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Since it seems like this holiday season may give all of us a little extra time indoors, I thought we'd use this post to take a look at some British Christmas-themed mystery novels. Christmas murder mysteries are practically a genre all to themselves, so it would take more than one post to tackle them all – but these should get you started.

In most cases, we've linked to the Kindle versions – but where other editions are available, you'll be able to change your preference after you click through to the product page. We've also included Bookshop.org links where possible, as they sell physical copies and support independent bookshops by sharing the sales across a large pool of businesses (many of them struggling due to the pandemic).

11 Great British Christmas Mystery Novels

Jerusalem Inn

Author: Martha Grimes

Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury isn't looking forward to Christmas in Newcastle – until he meets a beautiful woman in a snowy graveyard. Unfortunately for both of them, she'll be dead the next time he sees her.

Though multiple sets of holiday festivities give this book a lot of characters to track (especially for those not familiar with the series), it's a fun novel with all the elements of a classic British Christmas…with murder.

Get it here: Amazon | Bookshop.org (support independent bookstores)

 

Mistletoe & Murder

Author: Carola Dunn

In December of 1923, the Dowager Viscountess Dalrymple gathers her family at the ancestral estate of Brockdene in Cornwall, only to see everything quickly go awry. With tensions already high, a body is discovered – the victim of a savage murder. Now, Daisy will have to sort through a sea of strong motives to figure out who did it, and why.

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AN ENGLISH MURDER

Author: Cyril Hare

First published in 1951, An English Murder is a classic of the cosy mystery genre – with a Christmas twist! A group of friends and family are snowed in at a country house on Christmas Eve, and as the bells chime midnight, one of them commits the act of murder. With no way in or out, will they survive long enough to solve the murder and capture the culprit?

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Slay Bells

Author: Kate Kingsbury

Pennyfoot Hotel proprietor Cecily Sinclair Baxter is hosting a party for area children to come and meet Father Christmas, but unfortunately, he never arrives. Instead, his body is discovered nearby.

Slay Bells is part of the Pennyfoot Hotel series, a lovely set of cosy mysteries set in rural pre-WWI England.

This series has a few other holiday-themed mysteries: Shrouds of Holly, Ringing in Murder, Decked with Folly, Mistletoe and Mayhem, Herald of Death, The Clue is in the Pudding, A Merry Murder, and Mulled Murder.

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Murder for Christmas

Author: Francis Duncan

This classic Golden Age mystery novel sees Mordecai Tremaine arriving at a friend's country retreat for a party on Christmas Even, only to discover that just below the festivities, there's a thread of tension running through the guests.

At the stroke of midnight, guests realise there's more than presents under the tree. There's also a dead body that looks frightfully close to Father Christmas. Virtually everyone is a suspect, and no one will feel safe until Mordecai solves the case.

Get it here: Amazon | Bookshop.org (support independent bookstores)

 

A Highland Christmas

Author: M.C. Beaton

If you like a bit of mystery, but you prefer your holidays without corpses strewn about, this is the Christmas mystery for you. In this chapter of the Hamish Macbeth series, we see Hamish trying to restore Christmas cheer to the Scottish village of Lochdubh by locating a lost cat and tracking down stolen Christmas lights.

It's as cosy as cosy gets, and it's set in the Scottish Highlands. What more could one want?

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Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Author: Agatha Christie

You didn't really think we were going to make this list and ignore the grand dame of mystery, did you? In this classic Christmas tale, a family reunion is disrupted by murder. The tyrannical patriarch of the family has been murdered and left to die in a pool of his own blood.

Hercule Poirot steps in to offer his assistance, and he soon realises that no one particularly liked the old man.

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Murder on Christmas Eve

Author: Multiple authors

This collection of holiday-themed mysteries features a number of British authors: Ian Rankin, GK Chesterton, Margery Allingham, Val McDermid, and more. It's a mix of both modern and classic tales, and it's a great introduction to the writing of a number of wonderful authors.

If you enjoy this one, also check out Murder Under the Christmas Tree and Very Murderous Christmas.

Get it here: Amazon | Bookshop.org (support independent bookstores)

 

A Christmas Party

Author: Georgette Heyer

Like a lot of classic Christmas mysteries, this one sees an assortment of holiday guests gathered together at a country house, only to find their host murdered. It's a well-constructed locked room mystery, and everyone's hiding something.

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A Corpse for Christmas

Author: Benedict Brown

This Izzy Palmer mystery is designed as a standalone, so you don't need to have read the others in the series to appreciate this one. A Corpse for Christmas sees private detective Izzy Palmer hired to pose as a nanny and protect a family while on holiday in the Scottish Highlands.

Unfortunately, the holiday turns murderous when a fake Father Christmas turns up dead in the snow. Now, Izzy's not just protecting a family – she's investigating a murder.

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Mince Pies & Murder

Author: Carly Reid

Jessica Greer is preparing to spend her first Christmas in the Scottish village of Dalkinchie, and she wants it to be perfect. Sadly, the festivities end in murder – and all Jessica wants is to solve the case quickly before anyone can get hurt.

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