Santa’s Secrets Unveiled: 23 Christmas Mysteries for a Riveting Read
I will recommend the best Christmas cozy mysteries in this post, which is based on my in-depth study and extensive research in this field.
So, when I suggest these books, it’s because I’ve read a lot and want to share the best ones with you. I’m all about making your reading experience awesome. Trust in a guide deeply immersed in the literary books and stories. I love books just like you do!
These aren’t the only books on this topic. Below, you’ll find 23 books with detailed descriptions of each of these outstanding resources, helping you make well-informed decisions in your Christmas cozy mysteries journey.
1. Christmas Pudding
Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford
Next up you know how I love Nancy Mitford so, of course, I have to recommend her Christmasy book which is Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford, in all honesty, this isn’t one of my very favorites of hers because it’s quite a early works
and I just don’t think it’s one of her best works and not all of it is you know especially festive but there’s a really funny scene involving Christmas stockings where the guests are staying in this big country house and the master of the house insists on upon sort of filling the Christmas stockings
and his rather terrifying sight to the poor guests who are often woken up in the early hours of the morning by him not so silently finishing their stockings it’s just really funny.
I do recommend reading this but if this is your first Nancy Mitford I do think that she’s written better books like The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate so don’t expect this to be the best of hers but it still is a fun entertaining read over Christmas
if you like evil and war then I would definitely recommend giving Nancy Mitford ago there’s a bit of similarity in their writing styles especially perhaps in her earlier work but yes I do recommend this one.
2. The adventure of the blue carbuncle 1892: Sherlock Holmes in
The adventure of the blue carbuncle 1892: Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
it’s Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle this is a Sherlock Holmes short story that I either read or listen to every Christmas it’s just one of those Christmas standards for me and I love this short story I love that a goose figure very highly in this book.
We always have a goose for Christmas and a very precious gemstone is discovered within a goose sherlock holmes has to figure out how to earth it got there and who this stone belongs to and it’s just a really fun mystery
I really enjoy it I’m a huge Sherlock for Sherlock Holmes fan anyway so that’s part of the reason why I listen to this one every Christmas it’s a real favorite.
3. Christmas with Dull People
Christmas with Dull People by Saki
and then daunt books also compiled so you can see that this little volume which is called Christmas with Dole People is a collection of Christmas Christmasy short stories by Saki who is such a gifted short story writer and a lot of.
But a lot of these short stories are very entertaining they’re really funny they’re about people behaving rather badly at Christmas time and they just really put a smile on my face they’re very entertaining reads.
4. Murder In The Snow
Murder In The Snow by Gladys Mitchell
Then this is a book I haven’t read yet but it’s on my cozy Christmas to-be-read pile and it is Murder in the Snow a cocktail Christmas mystery by Gladys Mitchell
I have to admit that the cover really caught my eye but Mrs. Bradley has gone to spend Christmas in the Cotswolds.
And of course, a mystery unfolds and this just sounds like quite a fun gentle cozy sort of reading so this is what I’m looking forward to curling up with myself for the first time this December.
5. Miss Read’s Christmas Tales: Village Christmas, the Christmas Mouse
Miss Read’s Christmas Tales: Village Christmas, the Christmas Mouse by Miss Read
and then I can’t do a cozy Christmas video without talking about the misread books she wrote some lovely channels for Christmas include ‘The Christmas Mouse’ by Miss Reed and No Holly by Miss Quinn I think perhaps this might be one of the very favorites I love this one.
Paul miss Quinn wants to enjoy a sort of quiet Christmas on her own but those plans get spoilt however it’s all for the best in the end and it’s just a lovely gentle tale.
6. A Country Christmas
A Country Christmas: Village Christmas, Jingle Bells, Christmas At Caxley 1913, The Fairacre Ghost (Christmas Fiction) by Miss Read
And then there’s Village Christmas as well which I have but that is also in this collection which is called a country Christmas and this is a lovely compilation of some of her Christmasy stories it has Village Christmas in it the fair acre ghost the white robin and a few extracts jingle bells it’s just a really lovely Christmas companion.
If you like Miss Reed’s writing then it’s definitely worth looking out to see if you can get at least a secondhand copy of this I don’t know if this would still be in print um but generally, you can find her book secondhand, or on kindle so I recommend those.
7. Christmas at Thrush Green
Christmas at Thrush Green by Miss Read
And then I haven’t read this one yet this is another one on my chibi read pile and it’s Christmas at Thrush Green.
I haven’t read this one yet because I think it was um the last one that was written it was actually finished I think after she died and her notes were sort of used to properly finish the book.
And I’ve just never read this one myself yet so I don’t quite know what it will be like but I’m looking forward to hopefully reading it this year and I hope that I enjoy it.
8. Rumpole at Christmas
Rumpole at Christmas by John Mortimer
And then I absolutely love the Rumple Stories by John Mortimer and again this is a brilliant collection of the rumple Christmas stories I like this set because I think they pretty much are all Christmassy from what I remember too and they’re just really funny again I mean if you want something that’ll make you laugh
then I really recommend Rumpel he’s the old Bailey hack as he calls himself he’s a barrister and works a lot of criminal cases at the old Bailly but he’s a defense barrister so he’s always sort of working for the underdog and again they’re just such brilliantly plotted stories.
You always wonder how Rumpel is going to win over the judge or win over the jury he’ll actually find out the real solution to the crime or to the mystery a lot of the time he’s a bit of a detective in this as well as a defense barrister
and he’s just such a fantastic character I so enjoy these I love listening to Leo McKern reading the Rumple stories he played Rumple in the famous TV series and he just really became Rumpel who’s amazing and unfortunately.
I can’t get those on audible in fact I can’t find them anywhere but I think on youtube you actually can find a few if you sort of Google that on YouTube so I’m hoping there’ll be some Christmas ones I can listen to
but I think I read this either last year or the year before and it was a really fun Christmassy read so really recommend this it gives you a nice little taste of Ron Paul too so then you can see if you want to read more by John Mortimer.
9. Twelve Days of Christmas
Twelve Days of Christmas by John Julius
This book I absolutely adore it only takes you about 10 minutes to read it but it is absolutely hilarious it’s by John Julius Norwich. I was telling you about his Christmas crackers earlier it’s called The 12 Days of Christmas and it’s illustrated by Quentin Blake and it’s a really funny take on the famous Christmas carol 12 Days of Christmas
and it imagines the poor fiance called Emily in this who is sent on each day of Christmas first the partridge in the pear tree then the two turtle tubs and three French hens and I think by the time it gets to the hens she starts feeling a little less loving towards her fiance and it’s a collection of letters that she writes to him.
Here’s an example of one “28th December dearest Edward what a surprise four calling birds arrived this morning they are very sweet even if they do call rather loudly they make telephoning impossible but I expect they’ll calm down when they get used to their new home anyway I’m very grateful of course I am love from Emily”.
By the end not surprisingly the engagement is no longer intact and you can see it all has sort of descended into chaos especially when the milkmaids turn up the Quentin Blake illustrations in this are just fabulous they bring the hilarious words to life and yeah it’s just such a funny book I really recommend it.
10. Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days
Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson
And then next up I love this Christmas collection by Janette Winterson it’s called Christmas Days 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days and it’s a collection of her festive stories
but what I especially love about this is that she’s included recipes and personal anecdotes from her life that are appropriate to the festive season there’s a beautiful passage in this where she describes her Christmas Eve ritual
what she cooks on that evening what she listens to on the radio essentially how she prepares herself for Christmas day but also enjoys a real moment of quiet and reflection and calmness for herself on Christmas Eve.
I believe was also friends with the writer Ruth Randall and she talks a little bit about that friendship in this book too it’s a really lovely read I really recommend it for the festive season I’m looking forward to returning to this one myself I love books that mix in a bit of food because for me at least food is such an important part of Christmas
that I love hearing about other people’s traditions surrounding the food that they serve at this time as well as little rituals that they have in terms of what music they listen to and what books they read for instance that really appeals to me and that’s one of the reasons why I love this so much.
