Today I am featuring two Christmas mysteries:
"A Christmas Tragedy" by Agatha Christie was first published in January 1930 in The Story-Teller magazine (UK) under the title The Hat and the Alibi. In 1932, it was published as the tenth story in the The Thirteen Problems.
The stories in The Thirteen Problems all feature a group of people who meet and discuss unsolved mysteries. Each week, one person in the group tells a story from their own experience, and then the others try to figure out the real solution. Miss Marple always does very well in coming up with solutions, of course.
In this case, several people are at a dinner party hosted by Colonel Arthur Bantry and his wife Dolly. Sir Henry Clithering, the former head of Scotland Yard, insists that Miss Marple tell a story; she modestly protests because she doesn't think she has the expertise. However, she relents and tells the story of a death that occurred when she was visiting a spa.
Miss Marple meets other guests staying at the Kestron Spa Hydro. Almost as soon as she meets Jack and Gladys Sanders, she senses that Jack wants to get rid of his wife. However, when his wife is murdered a few days later, Jack has an airtight alibi.
This really isn't much of a Christmas story; the only real connection is that the people are visiting the spa just before Christmas and go out shopping for Christmas presents. However it is a good mystery, whether it is Christmassy or not.
"Christmas is for Cops" by Edward D. Hoch is a Captain Leopold story. Captain Leopold, the head of the Violent Crimes Squad of a police department in a fictional city in Connecticut and I talked about Leopold's Way, a collection of the early Leopold stories in a previous post.
This story begins on the day before the annual department Christmas Party. Captain Leopold is following up on an accusation against Sergeant Tommy Gibson regarding his accepting money to overlook crimes. Gibson admits to the crime but insists that another detective in the department was working with him. He refuses to identify the other man but he promises Leopold that he will bring him the evidence within 24 hours.
The next day, Gibson has not brought in the evidence by the end of the day. Leopold discovers that Lieutenant Fletcher has sent Gibson to the Christmas Party to help set up the tree at the party. After Leopold arrives at the party, Gibson's body is discovered in the Men's Room. At that point they know the other culprit is at the party and try to figure out who it is.
This story gives us a picture of Leopold as a loner with no family ties:
The party would really commence around five, when the men on the day shift arrived at Eagles Hall, and it continued until well past midnight, enabling the evening men to join in after their tours of duty.
Then there would be a buffet supper, and lots of beer, and even some group singing around the big Christmas tree. Without the family attachments of Fletcher and the other men, Leopold tended to look forward to the party. In many years it was the main event of his otherwise lonely holiday season.
It also features lots of policemen in the department, with returning secondary characters and some new characters. Fletcher works with Leopold on many of his cases.
This story was more Christmassy plus a good example of a Captain Leopold mystery.
10 comments:
The Leopoldo book is new to me. Looks good.
Mystica, thanks for the comment. The Leopold series of short story which Hoch wrote for many years is very good. I am new to them myself but planning to read as many as I can find.
A Xmas gift to yourself, Tracy!
That is correct, Todd. Unfortunately there are more short stories that I would like to read this December than I will get to.
You picked some good 'uns, Tracy. I've always thought Agatha Christie's short stories were at least as good as her novels. I admit I'm a Christie fan, and not everyone sees her work the same way, but I've always liked her stories a lot.
I have not read many of the Hercule Poirot short stories, Margot, but the ones I have read are very good. I have seen more TV adaptations of the short stories, but I hear that many of them have additions to the stories.
Among other gifts, Christie was good at coming up with interesting settings. I should read some of Hoch.
That is true, Patti. All of her mysteries are not set in an English village. The ones set around archaeological sites are particularly interesting. And then the isolated islands...
Unrelated to your post, but I saw this and knew you would be interested:
https://www.jungleredwriters.com/2023/12/sj-rozan-remonstrance-of-flushing.html?fbclid=IwAR0oMb2QqNhOucFHkvDRkbLaVQ0iVzKaxxT11qLHWZ1OcAVdV2KbbrY6N0I
Constance, thanks so much for pointing me to that post. It is very interesting and I had not read about the background for this book. I have not bought my copy of THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK yet but I should do that soon.
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