They could find nothing to do but sit about and suspect one another.

THE SANTA KLAUS MURDER By Mavis Hay

The closed-circle mystery is a genre we’re all familiar with. Think CLUE—the game you played as a kid. What better time of year than Christmas to stage such a drama? An extended family crowds together under one roof. Tensions and animosities surface. A snowstorm cuts people off from the outside world. And then there’s that pesky old relative—the one who controls the purse strings. Oh no! He or she is dead—murdered! Who could have done such a thing?

The elements of this genre are well known: An English country house. A cast of upper-class characters, some of whom are a bit short on cash. A slew of servants. And conundrums such as: Why was the butler in the pantry when he should have been answering the door? Who moved the soup tureen from one end of the table to the other? Why are there no footprints in the snow? Who rearranged the bottles in the medicine cabinet? Why was the victim’s heir holding a gun when the maid rushed into the room? Who was in the kitchen when the cook made the Christmas pudding? Why was the window unlatched in the study?

The formula stated above is familiar—so familiar, that you might be tempted to say, “if you’ve read one, you’ve read ‘em all.”  But not so fast. The closed-circle mystery is a gift that keeps on giving as evidenced in the following examples from the 1920’s and 30’s Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Choose one or more to brighten the long, dark nights of late December.

“Evil is not only in one’s mind—evil exists.”

HERCULE POIROT’S CHRISTMAS by Agatha Christie

We’ll begin on familiar turf with Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is both a closed-circle mystery and a locked-room mystery with all the enigmas typical of both genres. The story begins when two strangers—a man and a woman—meet on a train and become instantly attracted to each other. The sexual tension lures us into the narrative—we want to know if love is in the air—or only murder.

We soon learn that an aging tyrant named Simeon Lee has called his children and their spouses together for Christmas. Some of these people haven’t set foot in the family home in decades, and they bring years of bitterness and resentment to the holiday gathering. But bitterness and resentment aren’t the only things to be found in this house. There are diamonds as well. And murder.

Enter Poirot. He speaks in riddles. Frustrates us with his ambiguous remarks. Challenges us to see the world through his eyes. We can’t quite bring the details into focus, but we keep trying. That’s the fun of it, after all.

The crime is an elaborate one, conceived by a fiendish mind. But this fiendish mind is no match for Poirot, who brings the mystery to a conclusion with charm and finesse.

“They could find nothing to do but sit about and suspect one another.”

THE SANTA KLAUS MURDER By Mavis Hay

The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay begins in classic fashion with a list of characters and a map to guide us through the halls of Flaxmere, a sprawling country estate presided over by Sir Osmond Melbury. The action is set in motion when Sir Osmond summons the family to his home for Christmas. One-by-one, his guests arrive, bringing with them, not just suitcases, trunks and hatboxes, but piles of emotional baggage as well. The reader is given a peek inside this baggage through the eyes of various family members who are only too willing to reveal the good, the bad and the ugly about those coming through the door.

Before long, we realize that this is not a cozy gathering. How could it be when everyone assembled within the walls of Flaxmere has a reason for wishing Sir Osmond dead? Their wish comes true with a bang when their host is found murdered in his study. The only person who had the means to pull off this crime is a guest who’s been coerced into dressing up as Santa. “Horrors!” the adults proclaim. “How will we tell the children that Santa murdered their grandfather?”

But while Santa had the means to pull off this caper, he lacked a motive, as is soon realized by Chief Constable, Colonel Halstock. From this point on, Halstock’s voice dominates the narrative as he interrogates suspects, sifts through evidence—and invites YOU to sift through it with him.

“Jefferson Farjeon is quite unsurpassed for creepy skill in mysterious adventures.”

Dorothy Sayers, author of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries.

Mystery in White begins, not in an English country house, but in a snowbound train on the day before Christmas. Frustrated with what seems an interminable delay, various passengers at various times decide to leave the train and finish their journey on foot. Blinded by the storm, they lose all sense of direction and end up at a deserted country house. But it’s not deserted in the usual sense—there’s a fire crackling on the hearth, the table’s set for tea and there’s a kettle on the stove. Oh—and a knife on the kitchen floor, noises in the attic, the sketchy remains of a letter in an upstairs room—and a body buried in the snow.

There are many mysteries to unravel in this bewildering story. Who was in the house just before the travelers arrived and where did that person go? How do you explain the knife on the floor and other curious details, including the body in the snow? And what about those gathered in the house? Apart from a brother-and-sister duo, the characters are strangers, forced together on Christmas Eve.

It soon becomes obvious that the country house where the characters find themselves is more than a mere stage set. This house has a life of its own. It has secrets. It has witnessed terrible things. We sense these terrible things, but we don’t know what they are. And outside the snow keeps falling, relentless and unforgiving as the puzzle slowly unwinds. And unwind in does, in ways the reader doesn’t anticipate.

“It seemed awful to be sitting at dinner with Mr. Herriard dead upstairs.“

A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer

Like Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer is both a closed-circle and a locked-room mystery. And for those who play CLUE, the sprawling Lexham Manor offers both a library and a billiard room—familiar settings for fans of the game.

The story begins when bumbling old Uncle Joe calls the family together for a party at the country house owned by his brother, Nathanial Herriard. It’s clear from the start that the characters assembled in Lexham Manor don’t like each other, and before long, we don’t like them either. But we don’t like them in ways that intrigue us. They are, with few exceptions, three-dimensional people who refuse to be confined by the stereotypical roles in which they’re cast. Their quirks, their mannerisms, their likes and dislikes breathe life into each page, steering us to the inevitable locked door behind which death waits.

No one is particularly sad when Nathaniel is found dead. His family didn’t like him and he didn’t like them, and the local constables aren’t terribly fond of any of them. When they’re unable to make headway in this baffling case, Scotland Yard takes control and dispatches Inspector Hemingway to the scene. He finds quite a mess to untangle—a mess composed of sibling rivalry, thwarted theatrical ambitions, a love affair gone sour and a dozen other conundrums including the inevitable disputed will, Will he solve the mystery? Of course he’ll solve it—and maybe you will too. 

Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year!