Superintendent Runcorn—who Anne Perry fans will remember as William Monk's ex-boss—is feeling rather lonely during his holiday on the remote, snowy island of Anglesey, off the north coast of Wales. However, he is suddenly called into action when the sister of the local vicar is discovered murdered and draped over a gravestone in her brother's churchyard. Investigating this tragic crime with the assistance of the beautiful Melisande gives him just the opportunity he needs to spend time with an upper class woman who normally wouldn't give him the time of day. Interweaving the original Christmas story with her own holiday tale, Perry also explores the meaning of Joseph's secondary role compared to that of Mary and Jesus.
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"Listened to audio. Very short, but still interesting murder mystery. Enjoyed Runcorn as a human being; not his usual self as in all the Monk series. Surprise ending! Enjoyed it very much! P.S. I haven't read any of the others of the series. " — Summers (4 out of 5 stars)
"Listened to audio. Very short, but still interesting murder mystery. Enjoyed Runcorn as a human being; not his usual self as in all the Monk series. Surprise ending! Enjoyed it very much! P.S. I haven't read any of the others of the series. "
“Perry manages to keep the seasonal charms of Victorian England and still solve the case. She also builds the plot around the Christmas story of Mary and Joseph in an unexpected and quite lovely way.”
“Mystery author Perry returns to holiday fare and sends rumpled London policeman Runcorn to a lonely Welsh island for Christmas, where he gets pulled into the case of the murder of Olivia Costain, the town vicar’s lively single sister…Runcorn’s modest, unflashy ways carry this moody, understated mystery.”
“This leisurely paced murder features a perceptive look at class differences in Victorian England and an engagingly introspective hero forced to take stock of himself and the safe choices he has made in his life.”
" I like the other books in this series but I found this one dull and hard to get through. "
" A good mystery story involving the death of a lovely young woman and the investigation into her death. I liked how the story was written with the investigation and also an underlying tormented love situation between the visiting investigator and a woman in the village planning to be married to the police officer he has to deal with. I really liked how it ended and liked the main character, Runcorn. "
" I enjoyed it but found it a bit confusing at times. It was written in the third person but from the perspective of the officer investigating a crime. I had trouble following his line of thinking. "
" I was very very disappointed in the ending. "
" The ending triggered in my mind Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. The Mounties "always get their man." "
" Each time it is a more wonderful story! "
" This was a pretty good story-it doesn't seem very "Christmasy" until I got to the very end. It was a very neat and tidy book that moved along quickly and didn't spend much time spreading doubt or intrigue. It almost felt like a "town gossip" spent by the fire with a cup of tea while it snows outside. "
" There was a lot of detail and description then it seemed like the author run out of steam and wrapped it up in five pages or less. "
" We listened to this as we traveled to San Diego on a pre-Christmas vacation. It was really enjoyable and a nice little mystery with a bit of a love story mixed in. The inspector character is someone I want to meet in a novel again. "
" Something about murder and mystery in a Christmas story just doesn't work for me. I only finished this because it was an audio and I was driving a lot this weekend! "
" Another great Christmas story to add to my collection. "
" A good mystery and love story. "
" I like these mini-Christmas mysteries by Anne Perry. They do depend on your knowing the characters from her other books, however. "
" Clearly a book written for fans of an existing series of which I have never read, and given the weakness of plot in this "valentine," now won't bother with. "
" im such a sucker for fluufy moments like the ending of this book! but who doesnt love a happy ending!? "
" Very good, I am catching up on my Anne Perry books, and am now on the next Christmas one, A Christmas Promise. I think I have read this one, but it is good reading it again. She is that good. "
" good decent murder mystery. pleasant read "
" Novella in Perry's Christmas series. Features Inspector Runcorn (side character in the Monk novels) on vacation and solving a murder while falling in love. Haven't read Perry in a while. Enjoyed this. "
" I always like to read books set at Christmastime during December and found six this year-- all short(100-200 pages) mysteries set in Victorian Britain, by Anne Perry. Fun, easy reads for whiling away the cold hours 'til Christmas. "
" Fun read for the very busy Holiday season. "
" Very evocative of a Victorian Christmas "
" This book has almost no character development except for the dead girl. It was way to easy to put down. "
" Another treat. It really gives the author a chance to develope other characters. "
" Runcorn who is Monk's superintendent at Scotland Yard while on vacation stumbles on a woman and solves her murder. Short story. "
" An average mystery with repetitive information. Also, the author said the same thing over and over. "
" Book was okay - don't know if my evaluation was influenced by knowing the history of Anne Perry. Will be interesting to see how 2 senior book groups like the book. Ending seemed a bit quick and predictible. "
" I find myself enjoying these who done its from this author. Like the others, that I have read, it has a christmas time setting but it's not really christmassy. "
" A different feel than the other Christmas books I read this year. All very stiff-upper-lipped. All sentimental Christmas feelings were kept in check. "
Anne Perry (1938-2023) was an English author of historical detective fiction, mysteries, young-adult fantasy, and young-adult fiction, and holiday novels, with several making the New York Times bestsellers list. Her novels were set in Victorian England, the Ottoman empire, and in Europe during WWI and WWI.
Terrence Hardiman has worked extensively in theater. He began at the Old Vic, went on to repertory at Bristol, and then spent five years as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He played the title role in BBC TV’s The Demon Headmaster, while his other television appearances include major parts in Secret Army, Miss Marple, Hannay, and Inspector Morse. Among his film credits are Mask of Murder, Loophole, and Gandhi.
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