Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Today, in our ninth book for the #20BooksOfChristmas reading challenge set by That Happy Reader, we have whisked away to Lower Lockwood and into the frantic preparations of the Fairway Players’ production schedule of their upcoming performance of Jack and the Beanstalk.

The Story

The Christmas Appeal is a delightful holiday-themed mystery that continues the character stories first introduced in Janice Hallet’s mystery, The Appeal. While the background information in The Appeal might deepen the reader’s appreciation for the character dynamics, having read it is not necessary to enjoy The Christmas Appeal.

Hallett employs the unique epistolary style, narrating the story through emails, letters, lists, and notes. While this style may not appeal to all readers, I appreciate how the entire book is presented in dialogue. It creates an immediate sense of intimacy as you delve into the private and public personas through which people communicate. You gain profound insights into who these characters are, what they choose to reveal about themselves, and what they attempt to conceal—be it through politeness or denial.

The way people write versus the way a person might speak also leads to a lot of hilarity—think about how you word a carefully crafted email to your boss versus what you might send in a text to your friend about your boss. Unfortunately for the Fairway Players, the Crown has all of the correspondence, and so they get everyone’s filtered and unfiltered thoughts.

What truly drives the narrative is the uproarious, petty, and absurd lengths the Fairway Players will go to in order to stage this play. They haul out this monstrously large beanstalk prop, critique everyone else’s performances, vie for the best roles, skirt any set building, and accidentally purchase a lot of drugs instead of candy. Amidst all the chaos, Santa meets his end in a hilariously tragic manner.

While Santa’s untimely demise may shock the cast of Jack and the Beanstalk, it doesn’t deter them from delivering a one-of-a-kind performance, with hilarity leading the way.

Despite the heavy comedy in A Christmas Appeal, there’s real pathos and sadness behind what happened to Santa in his last moments and what led to his death in the beanstalk. This adds a ‘toothsome edge’ to the story, a depth and seriousness that keeps it from being total fluff. It’s a balance of humor and heart that makes the story both entertaining and emotionally resonant.

If you’re tired of saccharine, syrupy cozy Christmas mysteries, I definitely recommend trying this snarky, devil-may-care Christmas novella from The Christmas Appeal.

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#20BooksOfChristmas Reviews

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