Murder for Christmas Eve

Murder for Christmas Eve

by Charles DickensRobert Louis Stevenson Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu and others
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date: 10/12/2023

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Murder for Christmas Eve is an anthology that brings together a stunning array of stories woven around the grim festivities of Christmas Eve, masterfully demonstrating the profound versatility and chilling thrill of the murder mystery genre. This collection spans the gamut from the gothic to the detective, the psychological to the supernatural, offering readers an unparalleled tapestry of narratives. Each tale, while unique in setting and approach, converges around the central, eerie celebration of a Christmas steeped in shadow and mystery. The anthology is notable for including some of the most distinguished works of the period, skillfully curated to highlight the breadth and depth of the genre's capabilities in exploring human nature and societal mores. The contributing authors and editors, a veritable whos who of 19th and early 20th-century literature, lend this collection an impressive literary pedigree. Figures such as Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle are synonymous with the development of the narrative form and the exploration of societal issues through fiction. Each author brings their distinct voice and perspective, having contributed significantly to various literary movements of their time, from the intricacies of Victorian morality to the nuanced explorations of human psychology and the supernatural found in Edwardian literature. Their combined efforts result in a multifaceted exploration of the darker aspects of the yuletide season, reflecting broader themes of justice, redemption, and the human condition. Murder for Christmas Eve is an essential volume for both connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts of the mystery and detective genres. The anthology invites readers to traverse the shadowy paths laid by these literary giants, providing not only entertainment but a profound commentary on the complexities of morality and the timeless allure of the mysterious. This collection serves as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling, encouraging a deeper appreciation for the art of the written word and the myriad ways it can illuminate the darker facets of our world and ourselves.

ISBN:
8596547774044
8596547774044
Category:
Historical mysteries
Format:
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date:
10-12-2023
Language:
English
Publisher:
GoodPress
Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and became the most popular novelist of the Victorian era.

A prolific writer, he published more than a dozen novels in his lifetime, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and Hard Times, most of which have been adapted many times over for radio, stage and screen.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied law but preferred writing and in 1881 was inspired by his stepson to write Treasure Island.

Other famous adventure stories followed including Kidnapped, as well as the famous collection of poems for children, A Child's Garden of Verses. Robert Louis Stevenson is buried on the island of Samoa.

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) was an Irish writer of gothic tales, mystery novels and ghost stories, most famous for his novel Uncle Silas. Carmilla was first published in 1872 and has served as an inspiration countless books, from Bram Stoker's Dracula and Henry James' The Turn of the Screw to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, and a slew of films such as Hammer Horror's Karnstein Trilogy.

Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 and died in 1930. Within those years was crowded a variety of activity and creative work that made him an international figure and inspired the French to give him the epithet 'the good giant'.

He was the nephew of 'Dickie Doyle' the artist, and was educated at Stonyhurst, and later studied medicine at Edinburgh University, where the methods of diagnosis of one of the professors provided the idea for the methods of deduction used by Sherlock Holmes. He set up as a doctor at Southsea and it was while waiting for patients that he began to write.

His growing success as an author enabled him to give up his practice and turn his attention to other subjects. His greatest achievement was, of course, his creation of Sherlock Holmes, who soon attained international status and constantly distracted him from his other work; at one time Conan Doyle killed him but was obliged by public protest to restore him to life.

And in his creation of Dr Watson, Holmes's companion in adventure and chronicler, Conan Doyle produced not only a perfect foil for Holmes but also one of the most famous narrators in fiction.

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset in 1840. His first published novel was Desperate Remedies in 1871. Such was the success of these early works, which included A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) and Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), that he gave up his work as an architect to concentrate on his writing.

However, he had difficulty publishing Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1889) and was forced to make changes in order for it to be judged suitable for family readers. This, coupled with the stormy reaction to the negative tone of Jude the Obscure (1895), prompted Hardy to abandon writing novels altogether and he concentrated on poetry for the rest of his life. He died in January 1928.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, where he wrote the bulk of his masterful tales of American colonial history.

His career as a novelist began with The Scarlet Letter (1850) and also includes The house of the Seven Gables, The Blithedale Romance, and The Marble Faun.

Wilkie Collins

William Wilkie Collins was born in London in 1824, the son of a successful and popular painter. On leaving school, he worked in the office of a tea merchant in the Strand before reading law as a student at Lincoln's Inn. However his real passion was for writing and, in 1850, he published his first novel, Antonina.

In 1851, the same year that he was called to the bar, he met and established a lifelong friendship with Charles Dickens. While Collins' fame rests on his best known works, The Woman in White and The Moonstone, he wrote over thirty books, as well as numerous short stories, articles and plays. He was a hugely popular writer in his lifetime. An unconventional individual, he never married but established long-term liaisons with two separate partners. He died in 1889.

O. Henry

O. Henry (1862-1910) had a short but colourful life. Born William Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina, he initially worked as a pharmacist before moving into journalism. In 1896 he was arrested for embezzling funds while working as a bookkeeper for a bank.

In a moment of madness, he absconded on his way to the courthouse before his trial and fled to Honduras for six months. He returned to face trial after learning that his wife was dying of tuberculosis and served three years in jail. While in prison, he adopted the pen name O. Henry, and after his release he found great fame and popularity as a short story writer.

Saki

Hector Hugh Munro (1870 1916) was a British author best known by his pen name Saki.

Although he wrote two novels and several political sketches most notably The Westminster Alice, a parody authorized by Carroll's publishers it is his large output of satirical short stories for which he is remembered, and is still considered one of the masters of the genre.

J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) was fascinated by stories of his mother's life. He was determined to write, and worked on the Nottingham Journal after graduating from Edinburgh University.

In 1885 he successfully sold the Auld Licht Idylls, which were based on his mother's tales. By the time Peter Pan opened on the London stage in 1904, Barrie had written more than thirty novels and plays, such as Quality Street and The Admirable Crichton. He was created a baronet in 1913 and awarded the Order of Merit in 1922.

Jerome K. Jerome

An English writer and humorist, Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) wrote a range of plays, essays and novels during his lifetime and is best known for the classic comic work Three Men in a Boat

M. R. James

Montague Rhodes James was born on 1 August 1862 near Bury St Edmunds, though he spent long periods of his later life in Suffolk, which provided the setting for many of his ghost stories. He studied at Eton and Kings College, Cambridge, where he was eventually elected Fellow, and then made Provost in 1905. In 1918 he became Provost of Eton.

He was a renowed medievalist and biblical scholar, and published works on palaeography, antiquarianism, bibliography and history, guides to Suffolk and Norfolk, as well as editing a collection of ghost stories by Sheridan Le Fanu.

However, he remains best known for his own ghost stories, which were published in several collections including Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), A Thin Ghost and Other Stories (1919), A Warning to the Curious (1925) and a collected edition in 1931. M. R. James never married and died on 12 June 1936.

Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) has been called the 'Queen of Sensation' for her exceedingly popular sensational novels, including Lady Audley's Secret.

She also wrote plays; contributed essays, short stories and poems to Punch and The World; and edited two literary magazines, Temple Bar and Belgravia.

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