The Usual Santas (#705) is a collection of holiday-themed short stories by SOHO Crime writers. The eponymous short story by Mick Herron is worth the price of the book alone.
I came across works by authors I've read and enjoyed before - Cara Black, Stephanie Barron and Mette Ivie Harrison - and read some by writers I will make it a point to read in the future, particularly Gary Corby, Sujata Massey and Peter Lovesey. What more could you ask for than the gift of promising reading ahead?
The settings of the stories varied from contemporary to historical fiction, and from places as scattered as Bombay, Bangkok and Britain. Some were amusing, and others very, very dark. That adds to the allure of a collection like this; you can skip over the stories you aren't in the mood to read at the moment, and perhaps revisit them at a later time.
My one nitpick about this book is that it's supposed to be "A Collection of SOHO Crime Christmas Capers" according to the cover, and for the most part, the tales here meet that criteria. A few don't, and that's my issue. One particularly unpleasant story by author Henry Chang, Bo Sau (Vengeance) took place in New York City in February. I could find no connection to Christmas here whatsoever. There certainly is no redeeming message here, either, in the spirit of the season. Did Mr. Chang not get the memo on this book's theme? I'm tempted to razor these pages out of my copy and simply enjoy the rest. If you like a good crime caper, you will, too!
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