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Francis Duncan
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Murder for Christmas: A British Holiday Murder Mystery (Mordecai Tremaine Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Francis Duncan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,428 ratings
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The first book in a classic Golden Age mystery series perfect for fans of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot

When Mordecai Tremaine arrives at the country retreat of one Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve, he discovers that the revelries are in full swing in the sleepy village of Sherbroome—but so too are tensions amongst the assortment of guests.

When midnight strikes, the partygoers discover that presents aren't the only things nestled under the tree...there's a dead body too. A dead body that bears a striking resemblance to Father Christmas. With the snow falling and suspicions flying, it's up to Mordecai to sniff out the culprit—and prevent anyone else from getting murder for Christmas.

Murder for Christmas is a festive mystery for the holiday season: mulled wine, mince pies... and murder.

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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Mordecai Tremaine Mystery
  2. Print length
    354 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Poisoned Pen Press
  6. Publication date
    October 10, 2017
  7. File size
    2455 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"There are hints of Agatha Christie's long-running play "The Mousetrap" here, as everyone at a multi-day Christmas house party becomes a suspect when one of their number is found dead underneath the Christmas tree, dressed in a Father Christmas robe...Duncan will have readers guessing the murder's identity up until the end. " ― Deseret News

"Fans of classic British mysteries will delight in this Christmas tale loaded with red herrings and cleverly planted clues." ― Kirkus Reviews

"Unexpected and accomplished twists to the cozy mystery formula add to the old-fashioned pleasures of this novel. " ― Publishers Weekly

"Fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers will enjoy Tremaine’s exploits. Pair with Mavis Doriel Hay’s The Santa Klaus Murder for a double shot of golden age yuletide mystery." ― Library Journal

"An old-fashioned mystery in the best possible way." ― Tulsa World

About the Author

Francis Duncan is the pseudonym for William Underhill, who was born in 1918. He lived virtually all his life in Bristol and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II, landing in France shortly after D-Day. After the war, he trained as a teacher and spent the rest of his life in education. He died in 1988.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B072JHLQ8L
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Poisoned Pen Press (October 10, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 10, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2455 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,428 ratings

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Francis Duncan

Francis Duncan

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Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
1,428 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ATS
5.0 out of 5 stars Any Francis Duncan mystery is a joy
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2018
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As a lover of classic British mysteries, my chance discovery of this author from the mid-20th Century has been a real joy. Every page keeps my interest, which I cannot say about many mysteries I read by well-regarded authors. Duncan's books are also not guilty of that staple of modern mysteries that I am getting so weary of: a detective drowning in their personal angst, fighting emotional slings and arrows, and of course, a tragic love life, etc, which takes up so much of the bulk of his or her attention. Duncan's Miss Marple-like character Mordecai Tremaine is in many ways a very ordinary type of person, but he is able to blend in with quite different types of social groups; groups which fester with secrets, lies and a hidden murderer...until Tremaine untangles it all in his unassuming but brilliant way. He does it by observing people as much as by physical clues, which is similar to the Agatha Christie approach. This mystery, "Murder for Christmas" was not the typical "murder at a country house at Christmas" mystery which I thought it would be. It was quite surprising, startling, enthralling, and a joy to read.
12 people found this helpful
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Gypsi
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Golden Age Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2018
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Retired tobacconist Mordecai Tremaine is invited to a Christmas house party by a man he doesn't know well. He chooses to go, because of the intriguing postscript stating that "something was wrong" in the household. That something was most definitely wrong was proven when a dead Father Christmas was discovered under the tree on Christmas Eve. Mordecai uses his sharp eye and keen reasoning to investigate his fellow house guests to determine the motive and method of the crime.

This was a delightful mystery, with an engaging protagonist and a well imagined cast of characters. The mystery itself was intelligent, believable, and nicely plotted. Duncan's writing wasn't perfect; there were repeated phrases and the occasional awkward sentence. Despite that, I would most definitely recommend this nearly forgotten Golden Age mystery. I will most certainly be reading more of Mordecai's adventures.
8 people found this helpful
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Carol Mello
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as "Murder has a motive"
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021
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Actually, if one looks at the original copyrights of this book and "Murder has a motive" , it is clear this is the second book, not the first. In addition, the notoriety Mordecai Tremaine gained from the Dalmering case is mentioned in the text of this book.

This book moves much more slowly than " Murder has a motive" and the secrets of the suspects are harder to figure out. I did notice the murderer's slip up during the murder discovery scene. The book ends abruptly and another character who is a psychopath apparently is going to get away without punishment of his despicable behavior that has been going on for a very long time. The plot is original in nature which is a plus.

Because of the plot slowness (I trudged onward to the end) and the lack of justice for the psychopathic character, I had to remove a star for each.
5 people found this helpful
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PATRICIA ALLEN
5.0 out of 5 stars Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2024
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I liked it. He is a good writer
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smithirowa
4.0 out of 5 stars Leaves You Wanting More
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2016
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I read about this novel right after Christmas, but I decided to order it anyway. It was not supposed to arrive until some time in February, so I was pleasantly surprised when I received it within a few days of my order. With the snow finally falling in the Chicago area, I knew this would be a good time to read this book.
The book begins with a summary of the case with somewhat overwrought language. However, as it moves on to the characters, it becomes more successful. It is important to remember that the novel was written in the 1940s, which means that we have a world that is slower paced than the 21st century. Of course we are looking at a wealthier segment of society in rural England, but this pace allows us to study the scenery and the characters more carefully. This is a world with a mansion that can house a number of guests for Christmas with these guests being able to stay over a few days with a pleasant host.
The characters are mostly forgettable with the major exception of Mordecai Tremaine as the amateur detective who helps solve the case. He is a character who is unforgettable. The ending is well plotted, and it leaves the taste of a delicious Christmas dinner in the mouth of the reader.
The author, Francis Duncan, wrote in the 1930s and 1940s, and this is the first book of his to be republished. I can only hope that other books by this author will be republished as well and republished soon or at least in time for me to read them by next Christmas. Without knowing anything about his other books, it would be nice to think that I could have other seasonal stories waiting for me in the future. The ending still remains in my mind, even several weeks after I have read the book. It would be delicious to meet Mordecai Tremaine again.
15 people found this helpful
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Todd Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Eady pleasant read
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2024
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A cozy British holiday mysyery
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Linda
4.0 out of 5 stars MURDER FOR CHRISTMAS, Francis Duncan, 1949
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018
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This is the first title in the Mordecai Tremaine series. There is a prologue, which I recommend skipping; it adds nothing to the story and gives the reader clues that will lead to being misinterpreted. The story begins when Mordecai, an elderly gentleman with a reputation for being an avid amateur sleuth, arrives at the country house of Benedict Grame on Christmas Eve. Grame is noted for his Christmas parties, and for having a childlike joy in Christmas and all its trimmings, even dressing up as Father Christmas to leave gifts on the tree for each of his guests. Mordecai soon senses a complete lack of Christmas spirit in his fellow party-goers, with tensions running high between more than one of them. With darkness falling and the snow piling deeper and deeper, things reach a fever pitch--then the body of Father Christmas is found under the tree. Mordecai finds himself hip-deep in suspects; with everyone keeping secrets and acting suspiciously, how is he to ferret out the culprit?

Francis Duncan seems to be compared to Agatha Christie a lot. I somewhat agree, but I find Mordecai Tremaine to remind me most of Miss Marple, in that he depends to a large part on his knowledge of human behavior to help him solve crimes. If you enjoy vintage British mysteries, give Duncan a try. I doubt you'll be sorry.
34 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Suzanne Gagné
3.0 out of 5 stars Old fashioned who dunnit
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2023
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For people who like anAgagtha Christie type mystery. I enjoyed it
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Marjorie Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Just my kind of murder mystery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2022
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A country house party, lots of guests, each with a guilty secret in their past, several with a reason for wanting someone dead, and several others behaving suspiciously around the time of the murder, a genial amateur sleuth with a good relationship with the investigating policeman, and an unexpected twist just as you think you’ve pieced the mystery together.

No cliffhanger suspense, no psychological torture or gruesome killings, no troubled detectives battling their own demons, broken relationships and irascible superiors, just a good old-fashioned, wholesome murder mystery with a logical buildup and a satisfying denouncement.
2 people found this helpful
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jasleen
5.0 out of 5 stars so you could guess i loved the story
Reviewed in India on November 12, 2017
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after reading this story i bought all the books written by this author. so you could guess i loved the story. i could only find 5 books by this author in total and am currently halfway through the last one. all books are great. if anybody could suggest more creations from this writer i would be grateful.
2 people found this helpful
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Jesus CORA ALONSO
4.0 out of 5 stars Misterio para amantes de Agatha Christie y autores similares.
Reviewed in Spain on April 10, 2018
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Es una novela de corte parecido a las de Agatha Christie. Situada en un pequeño pueblo con un grupo reducido de personajes cuyas relaciones claras y ocultas constituyen un microcosmos en el que la plácida vida de pueblo de la campiña inglesa se convierte una vez más en algo lejos de ser idílico. El detective es un aficionado, antiguo estanquero por más señas, que también parece despistado como la Srta. Marple, pero resuelve los misterios gracias a su capacidad de observación.
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sigrunT
5.0 out of 5 stars Typischer britischer Weihnachtkrimi.
Reviewed in Germany on November 30, 2015
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Dieses in den 30iger Jahren des vorherigen Jahrhunderts erschienene Roman knüpft an die Tradition der englischen Landhauskrimis an, also an die Situation, dass geladene Gäste auf dem Landsitz des Gastgebers versammelt sind und dort einige nette Tage miteinander verbringen wollen und dieses Zusammensein durch den Tod eines Teilnehmers, meist des Gastgebers, gestört wird.
Der Held dieses Buches ist ein Pensionär, der schon einmal der Polizei mit seiner Beobachtungsgabe helfen konnte. Schon mit der Einladung wird ihm deutlich gemacht, dass dem Gastgeber Gefahr droht und man auf seine Hilfe hofft. Er kommt in eine Gruppe, die sich versammelt hat, um ein fröhliches Fest zu feiern, aber unserem Helden fällt sofort auf, dass die scheinbar gut gelaunte Gesellschaft irgendwie einen nicht realen Eindruck macht, als ob es merkwürdige, nicht erklärbare und nicht richtig erkennbare Konflikte gibt. Plötzlich wird einer der Gäste ermordet aufgefunden, sodass die Polizei eingeschaltet wird, mit der unser Amateurdetektiv dann zusammenarbeitet und deshalb von allen Teilnehmern der Gesellschaft mit großem Misstrauen betrachtet wird. Nach und nach findet unser Held aber sinnvolle Erklärungen für alle Ungereimtheiten und findet den Täter. Dabei werden am Schluss wirklich auch alle Clues erklärt, es bleiben keine Fragen offen und trotz der Tatsache, dass man alles gewusst hat, ist das Ende sehr überraschend, obwohl eigentlich zwingend.
Das Buch ist so toll, dass ich sofort mehr über den Verfasser wissen und weitere Bücher von ihm lesen wollte. Dabei musste ich feststellen, dass über den Verfasser buchstäblich gar nichts bekannt ist, außer das es von ihm noch weitere Bücher gibt. Das Buch ist auch -wie sich aus der 1. Seite ergibt- veröffentlich worden, ohne dass der Verlag das copyright hatte. Er teilt mit, dass er den Rechteinhaber gesucht, aber nicht gefunden habe, und bereit sei, diesem die entsprechenden Zahlungen zu erbringen.
Dieses Vorgehen des Verlages dürfte seinen Anwälten Bauchschmerzen machen; ich finde es absolut großartig, denn das Buch ist einfach toll und hat viele, viele Leser verdient. Ich werde künftig die Veröffentlichungen dieses Verlages (Vintage) mit großer Aufmerksamkeit verfolgen, denn ich hoffe dort auf weitere so schöne Bücher.
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