Post WWII San Francisco and the ten year reunion for the Big Five and Half, has arrived. As this is Christmas Day so has Santa Claus, unfortunately for some.
An entertaining mystery with some able characters.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.historical-1945-2024 netgalley5 s Annarella13.3k 144

An excellent thriller featuring a group of school friends. A well plotted story with elements of psychological thirller.
I am loving the books by this author and this one is recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine2 s Eric1,460 40

A novella/long short-story, written probably in the 1960s, set in that time with a flashback to ten years earlier, but not published until 2021, this could have used some revision or tightening-up.

I found it difficult, initially, to sort out the characters, and this is a major problem in a shortish piece. Most of those portrayed were unable and very flawed, warped by their evil genius of a teacher. Most of them are successful, at least in their own terms, but success comes at a price and the price is exacted on Christmas Day.

Quite enjoyable. A morality tale of sorts, and not a comfortable one.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.2 s Bev3,081 322

Christmas is coming to the Big Five and a Half. Santa has surprises in his bag of goodies...but not all of them are good. When the Big Five and a Half, a group of high school students--five young men and one young woman--who were all voted "Most ly to Succeed," were leaving high school for bigger and better things, they met for a farewell picnic in Mariposa. They and their influential teacher Mr. Northcliffe expect to see great success in the very near future and they decide to have a reunion party on Christmas Day ten years down the road to see if their expectations have been met.

Christmas Day ten years later isn't quite the festive occasion they expect. Only three of their number are doing well. There have been divorces and affairs. One of the group is in prison and the one who started with the most is nearly broke. Even their teacher has met with hard times. His application for a premier post was turned down--apparently because at least one of his references (all from the Big Five and a Half) was less than glowing.

As the members of the group prepare for the party they are all dreading, Santa Claus begins making the rounds. He has a little heart-to-heart talk with them--reminding them of all the ways they have been naughty during the last ten years. At the end of his visit, he offers a chocolate treat...laced with poison. At least three will be dead before Santa is dragged off to an icy jail cell instead of the North Pole.

A short--more novella than novel--mystery with thrillerish overtones. Overall the plot is a good one and I wish that Boyd had left a full-length manuscript that explored the characters and action a bit more. As I followed Santa to the next visit, I kept having to change my mind about who was hiding behind those snowy-white whiskers. The tension level is good and the story works well as a morality play--just what is the cost of success? And is success really measured in dollars and cents or the size of your house or the clothes that you wear? I did find the ending a bit abrupt, otherwise I might have given a slightly higher star rating. ??? and 1/2

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.american-mystery bought-2022 christmas ...more2 s Samantha1,982 131

A great premise for a mystery novella that is a bit disappointing in the execution.

One of the dangers of digging art out of a loved one’s effects after they pass is that most of us overvalue what we find, and this seems to be especially common when someone unearths a “lost manuscript.” Boyd had some talent as a mystery writer to be certain, but the unpublished stuff probably was unpublished for a reason.

I d the concept of this, and the characters are notably complex for a novella, but the plot is just the same series of actions repeating over and over after a lot of buildup, and while the solve does keep you guessing, that turns out to be the case mostly because the culprit doesn’t make a lot of sense in the end. 1 Annie4,051 72

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Slay Bells is a newly released vintage murder mystery novella from the previously unpublished literary inheritance left by Eunice Mays Boyd. Released 7th Dec 2021, it's 95 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well written holiday cozy mystery featuring a closed group of high school friends and their mentor and teacher. They plan to have a reunion after 10 years to see how they're all getting along in life. It turns out that despite their early promise, they're divorced, neurotic, angry, or even in prison. One by one they begin to die violently after a malevolent visit from Santa Claus.

It is a product of the time it was written, although there are some pithy observations about the unfair nature of business opportunities for women at the time and general attitudes about gender roles and rigid class differences between the "haves" and the "have nots" which will resonate with modern readers.

The manuscript has not been edited for modern audiences, so much of the dialogue seems somewhat stilted and retro. It fits very well with the story, but readers should remember that it's a vintage work approaching 70ish years of age.

The denouement and resolution were unexpected but not unsatisfying.

Three and a half stars. This is a previously unknown-to-me author and several other books from her oeuvre are slated to be released in new editions or are already extant.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.netgalley3 s Jazz339 26

A short Christmas read, a novella, from the 1960s. Six high school students—chosen as "Most ly to Succeed"—and their meddling professor/mentor, all decide to meet again in 10 years time at Christmas to compare how well they have done. And because it's Christmas, who should appear but an anonymous Santa Claus who shows up at each of their homes to explain how naughty they've been over those years. He also exacts a price in the guise of a gift.

Part morality play on what success truly means and part mystery as to who the Santa Claus justice figure is, it was an interesting story that wasn't completely fleshed out and ended rather suddenly. mystery-american Lynn3,043 79

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