P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories (USA 2017)

From the Publisher:
Throughout her illustrious career as the Queen of Crime, P. D. James was frequently commissioned by newspapers and magazines to write a special short story for Christmas. Now, for the first time, four of the best are collected here. In "The Twelve Clues of Christmas," James's iconic Scotland Yard detective, Adam Dalgliesh, is drawn into a case that is pure Agatha Christie. In "A Very Commonplace Murder," a respectable clerk's secret taste for pornography is only the first reason he finds for not coming forward as a witness to a terrible crime. "The Boxdale Inheritance" finds Dalgliesh reinvestigating a notorious murder at the insistence of his godfather -- only to uncover the darkest of family secrets. And in the title story, a bestselling crime novelist describes the crime in which she herself was involved some fifty years ago.

Playful and ingenious, shot through with narrative elegance and sly humor, The Mistletoe Murder is a treat for P. D. James's legions of fans -- and anyone who enjoys the pleasures of a masterfully wrought whodunit.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories. With a foreword by Val McDermid. Vintage Books, ISBN: 9781101973806 (October, 2017), 136 p., $15.95.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories (UK 2017)

From the Publisher:
P. D. James was frequently commissioned by newspapers and magazines to write a short story for Christmas, and four of the best have been drawn from the archives and published here together for the first time. From the title story about a strained country-house Christmas party, to another about an illicit affair that ends in murder, plus two cases for detective Adam Dalgliesh, these are masterfully atmospheric stories by the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime'.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories. With a foreword by Val McDermid. Faber & Faber, ISBN: 9780571331352 (October, 2017), 144 p., £7.99.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories (USA 2016)

From the Publisher:
Four previously uncollected stories from one of the great mystery writers of our time-swift, cunning murder mysteries (two of which feature the young Adam Dalgliesh) that together, to borrow the author's own word, add up to a delightful "entertainment."

The newly appointed Sgt. Dalgliesh is drawn into a case that is "pure Agatha Christie." ... A "pedantic, respectable, censorious" clerk's secret taste for pornography is only the first reason he finds for not coming forward as a witness to a murder ... A best-selling crime novelist describes the crime she herself was involved in fifty years earlier ... Dalgliesh's godfather implores him to reinvestigate a notorious murder that might ease the godfather's mind about an inheritance, but which will reveal a truth that even the supremely upstanding Adam Dalgliesh will keep to himself. Each of these stories is as playful as it is ingeniously plotted, the author's sly humor as evident as her hallmark narrative elegance and shrewd understanding of some of the most complex -- not to say the most damning -- aspects of human nature. A treat for P. D. James's legions of fans and anyone who enjoys the pleasures of a masterfully wrought whodunit.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories. With a foreword by Val McDermid. Alfred A. Knopf, ISBN: 9780451494146 (October, 2016), 152 p., $24.00.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories (UK 2016)

From the Publisher:
As the acknowledged 'Queen of Crime', P. D. James was frequently commissioned by newspapers and magazines to write a special short story for Christmas. Four of the best of these have been drawn from the archives and published here. P. D. James's prose illuminates each of these perfectly formed stories, making them ideal reading for the darkest days of the year. While she delights in the secrets that lurk beneath the surface at family gatherings, her Christmas stories also provide tantalizing puzzles to keep the reader guessing. P. D. James embraces the challenge of the short-story form, and ingeniously weaves the strands of plot, setting, characterisation and surprise to create a satisfying whole within only a few thousand words. From the title story about a strained country-house party on Christmas Eve, to another about an illicit affair that ends in murder, and two cases for James's poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh, each treats the reader to James's masterfully atmospheric storytelling, always with the lure of a mystery to be solved.

P.D. James: The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories. With an introduction by Val McDermid. Faber & Faber, ISBN: 9780571331345 (October, 2016), 136 p., £10.00, eBook £8.99.