Helpful Score: 2
Several years ago when I read very little crime fiction, I did indulge in both of Anne Perry's historical mystery series featuring William Monk and Charlotte Pitt. After a gap this long, I was interested in sampling one of her Christmas mysteries, so I was happy to receive a copy of A Christmas Hope through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.
It goes without saying that Perry is completely at home in the Victorian world, and the strongest part of this book is watching Claudine strive to solve a murder when her life is so strictly circumscribed and she is surrounded by disapproving acquaintances and a hateful husband. To me, the miracle of A Christmas Hope isn't that a man's life can be saved, but that Claudine's level-headedness and altruism haven't been totally destroyed over the years. That, in itself, is a triumph.
This latest Christmas mystery is a must for Anne Perry fans, and those who are unfamiliar with her books will be rewarded with a good, solid historical mystery.
It goes without saying that Perry is completely at home in the Victorian world, and the strongest part of this book is watching Claudine strive to solve a murder when her life is so strictly circumscribed and she is surrounded by disapproving acquaintances and a hateful husband. To me, the miracle of A Christmas Hope isn't that a man's life can be saved, but that Claudine's level-headedness and altruism haven't been totally destroyed over the years. That, in itself, is a triumph.
This latest Christmas mystery is a must for Anne Perry fans, and those who are unfamiliar with her books will be rewarded with a good, solid historical mystery.
