Christmas Novella
18 total works
New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry's eighteenth enthralling Christmas novella.
When Celia Hooper discovers that her dear friend Clementine is to marry widower Seth Marlowe - a man with a sinister past - she calls upon her husband, Detective John Hooper of the Thames River Police, to help her find out what really happened to Seth's first wife several years ago. Rumour has it that she killed herself and Seth's daughter ran away to live on the streets but no one seems to know the truth.
Then Seth accuses Celia of sending him blackmail letters and it quickly becomes clear that she is not the only one trying to stop him from marrying Clementine. With Christmas fast approaching, lines are blurred, relationships are tested and the past won't stay buried for ever . . .
A Christmas Resolution is an enthralling festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.
A Christmas Message is Anne Perry's 14th novella in her festive series.
Christmas 1900.
Victor Narraway, Thomas Pitt's former boss and his new wife Vespasia are travelling by train from Jaffa to Jerusalem. Although enjoying their time together and the interesting people they meet, Vespasia soon becomes concerned that someone is watching their every move.
When one of their new acquaintances is found murdered, the only clue is a mysterious piece of parchment written in a foreign tongue, and a message imploring Narraway to continue the stranger's quest. Sensing its importance, Narraway and Vespasia decide to fulfil their dead friend's wish.
Continuing to Jerusalem with the parchment in hand, they quickly find themselves embroiled in danger. With Vespasia's fears suddenly realised and a watcher on their trail, will Narraway and Vespasia's fates follow that of their friend or can they make it to the Holy Land unscathed?
A Christmas Message is the tantalising new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.
London, 1868. As the Christmas season begins, Claudine Burroughs feels little joy in its endless social calls and extravagant events. Working at a clinic for desperate women has opened her eyes to a different world.
Then her two worlds collide. A prostitute smuggled into a grandiose Christmas party is found brutally beaten. Poet Dai Tregarron stands accused. But Dai insists he was trying to protect her from the violence of three young men. Claudine believes him, but with society closing ranks against him, how can she prove his innocence without risking everything?
New York, 1904. Jemima Pitt arrives in a city where new American money and old English aristocracy collide. She's here to chaperone her friend, Delphinia, who has crossed the ocean to marry one of New York's richest men, but Jemima discovers a secret that could destroy Phinnie's future.
Drawn into the crisis, Jemima desperately wants to protect her friend. And she must use all her courage and wits to decide whom to trust, and how to thread her way through the snowy streets of this brash new city.
A New York Christmas is the enthralling new festive tale from the master of Victorian mysteries.
A CHRISTMAS RETURN is the 15th novella in the festive series by Anne Perry, the queen of Victorian crime.
As the festive season approaches, Charlotte Pitt's grandmamma, Mariah Ellison, is facing Christmas alone. When she receives an unexpected gift, memories are sparked of a Christmas in Haslemere long ago, when her beloved friend Cullen Wesley died and a local villager was brutally murdered, with no killer brought to justice.
The unsolved case has resurfaced and Cullen's grandson, Peter, begs for Mariah's help to solve the crime that led to his grandfather's death. Mariah can't resist a friend in need and she returns to Haslemere to investigate the murder and heal old wounds. But evil still lurks in the picturesque village and she'll need all her wits about her to see that justice is done.
A Christmas Return is the enthralling new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.
A daring rescue reveals the true meaning of Christmas...
The queen of Victorian crime, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry returns with the 16th novella in her festive crime series.
Christmas is coming and the streets of London are full of festive cheer. As young Worm returns to his home at the Portpool Lane clinic, he encounters the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and, spellbound, he follows her until she is dragged away by two evil-looking men.
Convinced that she is in grave danger, Worm begs Squeaky Robinson to help him track her down. But Elouise is embroiled with dangerous criminals who want information that only she can tell. They will stop at nothing to get what they want and, with Christmas day fast approaching, Worm and Squeaky must conjure up a daring plan to help Elouise before it is too late.
Praise for Anne Perry's Christmas novellas: 'A bite-sized mystery that could be fitted in after your Christmas lunch' Daily Telegraph
December 1890: Eleven days before Christmas, Clarice and her husband, Reverend Dominic Corde, arrive in the idyllic village of Cottisham to watch over the Reverend Wynter's flock, whilst he takes a richly deserved holiday.
With its village green and thatched cottages, Cottisham is a far cry from the bleak London parish they've left behind. But Clarice can't shake the feeling that the welcoming smiles of the locals are hiding dark secrets.
When a shocking discovery confirms her suspicions, Clarice can't resist investigating. Could it be that the Reverend is not all that he seems? Are there black sheep in the fold? One thing is certain: Clarice is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means putting her own life in danger.
A Victorian tale of murder and intrigue taking place on a snowy Christmas in 1897...
During a bitter snowstorm, a mysterious stranger descends on the Netheridges' country home in Whitby, where a group of renowned actors have gathered to prepare a Boxing Day production of Dracula. Amidst an atmosphere of competing theatrical egos and artistic disagreements, the unknown Mr Ballin is brutally murdered.
Determined to uncover the truth, but without help from the police who cannot reach the house through the snow, Caroline Fielding begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding the puzzling affair. Who was the victim? Was his appearance at the house as innocent and as circumstantial as he professed? And which of the guests knows more than they are letting on?
Some people will do anything to keep their secrets safe...
In the sixth of Anne Perry's charming Christmas novellas, A Christmas Grace, a community learns to come to terms with a terrible event from its past. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.
'[A] heart-warming, if crime-tinged, complement to the holiday season' - Booklist
Emily Radley's Christmas plans are shattered when she learns that her aunt is dying. Although estranged from her, Emily decides that she must journey to Susannah's home in Ireland to assist her in her final days. When she reaches Connemara though, it is evident that Susannah has more on her mind than her health.
Then Daniel, the lone survivor of a ship wrecked in a violent storm, seeks refuge in Susannah's house. Determined to understand why the village is not welcoming its new arrival, Emily discovers strange parallels with the unsolved death of another young man, Connor, many years before. Susannah, desperate to find out what happened to Connor before she dies, urges Emily to investigate. And as she does, Emily learns that some people will do anything to keep their secrets safe.
What readers are saying about Anne Perry's Christmas novellas:
'A delightful, gentle read to prepare you for Christmas... What more could a reader want?'
'Christmas would not be Christmas without a Perry novella'
'A great read, good to curl up with by the fire on a snowy day'
1857. After the fire of mutiny has swept through British India, young Lieutenant Victor Narraway arrives at a battered military base at Cawnpore. It is just two weeks before Christmas, but no one is able to celebrate: they have been betrayed. A soldier under arrest for dereliction of duty has killed a guard and escaped to join the rebels, taking crucial information that led to the massacre of nine men on patrol. Someone must have helped him, and medical orderly John Tallis is the only man unaccounted for at the time. He is now on trial for his life, and Narraway is commanded to defend him.
Narraway knows that his is an impossible task. The British Army needs justice to be carried out in full, and there seems no doubt of Tallis's guilt. But Narraway cannot see any motive for his actions. Will an innocent man hang before Christmas?
Set in Italy in 1866, A Christmas Escape is Anne Perry's 13th festive Victorian novella.
December, 1866. Charles Latterly, Hester Monk's brother, travels to Italy to spend Christmas on the volcanic island of Stromboli. In his secluded mountain hotel a curious group of people has gathered, and Charles senses a brittle strain between some of his fellow guests as they visit the crater of the island's famous rumbling volcano.
While the guests prepare for Christmas, the volcano threatens to erupt, and they realise they must leave at once. As they plan their escape, with Charles thrust reluctantly into leading the group to shelter, one of their number is found dead. But if this is murder, there is a killer in their midst, and Charles must navigate a path to safety...
A Christmas Escape is the intriguing and dramatic new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.
New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry's nineteenth heart-warming Christmas novella.
Gracie Tellman is preparing for Christmas with her husband and three young children when Millie Foster calls upon her. As a maid at Harcourt House, Millie is terrified that sinister goings-on, including the disappearance of food from the kitchens, will lead to her unfair dismissal, and she begs Gracie to investigate the situation.
With the promise that she will be back in time for Christmas, Gracie takes Millie's place in the Harcourt household, never imagining the discovery she then makes. For the servants have been keeping a secret and their efforts are about to be rewarded in the most extraordinary way...
A Christmas Legacy is a heart-warming festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.