The Usual Santas

An 'IndieNext' Selection for November 2017 A Bookreporter.com Best Book of 2017 Praise for Soho Press “Soho Press consistently publishes top-notch novels that open windows on foreign underworlds off-limits to the casual traveler.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review "[Soho Crime] has accumulated an impressive stable of international crime writers." —Jack Batten, The Toronto Star Praise for The Usual Santas "Crime writers are set loose on Christmas and come up with short stories that take place in a variety of locales, from a Korean War P.O.W. camp to a palatial hotel in 1920s Bombay, all somehow finding a way to craftily meld noir and Noel." —The New York Times Book Review "The Santas (and the stories) are anything but usual . . . some of the most inventive, effective and downright moving Christmas crime stories in recent memory." —Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal "Promises laughter and death." —The Washington Post "For someone who needs a little noir with their holiday cheer." —Los Angeles Times "What these Christmas crime stories have in common is the deep humanity at the core of crime—the ugliness, the anxiety, the generosity; all the impulses that move people to action, big and small . . . Fertile ground for crime fiction, on Christmas as on any other day." —USA Today "The 18 stories feature things going awry in locations as diverse as Sweden, North Korea, Utah and Ireland. Good fun." —The Sunday Times (UK) "Soho sets loose its authors to write eighteen Christmas stories set in locales as exotic as Seoul and Havana, Copenhagen and Goteborg, Laos, Thailand, Bombay and the Mormon precincts of Utah. There’s not a narrative dud in the bunch." —The Toronto Star "A fun collection of short stories from Soho authors in which the holidays feature somehow. Just the thing to start getting you in the mood."  —Raleigh News & Observer  "Spanning the globe to Denmark, England, North Korea, Sweden and beyond, the attractive batch of holiday stories in The Usual Santas is a perfect gift for all armchair mystery and short story aficionados looking for light, fun fare." —Plattsburgh Press-Republican "You’ll find laughs, murders, and plenty more in this captivating collection of best-selling and award-winning authors. For more than 25 years, Soho Crime has been publishing atmospheric crime fiction set all over the world." —The Oneonta Daily Star "Soho Crime draws from its impressive roster of authors for this outstanding Christmas-themed anthology . . . This is the perfect holiday gift for mystery fans." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review  "What do you get for the crime reader who has everything? How do you get your favorite armchair gumshoe into the holiday spirit? And where can you find 18 hilarious, chilling, and bizarre stories centering around suspicious mall Santas, mysterious dinner parties, and stolen diamonds? The answer to all of these questions (and so many more) is The Usual Santas, A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers, an anthology featuring stories by some of your favorite Soho Press authors and their most unexpectedly twisted Christmas-themed tales." —Barnes & Noble Reads "The holiday-infused collection The Usual Santas, gathers the cream of Soho’s international crime-writing crop . . . a festive multitude of short-story gem​s."​ ​​—​The Sea