Summary: A Christmas Gathering (Christmas Stories #17) by Anne Perry

A cold case adds an extra chill to the holiday season as bestselling author Anne Perry whisks readers to an elegant home in the English countryside for a Christmas of secrets, soul-searching, and forgiveness.

As beautiful as it may be, their friends’ country house is not where Lady Vespasia wishes to spend Christmas with her new husband, Victor Narraway. She’d have preferred a relaxing holiday at home with him—especially as Victor, former head of the London Special Branch, seems to be hiding undercover dealings with the other guests who have gathered at the spacious estate.

As tensions grow, the young and beautiful Iris Watson-Watt becomes the center of several men’s focus. Unbeknownst to Vespasia, Iris carries a sensitive package that she must pass to Victor in the hope of unmasking a British traitor. While Victor plots his moves, he is reminded of a similar case from twenty years before, when a young Frenchwoman also carried a clandestine message—one that resulted in her murder, unsolved to this day. Victor has always been tormented by his failure to protect her, and now, with all eyes on Iris, Victor must act fast before history repeats itself.

With the joy of Christmas at risk of being forgotten and Vespasia feeling alone with a distracted husband, Victor must ultimately learn to forgive himself in order to save both his country and the spirit of the holiday.

Book Review: A Christmas Gathering (Christmas Stories #17) by Anne Perry

A quick and easy read which is perfect when you want to take a break from your Christmas preparations.

Lady Vespasia and Victor Narraway are invited to spend Christmas at a beautiful country estate in Kent. What seems on the outside to be a pleasant holiday with Vespasia’s society acquaintances ends up being a rather less pleasant affair. There is a secret backdrop to the house party which pans out in a in a rather sinister and dangerous way with Victor and Vespasia in the centre of the whole ordeal.

Main characters Lady Vespasia’s and Victor Narraway’s relationship is vividly described, taking ample time to describe the fact that they are newlyweds. I feel Vespasia’s experience helping with solving previous murder cases shines through in the confident way she deals with events throughout the story.

When choosing to read Anne Perry’s work, I am not expecting the plot to be simple, sweet and uncomplicated. On the contrary, I expect twists and turns throughout, and that is exactly what I got in this story. Must say I would have enjoyed a little bit more Christmas feel, especially in the beginning, but no major issue. It is after all a crime story, which has the murder in the center of it.

A Christmas Gathering is highly recommend for readers of Anne Perry’s other works and for fans of historical crime fiction in general.

My rating: 4,5 stars /5

(All opinions in this review are my own)

About The Author

Anne Perry is the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels, including Dark Assassin and The Shifting Tide, and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels, including The Cater Street Hangman, Calandar Square, Buckingham Palace Gardens and Long Spoon Lane. She is also the author of the World War I novels No Graves As Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, and We Shall Not Sleep, as well as six holiday novels, most recently A Christmas Grace. Anne Perry lives in Scotland. (From Amazon)
To learn more about the author, visit www.anneperry.co.uk