In '30s England, an aristocratic family gathers for the holidays—only for their domineering, purse-string-wielding patriarch to be found dead in his locked study on Christmas Day. Suicide or murder, and if the latter could someone dressed as Santa Claus truly have done it? It's readable and atmospheric, for sure—you've got your slightly caddish suitors, your neurotic maiden aunts, your beautiful and resolved but impoverished youngest daughter, your English country pile with halls decked, etc. But the ratio of events/detecting to length is off (even though this is far from a very long book), there are the period-predictable levels of classism, and the ending is a bit deflating and doesn't really make much sense. Not the worst thing I've ever read, but I finished the book about half an hour ago and am already struggling to remember the names of the main characters. ( )

The Melburys gather at Flaxmere, the family estate, for Christmas. But things rapidly go awry when their patriarch, Sir Osmond Melbury, is found – by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus – with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day. Neighbor and Chief Constable, Col. Halstock, takes charge of the investigation, and quickly ascertains that virtually everyone in the family stands to gain by Sir Osmond’s death. But who had the opportunity? And who was ruthless enough to murder the man?

This is a classic locked-room mystery. There are plenty of suspects, not only family members, but two male guests (both apparently interested in marrying Sir Osmond’s youngest daughter), as well as his private secretary and other staff members. The investigation is hampered by the number of “little lies” (some not so little) that various people Halstock, in an effort to conceal or divert attention from one or more parties.

Hay was part of the group of novelists of the “golden age of British crime fiction.” This work was first published in 1936. Her works have recently been rediscovered and reissued. It moves a bit slowly by today’s standards for the genre, but I was engaged and interested throughout. ( )

The murder of a family patriarch during a large family Christmas celebration... This could have been a good one, but the large cast of characters was a bit difficult to sort out at first, and it felt like Hay just relied on the chaos of having so many people in an enclosed space to cloak the perpetrator and motive. Add to that that several people initially lied about certain details, and the resolution fell very flat as a result, and kind of lame. There wasn't really any cleverness to the plot, which was disappointing. ( )

This book had quite a few problems, although it was enjoyable enough just to breeze through.

1) Way too many characters. The front page of the book has a list of them with a very short description which is very handy but made less useful by the fact that each character is referred to in multiple different ways that require you to check through the opening list. This makes it very hard to keep track of each character's motivations, movements etc and means only a few get much interesting characterisation. In general a lot of the characters are extraneous - for example, there are 4 kids in this book, only 1 of whom ever does anything even vaguely relevant - and some of the characters totally disappear after a certain point. This makes the impact of any particular clue a lot less because you had to try and remember everyone involved.

2) Strange way of revealing information. There was very little police work done and so many of the revelations came from characters giving a new statement and saying their old one was total lies or just that they missed out something major. Often this isn't really provoked by anything, they just do. Other clues aren't resolved for ages because the police simply don't question people properly. This also leads to a lot of trouble keeping straight what the current story is - multiple people apparently kept pacts to lie for each other for very little reason and so after one person gives their story they've often contradicted the other person's. It's not super confusing but it does leave you feeling like you're not really following a process of investigation, just waiting it out. It's also notable that the book opens with multiple chapters from different characters' points of view but it turns out they're documents that exist within the story, but they only make an appearance 2/3rds of the way through - and the main character takes ages to read them even then! So he makes multiple claims which you know are untrue but aren't hidden, which is confusing. And again it'd have been avoided if the people involved had actually said everything they'd experienced.

3) The ending doesn't solve anything! This is the most important point, probably. Everything gets wrapped up in 3-4 pages and it doesn't explain some really major things, most notably why the Santa Claus costume was adopted as part of the murder in the first place! It also doesn't really give conclusions for many of the characters. The book is *full* of red herrings and then the ending just ties together a bunch of obscure stuff. Massive ending spoilers follow. Part of the assumption was that the second Santa Claus handed out crackers to mask a shot. Yet it's also described that he *pulled the crackers* with them while he was there. It seems a massive stroke of luck for nobody, not even those with the crackers, to notice a shot, or not to think "wow that cracker noise happened while we weren't pulling crackers". They didn't have infinite crackers. It's also noted that nobody was expecting the crackers to be pulled that day. All it would have taken was one person to say "hey what the heck are the crackers for" or even just to speak to the guy *at all* and his entire disguise would have been ruined. Hell, even *looking closely* at him would have done it. Not a single point in the ending touches on how the murder was achieved. His alibi was also incredibly shoddy and would have fallen apart without a lucky meeting of other characters AND them totally lying about their positions! It's also notable that ALL the evidence against him is circumstantial. The only solid thing they have to pin on him is that he lied to the old chauffeur to try and get him to take the blame. Yet there was absolutely no reason for him to even have done that, and anyway that doesn't prove murder. I also found it ridiculous to think that *straight* after the murder he'd just be like "oh hey want to marry me" straight away and someone just go "oh yeah sure".

It's weird because it wasn't unenjoyable and I did have some fun for what it was. But there are plenty better stories and that ending was just naff. ( )

Murder mystery set in an English country house. The Crimeread website suggests that 'Originally published in 1936, Mavis Doriel Hay’s The Santa Klaus Murder is generally regarded as the blueprint for the zillions (at a rough estimate) of English manor house Yuletide murder mysteries to follow.' Certainly not going to disagree with their verdict - A fun read and a classic of the genre ( )

Note: I received a digital ARC through NetGalley. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I love cozy country house murder mysteries and the Christmas setting was perfect for holiday reading! I love the golden age mysteries. I look forward to reading more of them. ( )

“I have often found that the best way to persuade anyone to do something they suspect is to explain that they really need not do it.”

Sir Osmond Melbury, of Flaxmere. The patriarch. The know-it-all. The ‘’general’’ of the family. The one who has practically blackmailed each one of his daughters in order not to leave the home nest and abandon their father to eternal loneliness...The ones who measures people according to the width of their wallet. Not exactly easy to live with. So, no one really sheds a river of tears once he is found dead on Christmas Day, discovered by a guest who had been dressed as a Santa Claus (imagine that!). Who might the culprit be? A member of the family, one of the repressed daughters who is now free to live her life? A guest who has much to gain from Sir Osmond’s death? The candidates are many and Colonel Halstock has much to look out for.

The Santa Klaus Murder is a classic example of the locked-room mystery. The authoritarian patriarch, the psychologically troubled children, the long list of suspects, the obvious motives. However, in Hay’s novel nothing is THAT obvious. Motive or suspect. Each time I thought I had managed to discern the case, I discovered that I had merely followed a red herring and started all over again. And while the dialogue seemed a tiny bit stilted (not unnatural, given the era), I loved the descriptions of the imposing country house and the festive atmosphere that gets darker and darker. After all, Aunt Mildred was right. Nothing good can come from family gatherings…

Yes, broken record alert but bear with me. One can’t get enough of the gems found in the British Library Crime Classics Series.

“I nearly went off the deep end at that. The house seemed to be full of lunatics who never gave away anything they knew until it was just too late. But I did manage to tell the fool to explain himself.”

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )

Written in 1936, this reads like a classic murder mystery. A murder occurs during a Christmas celebration at an English country manor. The crime is first told by the family, then the police take over the narrative and finish it. It was a good story and kept me changing my mind about the conclusion. ( )

“Well, I’m jiggered!” said Constable Mere. “We looked in that pile! I’d’ve said there couldn’t be a dead rat left in it, let alone Father Christmas’ Sunday suit!”

The Santa Klaus Murder is another installment of the British Library Crime Classics series that focuses on works by authors of the Golden Age of Mystery, who have been largely neglected in favour of such giants of the genre as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gladys Mitchell, et. al.

The Santa Klaus Murder is set in a typical mystery setting: a country house, a family gathering for the holidays, a murder that was impossible to take place, and a lot of red herrings.

The story had all the markings of a perfectly cozy read, except....there were some darker themes that meandered through the book that gave this mystery an air of interest beyond the pure fun of solving the puzzle.

For example, one of the characters is suffering from PTSD, or shell-shock, and one of the interesting aspects of the novel was how his family cope with his altered self.

However, the topic was not given as much depth as for example Sayer's allocated to it in the Lord Peter Wimsey novels. Altogether, The Santa Klaus Murder remained a diversion, a light read.

As for the mystery, ... it dragged a bit and thanks to the incompetence of the investigators, some of the conclusions seemed a bit far-fetched. I would rather have all the facts and try and piece them together than be presented with new evidence just as the case is wrapped up. It always seems to be too convenient to the author (rather than the characters) when a conclusion is rushed.

One other note, tho, I loved the language that is used in this book. I could not decide whether it was just quaint or actually funny. The passing of time since its original publication in 1936 may have a lot to do with it, but some of the expressions that were used really made me smile.

Once Jenny reached the door she was so quick that I couldn’t help see her rush at him and throw herself incontinently into his arms. ( )

I always have a hard time with procedural mysteries, simply because I don’t read many of them. It takes me too long to slip into the role of detective for it to be enjoyable. I find I like more action than speculation/ruminating. HOWEVER. I AM a sucker for a Christmas murder, so ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. ( )

Briti Raamatukogu Krimiklassika eesti keeles
Review of the Tammerraamat Estonian language translation (2019) of the English language original "The Santa Klaus Murder" (Original 1936/Reprint 2015)

[Arvustus Eesti keeles]
Lugesin Jõulumõrv inglise keeles mõni aasta tagasi, kui Briti Raamatukogu Krimiklassika andis selle esmakordselt välja kui The Santa Klaus Murder. Olen teinud viimastel aastatel kombeks lugeda igal jõuluajal Briti kuldajastu müsteeriumi klassika ja sel aastal leidsin selle tõlke minu eesti pärandikeeles.

Mulle meeldis sellel lugemisel Jõulumõrv veelgi rohkem, kuna mul oli lahendusest natuke mälu ja sain siis nautida kuidas mõrvarit ja meetodit peideti raamatu süžees. Ma ei leidnud selles tõlkes ühtegi viga. Tõlge voolas väga sujuvalt ja andis 20. sajandi alguse atmosfääri väga hästi edasi. Väga vähesed eestikeelsed sõnad olid tõlkes minu jaoks uued, smaragd (emerald) oli ainus mis silma paistis, ja see on isegi saksa keele laensõna.

Trivia ja viide
Briti Raamatukogu Krimiklassika sari on 1920. ja 1930. aastate unustatud pealkirjade kordustrükid (sarja kirjeldatakse kui "kuldaega"). Neid on praegu kuni 50 raamatut (2020. aasta alguse seisuga) ja kõige ajakohasemat nimekirja saate vaadata Briti Raamatukogu kaupluses (Põhja-Ameerika jaoks on neile kordustrükki kirjastus nimega Poisoned Pen Press).

[English language review]
I read Jõulumõrv in English a few years ago when it was first re-issued by British Library Crime Classics as The Santa Klaus Murder. I've made it a tradition in recent years to read a British Golden Age mystery classic every Christmas time and this past year I actually found one in translation in my heritage language of Estonian.

I enjoyed Jõulumõrv even more in this second reading as I did have some memory of the solution and could watch for how the plot was constructed to hide the murderer and their method. I did not find any fault in it. The Estonian translation also flowed very smoothly and conveyed the early 20th century atmosphere very well. Very few Estonian words were new to me in the translation, smaragd (emerald) was the only one that stood out, and that is even a loan word from German.

Trivia and Link
The British Library Crime Classic series are reprints of forgotten titles from the 1920's & 1930's (which the series describes as the "Golden Age"). They are up to 50 titles now (as of early 2020) and you can see the most up-to-date list at the British Library Shop (for North America they are reprinted by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press). ( )

This is the British Library Crime Classics edition of a classic "locked room" murder mystery. The setting is the English countryside near Bristol in the 1930's. The Melbury family is gathering for Christmas at the family's country estate 'Flaxmere', more or lesson on the orders of the family patriarch, Sir Osmond Melbury. It's a tense household right from the beginning of the story, made more sinister when Sir Osmond is shot midway through the Christmas day proceedings. The local Chief Constable Colonel Halstock happens to be a neighbour of the Melbury estate and quickly assumes control of the police investigation. He ultimately solves the mystery with assistance from Inspector Rousdon and an amateur sleuth, Kenneth Stour. They have a large pool of suspects from which to choose, most of which avoid telling the truth in order to protect one another.

The story checks all the boxes for a Golden Age murder mystery: country house, large pool of suspects, quirky characters, and so on. It's a complicated story which revolves around the characters' activity on Christmas Day: who was where when . the murder occurred. It's not strictly necessary to follow the intricacies of the activity in order to grasp the storyline, but it can leave a reader with a sense of unease trying to figure it out. Most of the narrative is from the point of view of Colonel Halstock, after some introductory chapters written by several of the leading characters. The dialogue is inclined toward being overly chatty. At times there's just too much of it.

It is an enjoyable read despite being a tad overlong. Regrettably there's no Introduction by Martin Edwards, as is the case in many of the British Library Crime Classics. ( )

Originally published in 1936, The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay is a very clever country-house murder mystery set at Christmas. With it’s great setting, a murdered aristocrat and plenty of suspects, the only thing I found slightly lacking was some humor. It is all told very seriously with a lot of clues strewn about the narrative, a few red herrings and twists to make this a classic Christmas mystery.

I found this novel dragged a little as each character at some point was suspected by the police and then had to be exonerated. The chapters were narrated by the various characters with the bulk of the investigation being told by Colonel Halstock, the Chief Constable, as he slowly puts the pieces together. I felt these multiple points of view helped to define the characters and gave them each their own identity.

The Santa Klaus Murder is a selection from the British Library Classics and although this is not destined to be a favourite of mine, I do appreciate that we have been given a chance to sample some of these lesser known authors from the golden age of mysteries. ( )

"Aunt Mildred declared that no good could come of the Melbury family Christmas gatherings at their country residence Flaxmere. So when Sir Osmond Melbury, the family patriarch, is discovered -- by a guest dressed as Santa Klaus -- with a bullet in his head on Christmas Day, the festivities are plunged into chaos. Nearly every member of the party stands to reap some sort of benefit from Sir Osmond's death, but Santa Klaus, the one person who seems to have every opportunity to fire the shot, has no apparent motive. The Chief Constable of Holmshire, who begins his investigations by saying that he knows the family too well, wishes before long that he understood them better. In the midst of mistrust, suspicion and hatred, it emerges that there was not one Santa Klaus, but two."
~~back cover

Ah yes, the traditional manor house mystery augmented by the traditional family gathering where the patriarch is killed just before he can finalize changes to his will, and a semi-locked room. It was a very lively romp: each family member being scrutinized without anyone glaringly obvious, at least not at first. The clues were subtle (meaning I missed them out completely) but the ending was quite satisfactory. ( )

Enjoyed this one way more than I expected given how old it is. Very fun and didn't feel too dated. ( )

Mavis Hay wrote only three murder mysteries, which is a shame based on this book.
I chose this because it’s in a favorite category for me: the Country House Christmas Murder. Here we have a large and rather unwieldy family coming together for the holiday at the behest of the patriarch—the one with all the money.
The children are all grown and doing more or less well. Father is of course a petty tyrant who tries to control their marriages and careers through the use of his fortune. Not as hateful as some, Sir Osmond nevertheless manages to be more than annoying, and it’s no shock when he’s done in.
Suspects abound: the neglected bossy sister, the son, several daughters, and the pretty secretary. All these characters are well-developed, with motives aplenty. Our detective is Colonel Halstock, the Chief Constable of the county. The colonel is a smart, careful man who knows the family and feels a bit awkward at the circumstances. This doesn’t prevent him from doing his duty, and he pursues various threads even if he feels uncomfortable.
This is a very pleasant Golden Age British murder mystery. The only drawback that I could see is the rather thin denouement. A good three-star story, and I’ll be looking at her two other books. ( )

A vintage Christmas country-house murder is just my thing. But my heart always sinks when I pick up a book where the novelist feels the need to list the characters. This was followed by a very slow start where all the characters were introduced, and then tedious chapters of who was in what room, when, like a game of Cluedo but played in very slow motion.

The blurb on the back describes this golden age whodunnit as 'long neglected'. But with negligible character development, and the large cast simply treated as chess pieces, I would say it was neglected with good reason. ( )

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

The title of "The Santa Klaus Murder" is slightly misleading in that it isn't actually a Santa Klaus who is murdered; the Santa Klaus in this case is *accused* of murder. Specifically, the murder of wealthy patriarch Sir Osmond Melbury, who is found shot in his study on Christmas Day. Everyone in the family could stand to gain from his death, except the very person who is accused of his murder.

This book is told in a somewhat unusual way: the first five chapters are each narrated by a different member of the Melbury family and household, retelling the events leading up to and including the death of Sir Osmond, before Chief Constable Colonel Halstock takes over the narrative. As far as country house mysteries go, this is not bad, and the holiday setting certainly lends the story an extra thrill. However, with the changing narrators at the beginning, I found it difficult to keep the characters straight, because everyone referred to each other differently, and I couldn't remember who had which kids or which spouse. Fortunately, there was a cast of characters listed at the beginning of the book.

This is a mystery that definitely has a Christmas atmosphere, so it may appeal to you if that's what you're looking for. ( )

A variant on a closed room murder mystery, the story is told from the point of view of a number of characters, but principally from that of the Chief Constable, a friend of the family, who seems determined to leave no investigative stone unturned. The result is a rather pedantic and plodding tale where this reader at least kept wondering when it was all going to finish. I'd come to my conclusion long before the Colonel had come to his, but his was no intuitive leap. He wanted every i dotted and every t crossed. He wasn't helped by the fact that very few of the family in residence for Christmas actually told the truth. ( )

I enjoyed this classic murder mystery very much and will also check out the other titles by the author.

A great idea to introduce the different characters by having each person give account to one day leading up to the murder. ( )

Book Review & Giveaway: England experienced a golden age in crime fiction in the 1930’s and 1940’s. That age produced novels by some of the greats, including Agatha Christie. Mavis Doriel Hay fits into that period of crime novelists. The Santa Klaus Murder was originally published in the mid-1930’s. It’s a classic English country-house crime novel with complex characters and a complicated set of clues – all set within the floorplan of a beautiful manor during the Christmas holidays. Anyone who likes this type of mystery will have a blast reading this complex puzzle. I think it will also appeal to people who like stories about complicated, dysfunctional family relationships and how they can drive some otherwise nice people right over the edge. This book might even make your family look normal. LOL If you’re looking for a cozy read to curl up with by the winter fire, you’ll want to check this one out. And someone will win a copy in our giveaway at http://popcornreads.com/?p=8757. ( )

Quite good holiday murder mystery. Hay made me suspect several people at various times but I didn't guess the solution! I did find the cast of characters a bit hard to sort out at first but after the first 30 pages or so, I had gotten them straight in my mind. ( )

Sir Osmond Melbury has gathered his family at his country home for the annual Christmas celebration complete with a Santa and snap crackers to amuse the kids – both of these play an important part in the mystery. When Sir Osmond is found dead in his study, it soon becomes clear to the police that every member of the family had a motive.

The tale is told by various members of the family in the form of depositions as well as by Colonel Halstock, the man in charge of the investigation. Like most classic cozies what little action there is takes place in a closed space, among a large number of suspects among the gentry and servants. Also, like most golden age British cozies, this is more a puzzle than a thriller. There are clues and red herrings dispersed throughout the book that tend to point to the killer in very subtle ways but, given that the pool of suspects is limited to those inside the house, at least one of them must be lying – the task of the police and the reader is to suss out who.

The Santa Klaus Murders by author Mavis Doriel Hay is a classic British cozy with a Christmas theme. Written in 1936 and long out of print, it is being released as part of the British Library’s Crime Classics series. It is an intelligent, well-written mystery with plenty of suspects to keep the reader guessing but plenty of clues to point the way. At times, I found it a bit draggy and, at others, confusing, but over all a nice mystery just in time for the holidays. ( )

The Santa Klaus Murder tells the story of a happy family Christmas gone very, very wrong. Of course, as the reader knows from the very beginning, the happy family is anything but. Between the controlling patriarch and the secretary that everyone thinks has designs on his fortune, no one is particularly happy to be at Flaxmede. Especially after Santa kills Dad. But in a house where everyone has a motive, who decided enough was enough? The poor inspector has to figure that out, luckily the actor lover of one of the dead man's daughter has volunteered his aid. Or is he just trying to cover up his own role? You'll have to read on to the end to find out.

A fun golden age murder mystery with the perfect amount of Christmas spirit. If you think your family's holidays are miserable, Hay's book will set you straight. Highly recommended. ( )