For the uncle who is more Bad Santa than St. Nick, or the niece who hangs a deerstalker on the mantel in lieu of a stocking, Mystery Scene presents two new books perfect for the holiday gift list.
When Elves Attack
by Tim Dorsey
William Morrow, 2011, $16.99
Tired of holly jollies and peace on earth and all that irritating good will towards men? For those on your list who read Christmas cards from back to front, all the better to scope out the price, nothing will echo "Bah! Humbug!" better on the Blessed Morn than this little black cloud of seasonal cynicism and gleeful political incorrectness. Tim Dorsey's gloomy little novel of murder, treachery, and button-pushing, subtitled "A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State," features Florida's very own reality-challenged serial killer/avenging angel Serge A. Storms and his "little helper" Coleman, on a sacred mission through office parties, malls, and the like to kick the tinsel out of the chronic commercialism and ho-ho hypocrisies of the holidays. Along the way, wisecracks, empty beer cans, and bodies will fall like so many snowflakes. Don't say we didn't warn you.
A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon
Edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger
Poisoned Pen Press, 2011, $29.95
For those who want something a little deeper to dip into until there's room for turkey sandwiches, what could be more Christmas-y than a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories? And you'll be pretty safe in giving your sleuth lover this one. There are no reheated leftovers—just 16 all-new stories. Edited and compiled by Laurie R. King (who knows a little about Holmesian pastiche) and Leslie S. Klinger (a Sherlockian scholar), the stories aren't just new—they're written by some of the very top writers in the mystery game, many of whose fictional stomping grounds are very far indeed from 221B Baker Street. Contributors include such left-of-center choices as Lee Child, Laura Lippman, Gayle Lynds, Neil Gaiman, Alan Bradley, and Jacqueline Winspear.
