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The year is 1904. Twenty-three-year-old Jemima Pitt, the daughter of Thomas Pitt, head of Britain’s Special Branch, is crossing the Atlantic. She is traveling with an acquaintance, Delphinia Cardew, who is to marry the aristocratic Brent Albright in a high-society New York wedding—a grand affair that will join together two fabulously wealthy families, titans of the international financial world.
But Jemima senses a mysterious shadow darkening the occasion. Missing from the festivities is Delphinia’s mother, Maria, who is marked by disgrace. Nearly sixteen years ago, Maria abandoned young Delphinia and disappeared—and now the Albrights refuse to mention her name. But when Harley, the groom’s charismatic brother, asks Jemima to help him search for Maria and forestall the scandal that would surely follow if the prodigal parent turned up at the wedding, she agrees to assist him.
From Hell’s Kitchen to Fifth Avenue, the Lower East Side to Central Park, Jemima trudges through strange, snowy streets, asking questions but getting few answers—and never suspecting that she is walking into mortal danger, from which not even a handsome young police officer named Patrick Flannery may be able to protect her.
Once more, Anne Perry delivers a suspenseful, deeply moving novel that captures the essence of the holiday spirit.
Praise for the Christmas novels of Anne Perry
“Perry’s Victorian-era holiday mysteries . . . are for many an annual treat.”—The Wall Street Journal
A Christmas Hope
“Very much recommended . . . a wonderful story.”—Historical Novel Review
A Christmas Garland
“In Anne Perry’s gifted hands, the puzzle plays out brilliantly.”—Greensboro News & Record
A Christmas Homecoming
“Could have been devised by Agatha Christie . . . [Perry is] a modern master.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Christmas Odyssey
“[Perry] writes with detail that invades the senses.”—Lincoln Journal Star
A Christmas Promise
“Poignant . . . should be on the Christmas stocking list of anyone who likes a sniffle of nostalgia.”—The Washington Times
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
November 4, 2014 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780345548474
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780345548474
- File size: 2215 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from October 15, 2014
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt's 23-year-old daughter, Jemima, stars in Perry's 12th Victorian Christmas mystery (A Christmas Hope). Jemima is chaperoning wealthy Phinnie Cardew from London to New York City, where Phinnie will be marrying Brent Albright, a son of her father's business partner. The Albrights are wealthy, powerful, and very concerned about society's opinion. When Brent's older brother, Harley, suspects that Phinnie's disreputable mother, Marie, may be in New York and planning on making an unpleasant surprise appearance at the wedding, he enlists Jemima to persuade Marie not to attend. Instead, Jemima finds a dead woman stabbed in her bed, and the circumstances lead policeman Patrick Flannery to arrest her. As soon as Jemima is out on bail, she starts investigating and trying to prove her innocence, encountering many secrets and unexpected allies while she searches for the killer. VERDICT Perry writes a thoroughly enjoyable mystery set against the wonderful historical backdrop of 1904 New York City at Christmastime.
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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