Fireside tales from the Queen of Mystery: Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie (book review)

Last summer, after reading Death on the Nile, I wouldn’t have thought that I would pick another Agatha Christie book so soon. But when the opportunity to read Midwinter Murder came, I was so excited to read the collection of short stories written by the Queen of Mystery.

Midwinter Murder in a nutshell

Midwinter Murder is a collection of 12 short stories. Some feature her beloved detectives – Poirot and Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence. Most stories (not all!) have a winter element – heavy snow, Christmas time, unexpected guests and dangerous plum-pudding.

Overall impression

I devoured this book in only 2 days, but I can also imagine enjoying it for a longer period by reading one story each evening. All stories (except one) were new to me, and all of them had a special je ne sais quoi element.

Through the short stories I met for the first time Miss Marple – a witty and lovely lady, and also Tommy and Tuppence – the power couple. Inspector Japp and Mr Satterthwaite also appeared in the winter-themed universe, completing the “family” of mystery solvers.

Vintage short stories, still charming

I find it amazing how stories written and published almost 100 years ago are still charming and entertaining. Some things never go out of fashion!

Did you know that Agatha Christie’s stories usually appeared first in magazines and then in her short story books? The books used to have different collections in the UK and the US.

All stories from Midwinter Murder have been published before; only one of them (Christmas Adventure) has never been published in the US. So if you have read many short stories by Christie, there are chances you already know most of them … so this might not be the most engaging book for you.

Wrap-up

I liked a lot the experience of reading the winter-themed collection of short stories – it’s like transporting yourself in a winter universe where all kind of mysterious happenings take place. And in this universe you have bits and pieces of the best of Agatha Christie.

I recommend Midwinter Murder for readers who are not well accustomed to Agatha Christie’s (short) stories. It can be a great Christmas gift for a friend who wants to discover Agatha Christie, or for that relative who only saw the Murder on the Orient Express movie 🙂

Did you read any short stories collection by Agatha Christie? If yes, what was your favourite short story?

‘Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana

PS: I received a digital copy of this book in October 2020 at my request, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. My review expresses my own thoughts about the story and it is not influenced in any way by the publisher or the author. The book was published on October 20th, 2020.

PPS: There is also an autumn-themed collection of short books, published in 2019 – The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural. This might be a good present for Halloween time 🎃