Thrills, chills and mystery at Christmas by various authors – book reviews –

The Christmas Clue

Nicola Upson

If there’s one cosy crime you shouldn’t miss this Christmas, it’s this pretty much perfect festive treat from Nicola Upson whose elegant, sophisticated and beautifully written Josephine Tey crime novels have won her an army of fans.

In this unmissable Christmas cracker, Upson harnesses the real-life couple who invented Cluedo – alongside all the much-loved vibes of the season – for an atmospheric, snowed-in country house mystery which thrills, chills and entertains in equal measure.

On Christmas Eve in 1943, Anthony and Elva Pratt arrive in a snowy English village to run a murder mystery game at Tudor Close in Sussex… and instead discover a real murder. The Pratts had planned for festive cheer, despite the wartime shortages… with Elva’s map of the hotel and Anthony’s prop weapons to use as clues, the guests in their parlour game would move through the rooms to figure out whodunit.

But when Anthony discovers the cook’s sister Miss Silver beaten to death, they instead find themselves investigating a shockingly real crime. The hotel manager Mr Browning is trying to keep the peace but the guests are agitated.

Colonel Colman is about to take over the hotel for the war effort, and the mysterious Mrs Threadgold hasn’t been seen at all. In games, there’s only one victim… but this is real life. Can the Pratts puzzle out this Christmas mystery before it’s too late?

Upson is a master of her craft and this ingenious whodunit offers all the fun, intrigue, nostalgia and clue-solving that has made Cluedo one of the world’s most popular games. Expect a candlestick, a lead pipe, a rope and a grisly murder, of course… and enjoy every minute of your reading time with the strange inhabitants of Tudor Close!

(Faber & Faber, hardback, £10)

A Scrooge Mystery

Andreina Cordani

Have you ever wondered how everyone's favourite reformed miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, dealt with life a year after his brush with some truth-telling ghosts!? It’s a conundrum that Andreina Cordani – author of dark thrillers for young adults as well as Christmas murder mysteries for adults – tackles with her trademark wit and imagination in a fabulous, festive-flavoured whodunit twist on the Dickens’ much loved classic.

Last Christmas, Scrooge was visited by three festive spirits, and the bleak vision of his future has haunted him ever since. He wants to be a good man, and he never wants to see another ghost as long as he lives. But changing your ways for a day is easy… changing your ways forever is a little trickier.

Almost a year on, Scrooge is slipping back into bad habits. When a lucrative business opportunity comes his way, he jumps at the chance to make some quick money... to give to the poor, obviously. But then Scrooge sees her… the silent and terrifying Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. And then Bob Cratchit is arrested for murder, and Scrooge sees only one way to save both his loyal employee and himself… he must solve this crime.

Scrooge’s investigation takes him from the heights of business on the Royal Exchange to the depths of London’s criminal underworld alongside the formidable Widow Tassell, boot-boy Jem and Tiny Tim. And as Christmas draws closer, Scrooge begins to realise there’s more at stake than his own soul.

If it’s atmospherics you’re after this Christmas, Cordani places them at centre stage in this deliciously spine-tingling and perfectly plotted murder mystery which delivers all the timeless Victorian-style macabre, mystique, warmth and wonder of Dickens’ festive masterpiece.

(Zaffre, hardback, £16.99)

The Afterparty

Ruth Kelly

A young woman’s dream invitation from an old friend to join her for a glamorous ‘afterparty’ amidst the snowy chills of New Year in Amsterdam is not what it first appears in a gripping wintertime thriller from Ruth Kelly. Author of bestsellers like The Prison Doctor, The Governor and The Villa, Kelly is on fine form in this spine-chilling mystery which explores the dark secrets simmering between the surface of a friendship, and asks questions about how well you can ever really know someone.

People drift apart… take Becca and Georgie, they were inseparable best friends once. Georgie knew Becca better than anyone, but that was then. Now, out of the blue, Georgie is back and it seems to be just the right moment. Becca is living in Amsterdam and feeling lonely because her husband is tied up with his preparations to open a new restaurant in the city. Not only is Georgie back, she is inviting Becca to a glamorous New Year’s Eve afterparty… a chance to relive the good old days and the fun they used to have. So Becca goes and together, they laugh and remember. But then Georgie vanishes and just like that, Becca is the prime suspect and her life is spiralling out of control. The problem is that Georgie knows all Becca’s secrets, including the ones Becca has managed to bury. And as the clock ticks and the accusations mount, Becca is left with one terrifying thought… how well does she really know Georgie?

Set against the alluring icy charms of wintertime in Amsterdam, and with a dark thread of menace winding its way through the fast-paced action, The Afterparty is a twisting, turning, atmospheric story full of raw emotions and taking us up close and personal to a complex friendship beset by insecurities and class differences. Not to be missed!

(Pan, paperback, £9.99)