A Christmas Most Foul

A Christmas Most Foul is a nice anthology of 4 holiday themed golden age British stories. Two are short stories, two are full length novels. The two by Margery Allingham both feature Campion. The Nicholas Blake offers a nicely turned out Nigel Strangeways tale, and the final book of the quartet is an Inspector Appleby mystery by Michael Innes. First publication dates for the 4 vary from 1936 to 1965.

Re-released by Agora on 25th Nov 2018, this edition is 475 pages and available in ebook format.

The precis are available on the book blurb. They're all classic British writing by masters of the form at the top of their respective games, 3 are mysteries. Word in Season, the second story featuring Campion isn't a mystery but more of a charming vignette.

Generally with collections/anthologies I skip around a bit with the order of the stories.  This anthology I wound up reading cover to cover in two sittings.  They're all light and engaging and intelligently written and plotted.

All of the stories work very well as standalones and I could see this being a good introduction for readers who are interested in golden age British crime but who aren't already in possession of a comprehensive collection.

Possibly worth noting for Kindle unlimited subscribers. This book (and much of the authors' oeuvre) are available to borrow for free as part of the KU subscription.

Four stars, really enjoyed these in front of the fireplace with a glass of mulled wine and cheese and crackers. Bliss.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes