigated, rather than the opening chapters detailing what happened in the days leading up to it. I really enjoyed the very different characters and how they acted as foils against one another; it was quite clever and I look forward to reading more of the British Library crime classics.
Genre? - Crime / Mystery / Historical
Characters? - Jennifer Melbury / Mildred Melbury / Osmond Melbury / Witcombe / Colonel Halstock / Philip Cheriton / Hilda Wynford / Kenneth Stour / Grace Portisham / George Melbury / Patricia Melbury / David Evershott / Edith Evershot
Setting? - Flaxmere (England)
Series? - N/A
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 17/20
For full review see my blog https://bookbloggerish.wordpress.com/2018/12/15/book-review-the-santa-klaus-murder-by-mavis-doriel-hay/
Genre? - Crime / Mystery / Historical
Characters? - Jennifer Melbury / Mildred Melbury / Osmond Melbury / Witcombe / Colonel Halstock / Philip Cheriton / Hilda Wynford / Kenneth Stour / Grace Portisham / George Melbury / Patricia Melbury / David Evershott / Edith Evershot
Setting? - Flaxmere (England)
Series? - N/A
Recommend? – Yes
Rating - 17/20
For full review see my blog https://bookbloggerish.wordpress.com/2018/12/15/book-review-the-santa-klaus-murder-by-mavis-doriel-hay/
Solid 3.5! I enjoyed this book a lot. It was the classic Christmas murder story that feel so cozy during the holidays. My biggest complaint is that this story felt so slow and that’s probably my own fault for reading modern mysteries all month. You really have to train your brain for older books to thoroughly enjoy them and it was my fault for just throwing it in there randomly.
Ma tahtsin selle poolelioleva raamatu läbi saada, et uuel aastal puhtalt lehelt alustada.
Täiesti võimatu oli ära arvata, kes mõrvar on.
Väga raske oli tegelasi meelde jätta, ma kogu aeg vaatasin raamatu alguses olevat tegelaste nimekirja, et aru saada, kes on kellega abielus ja kes on autojuhid ja kes külalised. Aga muidu mulle väga tegelased meeldisid, nad olid huvitavad.
Vahepeal oli raamat igav, aga muidu mulle meeldis.
Täiesti võimatu oli ära arvata, kes mõrvar on.
Väga raske oli tegelasi meelde jätta, ma kogu aeg vaatasin raamatu alguses olevat tegelaste nimekirja, et aru saada, kes on kellega abielus ja kes on autojuhid ja kes külalised. Aga muidu mulle väga tegelased meeldisid, nad olid huvitavad.
Vahepeal oli raamat igav, aga muidu mulle meeldis.
The Santa Klaus Murder was very similar in setup to Agatha Christies Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. A grown up, well off family who come together at Christmas time where there is talk of money and inheritance followed by murder then investigation. Although it was very similar to Agatha Christies it fell a little short of the mark and doesn’t stand up in comparison in my opinion.
That being said, it is still a very nice read with moments of interest and you do find yourself double checking details and trying to work out who did it. What else can you ask for in a crime novel?
Although I’ve only scored this as 4 stars I would still make this a traditional Christmas read along side other Christmas crime stories and would certainly recommend that other crime enthusiasts give this book a try.
That being said, it is still a very nice read with moments of interest and you do find yourself double checking details and trying to work out who did it. What else can you ask for in a crime novel?
Although I’ve only scored this as 4 stars I would still make this a traditional Christmas read along side other Christmas crime stories and would certainly recommend that other crime enthusiasts give this book a try.
Another of the Golden Age yet forgotten mysteries being returned to the public by Poisoned Press. The writing is very much of its time, and the locked-room device works well here. Having multiple narrators was, at first, a bit annoying but then made sense; as far as the whodunnit part goes, it's clear from the start that the lost Santa Klaus suit will come into play, but it isn't absolutely clear until the end who or why. Which, for those who know me, is a good thing.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
I will come back to this at Christmas time but for now...
DNF at 10%.
DNF at 10%.
A very delightful mystery. Although predominantly told from the perspective of the investigating officer, certain chapters are recounted by other characters in the story; a format which I doubted at the beginning but makes sense as you move through the book and ends up being rather helpful.
I was thoroughly confounded but pleased by the conclusion,
I was thoroughly confounded but pleased by the conclusion,
Spoiler
which while no evident also wasn't one of those ones which comes out of nowhere
Originally published in 1936, The Santa Klaus Murder has a true feel of the time. It's the English country house at Christmas-time and wouldn't you know, someone who everyone has a reason to dislike ends up dead.
The story is told in the small written personal accounts of several characters, which allows different details to be shared without feeling clumsy.
It's fun and unchallenging - a perfect holiday read.
The story is told in the small written personal accounts of several characters, which allows different details to be shared without feeling clumsy.
It's fun and unchallenging - a perfect holiday read.