Reading crime fiction from the early twentieth century is a really popular activity at Christmas. It's nice to curl up with a good whodunnit by the fire, but if we stop and think about it, reading about complicated ways for people to die is not exactly the most festive thing to do. So why is it that we love crime at Christmas?

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Contributors: —Cecily Gayford, senior commissioning editor at Profile —Anna Leszkiewicz, deputy culture editor at the New Statesman. Read her article about cosy murder mysteries here.

Books and stories mentioned in order of appearance: —The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers —Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie —Murder in the Snow: a Cotswold Christmas Mystery by Gladys Mitchell —The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay —Portrait of a Murderer: A Christmas Crime Story by Anne Meredith —A Very Murderous Christmas edited by Cecily Gayford —The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrées by Agatha Christie —Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers (includes 'The Necklace of Pearls')

Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/crimeatchristmastranscript

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