When the darkness was triumphant it was a strange and mournful echo that could not be located and that held a note of menace. Imagination needed little encouragement to liken it to the tolling of doom. Underhill also wrote about arithmetics, which he used to teach, under his own name, but used pseudonyms for his five historical romances written as Hilary West and his string of murder mysteries. In his youth Underhill worked for his local authority as a debt collector, as he was not able to afford to go on to university.

As I read them now it seems they get better as he goes on. But my mother thought they were just a distraction, I think, as she was bringing me and my younger brother up. Underhill was a conscientious objector and a stretcher-bearer for the Royal Army Medical Corps during the war and Brown can now see her father in Tremaine, his gentle hero.

Solved: mystery of Christmas whodunnit that was a hit 66 years after publication

Particularly as before my father died he gave me a complete set of his books, some of them signed. I picked one up soon afterwards and thought this is not for me. They were just gathering dust upstairs. Paperback , UK , pages. Detective Luc Moncrief 2.

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Christmas Mystery , please sign up. Will having read this book before the rest of the series spoil anything for me? See 1 question about The Christmas Mystery…. Lists with This Book. Dec 18, Matt rated it liked it Shelves: While their assignments vary, from undercover shoppers in Bloomingdale's to stakeouts waiting for the next "chalk drop" in the dingy streets of the city, Moncrief and Burke are always ready for a new adventure.

News comes down the line that there is an art gallery that has been stiffing its patrons, selling them knock-offs at prices for which the In this follow-up BookShot, Patterson and DiLallo bring Detective Luc Moncrief back to work alongside Katherine "K. News comes down the line that there is an art gallery that has been stiffing its patrons, selling them knock-offs at prices for which the original masterpieces might sell. Moncrief uses his connections in the art world to peer deeper into this, with Burke happy to play along, doing so more effectively than anyone might imagine.

When one of New York's finest, Ramona Driver Dunlop Baby D to her fans , is murdered, Moncrief and Burke begin investigating, soon learning that she, too, has been a victim of forgers. While the case plays out, Moncrief receives a call from Paris with some sad news.

10 Unsolved Christmastime Mysteries

In an attempt to support him, and on the insistence that they both take some time off after the murder investigation, Burke accompanies Moncrief to Paris. There, much is made of the news and Moncrief tries to unwrap the mystery of his feelings for K. Burke in the City of Love. Could Burke and Moncrief have Christmas chemistry? A BookShot that rebounds, at least partially, from the previous let-down in the series. This is a quick read and should keep any reader occupied long enough to digest such a large and festive meal before breaking out the sweets.

As with any BookShot, there is a gamble and a balance in trying to make it all work. Patterson and DiLallo offer up a decent story, though it is a little light on the mystery and drama, while plunging a little deeper into the personal sentiments of Detective Luc Moncrief. I found the crime-based portion of the story to be somewhat predictable and less than captivating, though perhaps this was a cover the authors had for eating up page counts before delving into the Paris angle and final BookShot in the series.

I am curious to see how things will resolve themselves, on both sides of the Pond, and to see if this mini-series can end with a bang rather than a dreary collection of angst-filled sentiments by Moncrief towards Burke. Perhaps I am too used to the quick pace of a Patterson mystery, but this set of characters seems locked into something bridled, even in their banter with one another. There are moments of excitement, for sure, but it is as if Patterson and DiLallo are holding back, from what I have seen in each of them previously.

One can hope that the pep is back, for this team has churned out some successful stories before. Patterson and DiLallo for soldiering on, though I can only hope you have something riveting to complete the BookShot trilogy. Moncrief has potential and seems to have some NYPD tendencies. Show them off or ship him back!


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An ever-growing collection of others appears at: Burke and Detective Luc Moncrief were in New York and on the trail of murder, missing paintings and mystery. After the death of a high society woman in highly suspicious circumstances, K. Burke noticed the paintings that had been on the wall had gone. As the investigation took them to Paris, the intrigue deepened… but what would they find as the city of love prepared for Christmas?

Insipid and with very little mystery, it also seemed like the author was trying to show Detective Luc Moncrief in the same light as Hercule Poirot. A weak imitation in my opinion. View all 4 comments. Feb 02, Denise rated it did not like it Shelves: What did I just read? There was a series of conflicts that all seemed to get resolved about 3 pages later Should I have spoiler tagged that? Jun 07, Chanel Lindsay rated it it was ok.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous bookshots. This one is the second 'Detective Luc Moncrief' read and I'm hoping the third is better. Now, French detective Luc Moncrief must become a quick study in the art of the steal - before a cold blooded killer paints the town red" This one had the potential to be have a storyline but in my opinion, failed.

Solving The Strange Case Of Daisy Brown - Inside A Mind

Although I like the main Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous bookshots. Although I like the main character, I felt the storyline was rushed and this let it down for me. I don't normally have high expectations for short stories, but previous bookshots from James Patterson prove that he can write them well so was disappointed by this one.

The Christmas Mystery by James Patterson

Worth a read just for the main characters storyline. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Burke, the plot was disjointed. There was a murder and art forgery ring. The case was solved although not in as satisfactory manner as the first book in this series. He expects there was something wrong with this death. The friendship and partnership of Luc and K Burke continue to grow.

I think Patterson tried to do too much in such a short book. I'm hoping the next installment is better! View all 3 comments. Feb 03, Amber Garabrandt rated it liked it. Still reeling after the death of his lover, Luc is determined to loose himself in his detective work- his way. Whether it's nabbing punk shoplifters, finding the missing art from a high profile murder scene, or even discovering if it's real art of a fake, he's down for all of it and dragging his by-the-book partner along for the ride.

As things die down on the case front, his family calls him home.

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He and K go to France to lay his father to rest. While they did not have a great relationship, it was the right thing to do. Once there, Moncrief realizes that there is far more to his father's death than he thought- one more mystery to solve. I will admit, I am still on the fence here about our French detective and his gut instincts.

I like K Burke. I do like Luc more and more the further in the series I get, so I have high hopes. For now, though, I have issues with the character development. As far as the adult content goes, the murder was pretty gruesome and there is language. That's about it, so I give it a four. This was all that was left of Matilda Rooney.

It seemed that Matilda was the victim of spontaneous human combustion , which caused her entire body to catch fire and burn to ashes. It was later determined that Patrick had died of smoke inhalation. He was spared from death because he slept behind a closed door on the second floor. Even though there was speculation that Larson could have murdered Matilda, it seemed impossible for him to have started such a blazing fire without damaging the rest of the house.

A prominent local legend was that she suffered divine retribution for daring to drink so much on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve , year-old college student Kevin Showalter and his girlfriend were driving through New London, Connecticut when their vehicle got a flat tire. Kevin pulled over and was in the midst of changing the tire when he was struck by a passing vehicle and killed.

Her subsequent investigation would uncover allegations of shoddy police work and a potential cover-up. A one-man grand jury determined that Mallove was the most likely culprit, but there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges. Mallove maintained his innocence, and in a man named Paul Hansen came forward to confess that he was the hit-and-run culprit.

By that point, the statute of limitations had expired, so no charges could be filed against Hansen. The case remained cold until when Hansen committed suicide. Police decided to reopen the case, but when the local media requested transcripts from the earlier investigations, they were denied. In fact, the 3,page transcript from the original grand jury investigation on Mallove had mysteriously gone missing.

This situation occurs many times per year, but in , one particular Jane Doe made a concerted effort to ensure her identity remained a mystery. On December 18, a woman was found lying dead atop a plastic sheet in Annandale, Virginia at the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park cemetery. She was approximately 60 years old and carried no identification. Brandy and Valium were found in her system. A plastic bag was taped over her head. She had set up a miniature Christmas tree beside her and decorated it.

She also had a portable tape player and comedy tapes in her possession. Sadly, no one has ever come forward to identify Jane Doe, and her motivation remains a mystery. On the evening of December 22, , Rhonda attended a company Christmas party and left with two of her friends.

The circumstances of how or why she was murdered remain unclear. Rhonda had been acting strangely toward her parents in the preceding weeks. She dropped hints that she was concealing a terrible secret and made an unusual inquiry to her mother about the appropriateness of dating a married man. Was her death an accident or cold-blooded murder? These questions remain unanswered.