Holiday Books & Stories


A running list of stories I've read or own set during a holiday. Mysteries are marked with "*." Janet over at Mystery Fanfare has put together more exhaustive lists for each holiday (found through the Archive-by looking through posts in the appropriate month). There are also links at Holiday Mystery Lists (Mystery Readers International).

New Year's Eve/Day
"The Coming of Mr. Quin" in The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie
"The Mark of the Beast" by Rudyard Kipling
"Exit Before Midnight" by Q. Patrick*
Line Up for Murder by Marian Babson*
Murder at Midnight by C. S. Challinor*
The Secret of Annexe 3 by Colin Dexter*
The New Year's Eve Murder by Lee Harris*
Hallowed Murder by Ellen Hart*
Holiday Homicide by Rufus King*
The Dishonest Murderer by Frances & Richard Lockridge*
Let Dead Enough Alone by Frances & Richard Lockridge* 
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers*
Clock Strikes Twelve by Patricia Wentworth*

Valentine's Day
"Murder on St. Valentine's Day" by Mignon G. Eberhart*
The Valentine's Day Murder by Lee Harris*
A Judgment in Stone by Ruth Rendell*

President's Day

Mardi Gras
Murder at the Mardi Gras by Elisabet M. Stone*

St. Patrick's Day
The St. Patrick's Day Murder by Lee Harris*
Lack of the Irish by Ralph McInerny*

April Fool's Day
"Poison a la Carte" in Three at Wolfe's Door by Rex Stout*
The April Fool's Day Murder by Lee Harris*
Curtain for a Jester by Frances & Richard Lockridge*


Easter/Good Friday
"The Easter Parade" ("The Easter Parade Murder") by Rex Stout*
The Good Friday Murder by Lee Harris*
Death of a God by S. T. Haymon*

Passover
The Passover Murder by Lee Harris*

Cinco de Mayo
The Cinco de Mayo Murder by Lee Harris*

Mother's Day
The Mother's Day Murder by Lee Harris*

Father's Day
The Father's Day Murder by Lee Harris*

Flag Day

Indpendence Day
"Fourth of July Picnic" by Rex Stout*

Labor Day
The Labor Day Murder by Lee Harris* 
"Grandfather & the Labor Day Mystery" by Lloyd Biggle Jr.

Halloween
Death on All Hallowe'en by Leo Bruce*
Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie*
The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards*
Hanging by a Thread by Monica Ferris*
Sweet Poison by Ellen Hart*
4 Feet in the Grave by Amelia Reynolds Long*
Trick or Treat Murder by Leslie Meier*

Veteran's Day/Armistice Day
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers*

Thanksgiving
Natural Suspect by William Bernhardt et al*
A Trap for Fools by Amanda Cross*
Sins Out of School by Jeanne Dams*
The Thanksgiving Day Murder by Lee Harris*
Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout* 
Vicki Finds the Answer by Helen Wells* 

Hanukkah

Yom Kippur
The Yom Kippur Murder by Lee Harris*

ChristmasEve/Day
"The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding" by Agatha Christie*
"The Hours of Darkness" by Edmund Crispin*
"Persons or Things Unknown" by Carter Dickson [John Dickson Carr]*
"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle*
"The Governess's Story" by Amyas Northcote (supernatural mystery)
"The Necklace of Pearls" by Dorothy L. Sayers*
"The Queen's Square" by Dorothy L. Sayers*
"Christmas Party" by Rex Stout
"Tarnelm" by Sir Hugh Walpole
"The Fireplace" by Henry S. Whitehead
The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
About the Murder of Geraldine Foster by Anthony Abbott*
Spence & the Holiday Murders by Michael Allen
Augie Wren's Christmas Story by Paul Aster
Aunt Dimity's Christmas by Nancy Atherton*
Murder in Amsterdam by A. C. Baanntjer*
Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard*
The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
The Twelve Deaths of Christmas by Marian Babson*
The Dead Shall Be Raised by George Bellairs*
A Crossworder's Holiday by Nero Blanc*
The Corpse in the Snowman by Nicholas Blake*
Thou Shell of Death by Nicholas Blake*
Wrapped Up in Crosswords by Nero Blanc*  
Beverly Gray's Mystery by Clair Blank*
The Angel Doll by Jerry Bledsoe
Slay Bells by Eunice Mays Boyd*
Pushing Murder by Eleanor Boyland
The Christmas Crimes at Puzzle Manor by Simon Brett *
Mrs. Jeffries & the Feast of St. Stephen by Emily Brightwell*
Mrs. Jeffries & the Silent Knight by Emily Brightwell*
A Corpse for Christmas by Carter Brown*
Such Is Death by Leo Bruce*
Death in a Willow Pattern by W. J. Burley*
Wycliffe & the Quiet Virgin by Burley*
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by JoAnna Carl*
India Black & the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr*
Read & Buried by Erika Chase*
Murder for Christmas (A Holiday for Murder/Hercule Poirot's Christmas) by Agatha Christie*
Dancing with Death by Joan Coggin*
Upon Some Midnight Clear by K. C. Constantine*
Parcels for Inspector West by John Creasey*
No Word From Winifred by Amanda Cross*
Crime for Christmas by Richard Dalby (ed)*
Mistletoe & Mayhem by Richard Dalby (ed)*
The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams*
Winter of Discontent by Jeanne M. Dams*
The Curriculum Murders by Marlis Day* 
The Secret of Annexe 3 by Colin Dexter*
A Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens
The White Priory Murders by Carter Dickson*
Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn*
Mistletoe & Murder by Carola Dunn*
Crimson Snow by Martin Edwards (ed)*
Postmark Murder by Mignon G. Eberhart* 
Silent Nights: Christmas Mysteries by Martin Edwards* [anthology of stories]
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon*
The Crime & the Crystal by E. X. (Elizabeth) Ferrars*
The Small World of Murder by Elizabeth Ferrars*
The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch*
Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke*
Murder for Christmas by Thomas Godfrey (ed)*
A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum*
The Haunted Tea-Cosy by Edward Gorey
More Holmes for the Holidays by Martin H. Greenberg (ed)*
Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood*
Jerusalem Inn by Martha Grimes*
The Last Noel by Jean Hager
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett*
An English Murder (A Very English Murder/The Christmas Murder) by Cyril Hare*
The Christmas Night Murder by Lee Harris*
The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay*
Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer*
Death in Midwinter by John Buxton Hilton*
Landed Gently by Alan Hunter*
Do Not Murder Before Christmas by Jack Iams*
A Comedy of Terrors by Michael Innes*
Murder on Fifth Avenue by Michael Jahns*
Murder on Mike by H. Paul Jeffers*
A Carol in the Dark by Cathleen Jordan*
Murder Under the Mistletoe by Jennifer Jordan*
Death in the Andamans by M. M. Kaye*
Odor of Violets by Baynard Kendrick*
A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King*
Shrouds of Holly by Kate Kingsbury*
A Gift for Murder by M. D. Lake*
Grave Choices by M. D. Lake*
The Shortest Day by Jane Langton*
Blood Upon the Snow by Hilda Lawrence*
The Black-Headed Pins by Constance & Gwenyth Little*
Dead Run by Richard Lockridge*
Christmas Stalkings by Charlotte MacLeod*
Mistletoe Mysteries by Charlotte MacLeod*
Rest You Merry by Charolotte MacLeod*
Christmas Crimes by Cynthia Mason (ed)*
Corpus Christmas by Margaret Maron*
Tied Up in Tinsel by Ngaio Marsh*
Mister Splitfoot by Helen McCloy*
Murder at the Old Vicarage by Jill McGown*
Murder at Melrose Court by Karen Baugh Menuhin*
Murder in the English Department by Valerie Miner*
Dead Man's Morris by Glady Mitchell*
Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Nabb*
Said with Flowers by Anne Nash*
Death Beneath the Christmas Tree by Robert Nordan*
Murder in Ordinary Time by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie*
A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry*
A Christmas Guest by Anne Perry*
A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry*
A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry*
Silence in Hanover Close by Anne Perry*
The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen*
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Maigret's Christmas by Georges Simenon*
Don't Leave Me This Way by Joan Smith*
Beasley's Christmas Party by Booth Tarkington
O' Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor*
The Twelve Crimes of Christmas by Carol-Lynne Rossell Waugh (ed)*
The Bird's Christmas Carol by Kat Douglas Wiggin





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