Ghosts, murder, strange disappearances, and journeys through time. Every conceivable type of mystery can be found within the pages of Mystery for Christmas, with one thing in common: they all take place during the short days and dark nights, the festivities and tensions, of the Christmas season. Writers have long been inspired by this season of peace and goodwill to tell tales of murder, mystery, and the supernatural. The stories in this collection range from works by classic nineteenth-century writers such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy to popular contemporary writers like Muriel Spark and H R F Keating. Several of the stories have been written especially for this volume. Mystery can take many different forms - as the stories in this intriguing collection prove. There are seasonal crime stories: an apparently impossible murder at a family gathering, a homicidal Santa Claus, and a chilling case of mistaken identity in Victorian London. There are atmospheric encounters with the supernatural: some eerie, as in the murdered husband who returns to confront his murderer; others more amusing than frightening. And since Christmas is a time of traditions that make the past seem particularly close, Mystery for Christmas also includes stories in which the past blends with the present, and in one case threatens to take over completely. So lock the doors and windows, curl up beside the Christmas tree, and prepare to savor these deliciously criminal tales of Yuletide mystery.