Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery

Midwinter Murder is a collection of 12 short stories plus an autobiographical Christmas vignette introduction by Dame Agatha Christie herself. Due out 20th Oct 2020 from HarperCollins on their William Morrow imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

These stories span publication dates from the 1920s through 1954 (with the exception of the autobiography excerpt from 1977). Christie's perennial sleuths are represented with appearances by Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy & Tuppence, Harley Quinn, Parker Pyne, and a corking Walter Mitty-esque adventure story. I had read all of them before, but it's a lot of fun to re-read them again. 

With the uncertainty and upheaval going on in the world today, sometimes the temptation to retreat into a vanished safe world where the murders are bloodless, the characters are civilized, and the violence is remote is irresistable. These stories will make wonderfully entertaining fireside comfy-chair reading for old Christie fans and new alike.

Four stars.

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