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There's a special affinity between murder mysteries and Christmas.

It's not simply that we like to read these tales of dark deeds while slowing down for the festive period, although that is a factor, of course.

The trappings and traditions of Christmas itself have been put to imaginative use by crime

writers for at least a century. It's always satisfying in a mystery when a familiar setting

is revealed to be the basis of a clever crime, but doubly so when it's a scenario so associated

with wholesome feelings and general goodwill. Detective fiction is a genre built on contrasts,

and there's no greater contrast to be had than turning a day meant to celebrate the selfless best of humanity into a parade of our very worst attributes.

For those lucky enough to be celebrating together, food is generally considered essential to a good Christmas.

The richness, the abundance, the historical recipes, it's all part of the festivities and the nostalgia.

Of course, detective novelists have turned that traditional festive fare to their own purposes,

mixing it deftly into their Christmas murder mysteries.

And so today I thought we'd sit down for our own feast,

and take in all the ways in which food is used as the key ingredient of the Christmas mystery.

Welcome to She Done It. I'm Caroline Crampton.

Thank you. Welcome to She Done It. I'm Caroline Crampton.

Every time Christmas food crops up in a classic mystery story, it will be as part of one of three types of plot mechanism.

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