Murder in the Falling Snow

Murder in the Falling Snow is a collection of ten classic crime stories. It doesn't actually purport to be for Christmas, but this is strongly hinted at. All of these classic stories have their merit, but I think the seasonal theme is sometimes stretched a little too far, with one of the stories set in late October – cold though the featured lonely signal box no doubt is!  

The bitter cold seems to be a recurring theme of this collection. Some have what I consider to be the prerequisite of a really good short story, namely a beginning, a middle and an end with a sting in the tail which, however mild, leaves me with pause for thought. Sadly, a couple are more meandering, as told by one colourful character from the past to another equally colourful character from the past, without ever creating much sense of mystery or suspense.

There are some big hitters here – Dorothy L Sayers, Edgar Wallace and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. And they provide three of the better stories. Sayers' Sleuths on the Scent has a classic scenario of weary travellers trapped by bad weather, this time in the bar of the Pig and Pewter. Amongst the vividly depicted assembly is a murderer on the run from justice.  
 
The Chopham Affair by Wallace is a proper seasonal tale. It begins with the description of the cushy and immoral life of an international gigolo and ends with justice being dealt out on a cold, snowy Christmas Eve in freezing London. Following the workings of the great mind of Sherlock Holmes is always enjoyable, and here we have The Adventure of Abbey Grange, a satisfactory case that allows Holmes to display his superiority and magnanimity, and Dr Watson his common sense and general dullness.

I also enjoyed Meeting in the Snow by Julian Symons. This is one of the shortest of these short stories (some are actually far too long-winded) and it's one where a thick blanket of snow is crucial to the solution of a murder mystery.

Christmas is a busy time for most people and therefore not a good time for concentrating on a demanding book, so these ten stories could provide a welcome and enjoyable half-hour of escapism from the family or from the chores, or even be an emergency stocking filler. Some are more enjoyable than others but that's only to be expected in any collection.