Twelve Deaths Of Christmas [Mass Market Paperback]

Marian Babson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1981

It''s the run-up to Christmas in London, and Detective Superintendent Knowles is powerless to halt a seri es of random killings. The murderer leaves no trace, and Kno wles'' only hope is that the killer will choose a victim clos er to home. '

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Dell (November 15, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440191831
• ISBN-13: 978-0440191834
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,927,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cozy Mystery in the Agatha Christie Tradition, October 18, 2004

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Twelve Deaths of Christmas (Paperback)

Long before Marian Babson turned her attention completely to cats, she wrote outstanding non-cat mysteries and this is one of her very best.

Set in an English boarding house, the cast is a diverse blend of Brits and non-Brits who find themselves alone at Christmas and sharing the holiday with fellow housemates. The description of the city's bustling excitement, the frenzied holiday preparations, and the loneliness of those without family is portrayed as a series of bizarre murders plague the area. As brutal and grotesque as those of Jack the Ripper, these crimes have the police puzzled and the tenants on guard. In alternating chapters, the reader is taken into the killer's mind and privvy to what makes this person act. The reader learns everything but the identity of the killer which is, of course, revealed at a lavish and old-fashioned Christmas dinner.

Delightfully cozy and filled with yuletide spirit, not to mention 12 malicious murders, this is a holiday treat for mystery fans.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cozy book for winter, June 6, 2000

By 

Carrie L. Gardner (Elyria, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twelve Deaths of Christmas (Paperback)

This was one of Marian Babson's better non-cat books. It's a good easy read. I like the details about the house and its guests. I thought the ending was a tad obvious but good overall.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title fool you!, June 3, 2005

By 

Nik "mystery fan" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twelve Deaths of Christmas (Paperback)

The title of this book gave me the impression that I would be reading a traditional cozy. I was surprised, but nonetheless impressed, that I had stepped into a very grim and suspenseful tale.

The setting is in modern day London in the middle of the holiday season. There is a boarding house whose many inhabitants won't be able to make it home for the holidays. Amongst them, there is a deranged lunatic offing members of the general public because s/he has no tolerance for their holiday rush mentality:self-servingness, rudeness, impatience, and anything else that most ppl experience during the busy holiday season. As a result this person has an axe to grind. (A rarity in this read is that the killer's points of view are revealed in every other chapter, which heightens the terror a tad bit more).

Don't expect to be overly saturated w/ holiday spirit reading this. The Christmas theme serves as a mere backdrop for the evil that awaits. The pace is rapid and the plot is fairly uncomplicated. I think any true mystery fan will appreciate this one.