We thought about sharing this cover earlier, but decided to be literal with the title and reveal nothing until after Christmas. Do Not Murder Before Christmas was written by Jack Iams and published in 1949 in hardback by William Morrow & Co., then by Dell as a paperback a bit later the same year. It’s a murder mystery in the Agatha Christie vein about an elderly smalltown toymaker whose secret knowledge of his community gets him killed when someone decides to suppress evidence of a crime.
While these sorts of whodunnits aren’t hard-boiled or particularly action packed, they’re often superior within the crime genre because of their humanized relationships and relatable women. This one is no exception, as a crucial aspect of the puzzle revolves around Jane Hewes, local beauty who’s desired by both the scion of a wealthy family that has exploited the town for generations, and by the everyman newspaper editor who has spent years writing unflattering articles about that family. Their rivalry adds plenty to the story. They even have a fistfight.
This is the second Iams mystery we’ve read, along with Girl Meets Body, and it’s clear that he can write as well as construct. The central plot contrivance—that every child who ever came to the toymaker’s shop signed a visitor’s book, and this somehow has the power to expose a killer—is something so leftfield we had to marvel. The tale’s winning protagonist and involving love story make the final result a total winner. If you find an Iams novel anywhere, snag it.
