A Christmas scrooge discovers a murdered librarian in this holiday novel from an Edgar Award finalist known for her “witty, literate, and charming” mysteries (Publishers Weekly). Each December, the faculty of Balaclava Agricultural College goes wild with holiday decorations. The entire campus glitters with Christmas lights, save for one dark spot: the home of professor Peter Shandy. But after … Peter Shandy. But after years of resisting the school’s Illumination festival, Shandy suddenly snaps, installing a million-watt display of flashing lights and blaring music perfectly calculated to drive his neighbors mad. Then the horticulturalist flees town, planning to spend Christmas on a tramp steamer. It’s not long before he feels guilty about his prank and returns home to find his lights extinguished–and a dead librarian in his living room.
Hoping to avoid a scandal, the school’s head asks Shandy, sometimes detective, to investigate the matter quietly. After all, Christmas is big business, and the town needs the cash infusion that typically comes with the Illumination. But as Shandy will soon find out, there’s a dark side to even the whitest of white Christmases.
more
All the ladies on the campus want Peter to put up Christmas decorations. All Peter wants is some peace and quiet, so he has men from the city come deck out his house with lights, music, and lots of decorations. Then Peter leaves town only to return to find one of the ladies dead on his floor. With only a marble for a clue, he has to work hard to solve this case.
This is the first Peter Shandy book I’ve read. WHAT A HOOT! I loved this book and so did my dh. I bought it because it said that it was a combination of Agatha Christie and P G Wodehouse–two of my favorite authors. And it was. A great mystery ala Christie tradition. And both erudite and slapstick humor ala Wodehouse (remember Bertie Wooster and Jeeves?–Well if you don’t, get to the library and check one out.)
The setting is New England, a small agricultural college. Since my dh pointed out that no one mentioned cell phones and the phones all had dials, that this was a pre-1990’s era book. I’d say around the 1960-70’s but it fits the characters. AND WHAT CHARACTERS THEY ARE! Somehow realistic and over the top at the same time. And I loved the dawning romance between Peter and the librarian Helen Marsh. If you want a mystery that is hard to solve and a fun holiday read, this book is for you! (Note: there is a very little profanity in the dialogue-I chose to overlook it.)
Professor Peter Shandy doesn’t buy that the death of the wife of his best friend was accidental.
A good, witty story. Protagonist was well conceived and likable. The quirky secondary characters are intriguing. There are suspects galore in this clever cozy mystery.
A charming holiday read.
I have seen this authors books, but had not read any before. I liked it enough to read several others and am looking forward to reading more. These take place in an unusual campus setting with an interesting and humorous professor, his lovely wife and a university president who I really liked.
The mysteries are solved with style, limited violence and no sex or cursing.
The Peter Shandy books are dated in a nice way. Characters and dialog always entertaining. A well-written cozy.
The first and best Shandy….and they are all excellent.
What I liked most about Rest You Merry was the terrific writing, the way the author is able to express the several characters’ motivation for acting in a certain way in certain situations. I wish I were witty enough to speak so clearly of my own various motivations throughout a typical week. Well-worthy…loved it.
I enjoyed this book
Loved it, great book to read if you are stressed, relieves the stress, lightens the mood
This is the first book in the Peter Shandy series and it’s a great start. All of Charlotte MacLeod’s books are wonderful.
I love this book. I have to re-read it at the beginning of each Christmas season. It’s a fun, intriguing mystery. Read it now!
This is the first of Charlotte MacLeod’s Peter Shandy mysteries. The first chapter started out as a short story, so its connection to the rest of the novel is a tad strange, but is fun in its own right. As a mystery, the story is OK. What I really like about this, and all of her novels, is the eccentric cast of characters in it/them. Yes, some of them are very broadly drawn, but that is part of the fun. Just kick back and enjoy them.
Have always loved this author and each of her series
It didn’t hold my attention
So far, I’ve loved everything I’ve read so far from Ms. MacLeod!
I loved this book so much it has started me reading all the Charlotte MacLeod books I can get my hands on
I first read this book when it originally came out, many years ago. In the decades since, it hasn’t lost its humor, or its freshness. Filled with whimsy and word plays, it still entertains. Love it!
If you like Agatha Christie, you’ll love Charlotte MacLeod’s first book in her Peter Shandy Mysteries series. God writing, interesting characters, twisted plot and a little romance along the way.
This is one of my most favorite Christmas books. Every time I read it, I can’t help laughing out loud!
Fantastic humorous Christmas whodunnit. The first of Charlotte McLeod’s Professor Shandy series of books, this was originally published in 1979. It would largely be considered a cozy but eludes to sexual situations (and copious amounts of alcohol consumption) that are no longer typical with cozy mysteries. Still a great seasonal read. I look forward to reading more in this series.