Reviews

The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries by Otto Penzler

syringaflower's review against another edition

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2.0

As is very often the problem with multiple-author books, it's very hard to rate them. Some stories were fun, others were impossible to get through. But in the end I can't give it more than 2 stars, because it was a chore to get through.

Story 1: 4/5
Story 2: 1/5
Story 3: 2/5
Story 4: 3/5
Story 5: 2/5
Story 6: 4/5
Story 7: 4/5
Story 8: 3/5
Story 9: 1/5
Story 10: 0/5 (DNF)
Story 11: 2/5
Story 12: 2/5
Story 13: 0/5 (DNF)

mschrock8's review against another edition

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3.0

So glad I found this at the JCPL Booktique! I read one or two of these mysteries each day, and now Brad wants to read them all.

perjacxis's review against another edition

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Ufff this one is difficult to rate. It was such a mixed bag for me. There were quite a lot of stories I didn’t care about, some that were okay but not very rememberable and a few I really liked. My favourites were:
The Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
The Thieves Who Couldn’t Help Sneezing by Thomas Hardy
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle (reread)
Waxworks by Ethel Lina White
Cambric Tea by Marjorie Bowen
Death on the Air by Ngaio Marsh
A Christmas Tragedy by Agatha Christie (reread)

nimbushfish's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

gaia76's review against another edition

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4.0

Edizioni bellissime, nulla da dire. Li vorrei tutti

jklbookdragon's review against another edition

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So many stories! To paraphrase a commercial, I can't believe I read the whole thing. I liked the way the stories were organized, and the brief intros with information about the author before each one were very well done. But it's such a huge book that it felt like a bit of a chore to read it, even though many of the stories were excellent.

mwgerard's review against another edition

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5.0

Please read my full review here:
http://mwgerard.com/review-the-big-book-of-christmas-mysteries/

1_and_owenly's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

A fine mix of holiday whodunnits and Christmas crime. Some stories were amazing. Some were just okay. But overall, it's a wonderful collection.

mommaraff's review against another edition

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dark mysterious
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

lynn_pugh's review

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mysterious slow-paced

5.0