The Christmas Stocking Murders: The perfect stocking filler, a gripping new Christmas murder mystery from the No.1 New York Times bestselling author … at Holly House: 2 (A Frank Grasby Mystery, 2)
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(as of Nov 27, 2025 03:22:47 UTC – Details)
‘Tis the season to solve a mystery… Inspector Frank Gradsby returns in a dazzling crime novel, from the bestselling author of Murder at Holly House.
‘Twists galore’ Stuart MacBride
‘Had me laughing out loud’ Yorkshire Life
‘First-class’ The Times
A case shrouded in secrets.
It’s just before Christmas, 1953. Grasby and Juggers are investigating a puzzling murder in the remote village of Uthley’s Bay. A fisherman has been found dead on the beach, with a stocking wound tight round his throat.
A festive mystery for one and all.
Hundreds of pairs of stockings, in neat cellophane bags, soon wash up on the shore. A blizzard cuts off Grasby and Juggers from help, and the local innkeeper is murdered. Any remaining Christmas cheer goes up in smoke as the villagers refuse to talk, leaving the two detectives chasing false leads in the snow.
A winter wonderland with no escape.
To make matters worse, Grasby can’t stop thinking about stockings. Why does everyone seem to be enjoying strangely high standards of hosiery, even beneath their oilskins? Who is the sinister bespectacled man snooping around their hotel? And how can they solve the murder when everyone in the village is a suspect?
From the Publisher
Publisher : Penguin
Publication date : 6 Nov. 2025
Language : English
Print length : 368 pages
ISBN-10 : 180499507X
ISBN-13 : 978-1804995075
Item weight : 250 g
Dimensions : 12.7 x 2.2 x 19.7 cm
Book 2 of 3 : Frank Grasby Mysteries
Best Sellers Rank: 3,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) 70 in Crime & Mystery Graphic Novels 77 in British Detective Stories 148 in Science Fiction Crime & Mystery
Customer reviews: 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 1,124 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this Christmas mystery book very enjoyable and cleverly written, with an intriguing plot full of twists and turns. They appreciate its historical accuracy, with one customer noting its true sense of the era, and another describing it as a perfect Christmas crime caper. The book’s humor and writing style receive positive feedback, though customers have mixed opinions about the character development, with some finding the main character brilliant while others say he’s not very likeable. The pacing receives mixed reactions from customers.
10 reviews for The Christmas Stocking Murders: The perfect stocking filler, a gripping new Christmas murder mystery from the No.1 New York Times bestselling author … at Holly House: 2 (A Frank Grasby Mystery, 2)
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Original price was: £9.99.£8.49Current price is: £8.49.
JenMedBookLover –
Dressed to kill
I wasn’t sure it would be possible for Frank to get into as much of a mess again, but I should have trusted Denzil Meyrick to deliver. If there is mischief about, he is sure to bring it to our attention, and in what style. Humour, mystery and a whole lot of unexpected romance and subterfuge make The Christmas Stocking Murders the perfect Christmas crime caper, and have cemented Frank Grasby as one of my favourite Detectives. He may not always be in tune with what is going on around him, but he gives it a damned good try.In this latest festive offering, Denzil Meyrick transports us, and more importantly, Frank, to Uthley Bay, a small North Yorkshire coastal village, which may be lacking in the industry and scale of Hull ,or the holiday charm of Whitby, but certainly makes up for it in murder count. That’s not the only thing that is going to cause Frank trouble in this particular adventure, as his travel partner is his boss, Superintendent Juggers, and, much to Frank’s disgust, Uthley Bay is also the intended holiday destination for his father, Reverend Cyril Grasby and his unexpected paramour. With a village full of suspicious characters, a seemingly strange obsession with fine hosiery, and a worsening storm isolating the whole community, it will take all of Frank’s wits to defeat the killers, or killers. And I loved it.As you can probably expect, in a book by Denzil Meyrick, the story is packed with larger than life characters, both loveable and maddening, and so much humour that I found myself chuckling along with a regular rhythm. Frank is such a brilliant character, so utterly out of his depth in nearly every circumstance, and yet with a surprisingly accurate instinct that is undeniable, he is your archetypal bungling hero. It is so good to be back in his company. The animosity between him and his father is the source of a good amount of his humour, and the back and forth between him and Juggers is also a delight. Juggers is so not cut out for fieldwork anymore, and there are many scenes where his size, and lack of dexterity, are cause for hilarity. Denzil Meyrick has portrayed them all perfectly, and add in the odd bunch of villagers, a myriad of personality types, all hiding their own secrets, and there is a whole plethora of intrigue and mystery to hold out attention.The author really does a great job of recreating a small Yorkshire community, giving an essence of what you might expect village life to be like at the timing of the story – post war, whilst rationing is still in full flow. Setting is really key here, and he uses the coastal location, and the remote setting, along with a carefully timed snow storm, to add the the atmospheric feeling of the investigation. There are so many layers to what is going on, suspicion easily cast from character to character, and a good use of sleight of hand to misdirect and turn attention away from the truth of what is happening. I loved it all, and while I may have guessed part of the misdirection, there was no way of seeing the full scale of what was happening, and even if I thought I knew, Denzil Meyrick threw in another surprise of two to keep me on my feet.This is a wonderful slice of crime fiction, somewhere between cosy crime and historic fiction. Frank Grasby has more of an air of the Captain Hastings about his personality, but with the occasional flash of Hercule Poirot. But with a frisson of romance in the air, and a haplessness that is utterly endearing, this is a series that I hope continues for a long time to come. Definitely recommended.
mrs lesley mclean –
Frank’s Incensed and More
These tongue-in-cheek crime books from Denzil Meyrick have fast become a Christmas tradition for me. Funny, nostalgic, and full of felons, the Frank Grasby murder mysteries are a festive must. Set in 1950s Yorkshire, they take you back to a post-war Britain where coppers were coppers, and giving criminals a quick cosh on the bonce was mandatory.When a fisherman is found dead, there’s little Christmas cheer evident in the remote seaside village of Uthley, and it doesn’t half make you glad you’re curled up all cosy, reading in the warm. With murder, smuggling, and a dad he’d happily see the back of, there’s plenty for the detective and his cronies to get stuck into. A perfect follow-up to Murder at Holly House.
SimpleSybil –
More complicated than it needed to be.
The title was misleading: yes, it featured stockings; yes, it was set at Christmas, but really it could have been about any item in short supply, and at any time of the year. There were too many characters to keep track of. There were too many incidental occurrences, added for comic effect, no doubt. It was amusing at times. It was set in the 1950’s so possibly reflected the attitude of the time, but some of the comments made me cringe. Frank is not portrayed as a very likeable character, but maybe he is self deprecating. Again, being set in the 1950’s there were some thought provoking reminders: rationing, man on the moon was science fiction, there would always be ‘bobbies on the beat’. The denouement was realistic, but please, the trope of identical twins is wearing thin. The actual ending was unsatisfactory with too many loose ends – did the superintendent commandeer some stockings for his wife? I suppose this is to leave openings for the next Christmas episode. And, annoying as it is I will pre-order the next book.
kjm11 –
Christmas Stocking Murders
Clever title. Very different from usual murder novels. Descriptions of cold, snow, and icy water added to the dark atmosphere.
Clive Howe –
Another enjoyable Grasby case
Thoroughly enjoyed Fran Grasby’s second outing, intricate plot with plenty of red herrings in the finishing nets.My only complaint is that Frank’s endless self-doubt and self-pity does become somewhat tedious after a while. It didn’t spoil the book, but did take the edge off it
jack holman –
Ok
Very seasonal
Helen Hollick –
enjoyable
I quite enjoyed this one, a little slow in places but an intriguing plot
Harriet the Spy –
The Bradford Salvage Division (updated following sad news)
I was so very sad to hear of Denzil Meyricks death aged just 59. He had so much still to give as a writer but his family’s loss is unimaginable. Rest in peace and thank you, Mr Writer.On with my original review:Oh this is good. If you read the first one, you’re back in safe hands as Frank Grasby the unluckiest police inspector in Yorkshire rides again. Off he goes to a remote, bleak location populated entirely by odd bods with strange looks in their collective eye, to get in way over his head and nearly cop it roughly three times a day until an action packed finale brings a new dawn.So much to enjoy here, Grasby’s constant chippy little asides being chief among them. There were some wonderful war reminiscences too, with proper history and a true sense of the era.I’ll be honest, like Frank I pride myself on my powers of observation but I’m damned if I could make head nor tale of the plot, especially as it hairpinned back and forth near the end. No matter, I’m not in charge of the arrests so I’ll leave that to the experts. Christmas is ever present in these books, in the lightest, sweetest but totally uncloying way. It’s all very granite and lashing precipitation, an undervalued setting.I’d love to see Frank meet a fresh love interest and I’ve been good all year so how about it Mr Writer? No matter what, I’ll have the next edition of this glorious, grumpy series firmly in my stocking next year.Oh and can we get a spin off about the Bradford Salvage Division 🤣
D. Allan –
Frank Grasby emerges as a hero again!What a great character in a novel full of characters.A must read.
Moya MacLean –
For a start it can only be said that it is very funny. Humour all the way through. But as for the story and the plot I really had no idea what was going on. All a bit gung-ho/living in the past/unrealistic to imagine what they were doing and why and for what. I know it was set in the past but towards the end I had no idea who were the goodies or the baddies. But I read it until the end because as I say, it’s very funny and God knows one needs a laugh in life.