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A young girl is searching for the truth behind her uncle’s death. Can she solve the mystery before the Christmas bells toll?

Set in the Victorian world where Anne Perry reigns supreme, A Christmas Promise culminates in a radiant finale that will remain with you long after the final page is turned. Perfect for fans of C. J Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘[Perry] writes with detail that invades the senses’ – Lincoln Journal Star

Three days before Christmas, in the freezing slums of London’s East End, thirteen-year-old Gracie Phipps encounters Minnie Maude Mudway, who is only eight, alone, and determined to find her friend Charlie. However Charlie is no ordinary companion: He is a donkey who belonged to Minnie Maude’s Uncle Alf. Gracie is shocked to learn that only the day before, someone brutally murdered Uncle Alf and made off with his rag-and-bones cart and the beloved beast who pulled it. Now, come hell or high water, Minnie Maude means to rescue Charlie-and Gracie decides to help. But the path that Uncle Alf had taken to his death was not his regular route, and in his cart were not just the usual bits of worn silver and china but also, the children are told, a dazzling golden box. What its contents may have been no one can say, for, like Charlie and the cart, it too has vanished.

Uncertain where their four-legged friend may be, the children are drawn into an adult world far beyond their innocent imaginings. And in a shop gleaming with beautiful objects, they recruit an unexpected ally: Mr. Balthasar, who warns them that the shining prize may be just a Pandora’s box of evil…

What readers are saying about A Christmas Promise:

‘You feel you are there in Victorian England with all the smells, sights and sounds that accompany the story-telling’

‘Very atmospheric, entertaining, well written and just that bit different‘

‘Five stars‘

The fifth, and final, book in Anne Perry’s powerful series of novels set during World War One.
The war is coming to a close. Joseph Reavley’s regiment has suffered huge losses but all live in hope that peace will soon be upon them, when a further, brutal tragedy strikes the Front. Sarah Price, a young nurse, is savagely murdered and Joseph vows to find the person responsible.
Matthew, Joseph’s brother, is already at the Front to meet a prisoner who claims to be able to identify the shadowy Peacemaker, when he becomes implicated in the nurse’s death. If Matthew is to bring the prisoner to the office of the Prime Minister, he must work with Joseph to ensure that Sarah Price’s killer is found. If Matthew is able to put a stop to the Peacemaker’s schemes, there will be a chance for lasting peace; if he fails, then freedom and liberty could be all but a distant memory for future generations…

In April 1915 Joseph Reavley is serving as chaplain on the Front Line at Ypres. The war that should have been ‘over by Christmas’ has already decimated the British Expeditionary Force. To Joseph’s sector comes an ambitious young war correspondent determined to expose the horrors of trench life. But before he can dispatch his piece, he is found dead in no-man’s-land. Still seeking the man behind his parents’ murder, and to protect his sister Judith from the pain of an impossible romance, Joseph must find the truth. His search takes him to London and the beaches of Gallipoli, and at last to face a desperate moral judgement which challenges every belief he holds.

Tathea, once Queen of Shinabar, has waited five hundred years for the birth of Sadokhar, who will create a golden age before facing the terrifying final battle – of the spirit and the body – with conviction and courage. Extraordinary and compelling, this apocalyptic epic fantasy is both breathtaking and profound.

You need a very long spoon indeed to dine with the devil. Early one morning, two bombs explode in an East London street. Forewarned of the attack, Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch, arrives in time to chase the bombers to a tenement in Long Spoon Lane. There, two men are arrested and one shot dead – but who and where and is the killer?
As Pitt investigates, he uncovers truths more disturbing than the acts of a few misguided idealists. There’s a web of corruption within the police force, and all the clues point to Inspector Wetron of Bow Street as its mastermind. But as head of the sinister Inner Circle, Wetron has powerful allies in every sphere.

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?

As Rathbone sets forth on an odyssey into London’s dark streets, the outcome of his mission he cannot begin to guess…

Anne Perry writes a festive story of hope and redemption emerging from the depths of Victorian society in the seasonal novella A Christmas Odyssey. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Ann Granger.

‘A bite-sized mystery that could be fitted in after your Christmas lunch’ – Daily Telegraph

1864, and on a bitter December night in Victorian London, one man longs for a Christmas miracle. The city is preparing for the holidays yet James Wentworth is unable to focus on anything other than the disappearance of his wayward son, Lucien. In desperation, he turns to his old friend Sir Henry Rathbone for help.

Rathbone finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow, and as the group’s investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of the capital, they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek.
But as they get nearer to their quarry, tales also begin to emerge of Lucien’s violent tendencies, his consuming obsession with a dangerous young woman and the disturbing Shadow Man. Can they bring Lucien home alive and, if so, will it be a grave mistake for all concerned?

What readers are saying about A Christmas Odyssey:

‘The book is pacey and full of atmosphere and tension‘

‘An enjoyable romp through the underworld’

‘Five stars‘

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

Westminster is struck by a deadly killer…

In Anne Perry’s tenth Victorian mystery featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, a murderer strikes at Members of Parliament crossing Westminster Bridge. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘[Anne] Perry once again demonstrates her true and lively passion… Her finely drawn characters couldn’t be more comfortable within the customs and sensibility of their historical period’ – New York Times Book Review

In the few minutes it takes to cross Westminster Bridge, Sir Lockwood Hamilton has his throat slit and is tied to a lamppost with his evening scarf. The killer vanishes without being seen. Inspector Thomas Pitt thinks the motive might have been personal… or political. When a second Member of Parliament is murdered in the same way, politics seems certain to be the reason. Soon the suspect list includes anarchists and suffragettes. Public outrage mounts and fear grips London and Parliament after a third lamppost murder. Deep in his own investigation, Pitt must rely on his wife, Charlotte, and Great-aunt Vespasia to explore the drawing rooms of the upper class for clues to the mystery. With burning social issues swirling around them, the three of them must solve the case before another MP falls victim to the Westminster cutthroat.

What readers are saying about Bethlehem Road:

‘These are a great set of books. Pitt is a really likeable hero‘

‘I could not put it down. One of her best works’

‘Gripping read‘

A secret so shocking it will lead to murder including, quite possibly, Pitt’s own…

In Anne Perry’s ninth crime novel featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, an unsolved murder will take the acclaimed Victorian policeman into the gravest danger. Perfect for fans of C. J. Samson and Ann Granger.

‘Descriptions of London’s Upstairs/Downstairs society [are] historically illuminating’ – St. Petersburg Times

When Thomas Pitt is required to reopen a murder case in Hanover Close, he doesn’t know how perilous it will become. Three years earlier Robert York, who worked for the Foreign Office, was murdered. Pitt believes a mysterious woman may hold the key to his death, and his suspicion deepens when one of the York household’s maids dies suddenly – soon after talking to him. Then Pitt himself is arrested for the murder of the woman he’d been seeking. Only Charlotte and her sister Emily can stand between Pitt and the gallows.
Charlotte and Emily find a way to delve deep into the confidences of the York family and their household, but with Pitt in prison and a murderer among the inhabitants of Hanover Close, they are playing a deadly game…

What readers are saying about Silence in Hanover Close:

‘Excellent read… you will struggle to put it down‘

‘Another excellent book in the Thomas Pitt series; easy to read and well researched into the social life of Victorian era’

‘Five stars‘

With only Inspector Pitt believing in the accused’s innocence, can he hope to uncover the truth in time?

In Anne Perry’s eighth Victorian mystery, featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt, Charlotte Pitt’s sister is charged with murder. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘Perry gets the Victorian mood just right… Settle in with this one on a rainy day’ – Booklist

As Inspector Thomas Pitt works to resolve the case of a dismembered woman, his brother-in-law, George March, Lord Ashworth, is poisoned. The police’s main suspect: Charlotte’s sister, Emily. Convinced of her innocence, Charlotte and Pitt take on the March clan with the help of her formidable Great-aunt Vespasia, attempting to break through their wall of deceit and silence. When Emily finds Sybilla March, George’s suspected mistress, strangled by her hair, the case would seem hopeless for anyone but the Pitts. Their pursuit of the truth takes them down a path of corruption, depravity, and murder, from the elegant townhouses lining fashionable Cardington Crescent to the horrifying slums of London.

What readers are saying about Cardington Crescent:

‘This has been the best read of the Thomas Pitt series. Didn’t want to put the book down‘

‘A wonderful read, kept me guessing who the murderer was right up until the end!’

‘A fascinating plot and a good portrayal of the Victorian era’

From the slums of Devil’s Acre, to the elegant drawing rooms of Callander Square, there is always something to investigate…

In Death in the Devil’s Acre, Anne Perry’s seventh mystery featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, the Devil himself seems to be at work in the dark slums of Victorian London. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘Rich in plot development, believable characters and period detail, this entry will only add to the already sizable ranks of Perry’s admirers’ – Publishers Weekly

A serial killer is loose in Devil’s Acre. The murders are brutal, but it is the killer’s grizzly signature that shocks even Inspector Thomas Pitt, no stranger to death and violent crime. The victims are stabbed and sexually mutilated. When Pitt recognises one of the dead as a blackmailing footman from a case on Callander Square, his investigation takes him from the slum brothels to the high reaches of Victorian society and into a world where upper-class women descend to depravity to relieve their boredom.

Despite Pitt’s warnings, his wife Charlotte is determined to pursue her own investigation in the elegant drawing rooms of Callander Square. As Pitt and Charlotte approach the same dangerous conclusion from differing paths, no one is spared – not even Pitt.

What readers are saying about Death in the Devil’s Acre:

‘Anne Perry scans the width and depths of Victoria society with skill and efficiency, bringing her characters to life so vividly‘

‘As always, Anne Perry excels‘

‘Five stars‘

A tidy solution to a murder makes Inspector Pitt uneasy – is there more to this case than meets the eye?

In the sixth acclaimed mystery from Anne Perry, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt must discover the truth of a young gentleman’s sordid murder – or an innocent man will hang. Perfect for fans of C. J. Samson and Ann Granger.

‘The period detail remains fascinating, and [Perry’s] grasp of Victorian character and conscience still astonishes’ – Cleveland Plain Dealer

The naked body of an aristocratic youth turns up in the sewers beneath Bluegate Fields, one of London’s most notorious slums. But Arthur Waybourne had been drowned in his bath, not in the Thames. More shocking still is the discovery that the boy had been violated and infected with syphilis before his murder. Despite Inspector Thomas Pitt’s efforts to investigate the crime, the family closes ranks, leaving him to wonder what they are hiding.

All evidence points to Arthur’s tutor, Jerome, as the murderer, but Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, don’t believe the answer is so simple. But if not Jerome, then who? To learn the truth, Charlotte uses her familiarity with the upper classes to draw aside the curtain of lies, while Pitt defies his superior and the boy’s family to follow a trail that leads him into the foulest streets of London through a web of deceit. In a race against time, Thomas and Charlotte must find the real killer to save Jerome from the hangman’s noose.

What readers are saying about Bluegate Fields:

‘A thought-provoking whodunit’

‘Yet again Anne Perry keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last. Her knowledge of Victorian London is remarkable‘

‘Another winner for Anne Perry – five stars‘

Will the dangerous persistence of Charlotte and the quiet patience of Inspector Thomas Pitt make it possible to solve this most macabre and chilling mystery?

Anne Perry’s Rutland Place is the fifth novel featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, which sees the duo uncovering the darkest and most desperate secrets hidden in fashionable Rutland Place. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘When Anne Perry puts Thomas and Charlotte Pitt on the case, we are in exemplary Victorian company’ – New York Times

Charlotte Pitt’s mother has lost a locket holding a comprising picture. Arriving at her mother’s home at Rutland Place to help her search, Charlotte discovers that other residents of the exclusive neighbourhood have suffered similar unexplained small thefts. Then Mina Spencer-Brown, a woman known for prying, dies from poisoning. It seems likely that Mina’s snooping had led to her murder, but what secrets had she stumbled upon? And whose?

As Thomas Pitt patiently struggles to break down the protective silence of London’s high society, Charlotte works behind its closed doors to help unravel a mystery revealing sordid secrets and the chilling, dark corners of human behaviour.

What readers are saying about Rutland Place:

‘Once started, impossible to put the book down‘

‘Brilliant as usual’

‘Another excellent murder mystery – five stars‘

The doctors insist that Lord Augustus’ death was natural. But as far as the police are concerned, there’s certainly nothing natural about what happens next…

In the fourth Victorian mystery featuring Inspector Thomas Pitt, the detective is faced with a frightening case of bodies that won’t stay buried. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘Perry has a wonderful feel for period and remains utterly convincing’ – Guardian

Lord Fitzroy-Hammond of Resurrection Row has been dead and buried three weeks when he turns up sitting atop a hansom cab. Grave robbing, though a crime, isn’t Inspector Thomas Pitt’s usual work. But when the macabre joke is repeated, and the man’s corpse is found sitting in the family pew following his second burial, and other disinterred bodies appear, Pitt begins to wonder if a message is being sent.

A new mother, Charlotte Pitt only takes a cursory interest in the case until she hears Thomas mention her late sister’s husband as a possible suspect. As Pitt follows leads into the slums and rookeries, she too is drawn into the politics and horrors of greed and exploitation. For Pitt and Charlotte, what begins as a bizarre mystery becomes a deadly pursuit through the London underworld of pornographic photographers, brothels, and sweatshops.

What readers are saying about Resurrection Row:

‘A wonderfully gruesome novel from Anne Perry… Her research into the murky world of [grave digging] cannot be faulted‘

‘This one has a particularly ingenious plot and I was delighted to see that the interesting and mildly eccentric Aunt Vespasia was back again’

‘Another thrilling read from Anne Perry’

In the posh London street of Paragon Walk, an unspeakable crime is committed…

In New York Times bestseller Anne Perry’s third mystery featuring Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, something deadly lurks in the stifling shadows of Victorian London. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Ann Granger.

‘When it comes to the Victorian mystery, Anne Perry has proved that nobody does it better’ – San Diego Union-Tribune

When young Fanny Nash dies in the arms of her sister-in-law, Jessamyn, Inspector Pitt is assigned to investigate her rape and murder. Every man of Paragon Walk is under suspicion, even Pitt’s brother-in-law, Lord George Ashworth, who was the last to have seen her. Could the charming, enigmatic Frenchman be a killer? Fanny’s cruel brother? Or wealthy Dilbridge, who hosts wild, decadent parties?

As Pitt digs deeper, Paragon Walk’s aristocratic haughtiness gives way to fear, its calm to hatred. Keeping her sister Emily company in this difficult time, inquisitive Charlotte finds herself in the midst of the deadly mystery. In the drawing rooms of her sister’s neighbours, she uncovers unsavoury intrigues and bitter rivalries that may prove fatal…

What readers are saying about Paragon Walk:

‘Anne Perry really gets into the era with these novels, includes something for everyone, murder, romance and history‘

‘A cracking read‘

‘One of Anne Perry’s best‘

Are the upper-class residents of Callander Square as innocent as they claim?

In New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s second Victorian Inspector Pitt mystery, Thomas and Charlotte Pitt find that everyone in Callander Square has something to hide – but someone will kill to keep a secret. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘Murder fans who prefer their crimes with a touch of class should heat some scones and nestle back for the afternoon’ – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

When the bodies of two infants are dug up in the Callander Square gardens, the upper-class residents resent the intrusion of Inspector Thomas Pitt into their well-ordered lives. They dismiss it as the desperate act of some low-born girl, but Pitt is not convinced that the case should be so easily dropped.

Also intrigued by the mystery, and able to move in the places to which Thomas would never gain access, Charlotte probes into the lives and secrets of the residents – secrets that could lead even the most upright aristocrat to kill. But will the Pitts solve the mystery in time to save the innocent residents of Callander Square from the murderer among them?

What readers are saying about Callander Square:

‘Perry blends period detail, detection, and rot-beneath-the-genteel-surface social commentary with great skill‘

‘This is one of those rare books that you have to read in one go‘

‘Loved this story from beginning to end‘

A deadly killer stalks the streets of Victorian London…

The Cater Street Hangman is the opening novel in Anne Perry’s bestselling Victorian crime series, introducing us to her acclaimed characters Inspector Thomas Pitt and Charlotte Ellison. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘Give her a good murder and a shameful social evil, and Anne Perry can write a Victorian mystery that would make Dickens’ eyes pop out’ – New York Times Book Review

A killer is strangling young women in Cater Street, leaving their swollen-faced bodies in the dark shadows of this genteel neighbourhood. When the Ellison family’s maid becomes the murderer’s third victim, young Inspector Thomas Pitt is assigned to the case. He must break through the walls of upper-class society to get at the truth, and his investigation gradually peels away its veneer, exposing secrets and desires until suspicion becomes more frightening than truth.

Outspoken Charlotte Ellison, struggling to remain within the confining expectations of Victorian manners, has no trouble expressing herself to the irritating policeman. As their relationship shifts from antagonism to something more complicated, Thomas and Charlotte must work together to solve the mystery before the Cater Street hangman strikes again.

What readers are saying about The Cater Street Hangman:

‘I love reading Anne Perry – her description of Victorian life conjures up lifelike images and you really feel you are there‘

‘Engrossing murder mystery‘

‘You have a treat ahead of you as the rich characters expand and evolve’

1896. Newly promoted to Head of Special Branch, Thomas Pitt is forced to face the danger his new position brings when he uncovers the work of a traitor in his department. Not knowing who to trust, he must unmask the conspirator, whilst simultaneously protecting a suspected target, Austrian state visitor Duke Alois.

Meanwhile, Victor Narraway is investigating the mysterious death of Serafina Monserrat. Once the holder of many sensitive, political secrets, Serafina had suffered from dementia in her later years and Narraway is unsure whether what he has uncovered in his search for answers is the confused ramblings of an old woman, or a catastrophic plot which could trigger a war the likes of which the world has never seen before.

As the two investigations come ever closer it is clear that bluff and double-bluff are at play. When Pitt finally comes face to face with the suspected traitor will he, knowing the fate of the world is at stake, find the strength to stop the man by any means necessary?

Her husband and beloved son assassinated, Tathea, once Queen of Shinabar, is alone and in exile. Numbed by grief, she takes refuge in the Lost Lands, where she tries desperately to find meaning in a life that has robbed her of her family, her home and her country. But in her quest for the truth, which takes her far beyond the physical world she knows, she discovers that it does not come without cost – terrible cost.

A brilliant standalone novel from Anne Perry, the undisputed master of the Victorian mystery.

1273 – the gorgeous, cosmopolitan and enlightened city of Byzantium is in acute danger. Only an alliance with the Church of Rome will stop the crusading fervour of the Italian and French troops on its borders, determined to strike through Byzantium to reach Jerusalem. Faced with the prospect of surrendering its gentile Orthodox theology to Roman Catholicism, the city is in turmoil as opposing factions seek to assert their authority.
For Anna, the brutal conflict only echoes her own life. Recently arrived in Byzantium to find out why her brother has been exiled for a murder she believes he did not commit, Anna is forced to pose as a eunuch so that she can move freely in all levels of society. As she does so she finds herself in the middle of intrigues that may not only free, or condemn, her brother, but will also determime the fate of Byzantium itself.

Enjoy two of Anne Perry’s enchanting Christmas novellas, combining thrilling intrigue with tales of hope and redemption in Victorian England, in one special edition.

A Christmas Grace:

Featuring Thomas Pitt’s sister-in-law Emily, is a tale full of secrecy, hope and acceptance. Emily’s Christmas plans are shattered when she learns that her aunt is dying. Although estranged from her, Emily feels she must journey from London to Susannah’s home in Ireland. When she reaches Connemara though, it is evident that Susannah has more on her mind than her health. Then 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 Daniel, 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.

A Christmas Odyssey:

Henry Rathbone promises to help an old friend in a festive story of courage and redemption. On a bitter December night in 1864, one man longs for a Christmas miracle. The city is preparing for the holidays yet James Wentworth is unable to focus on anything other than the disappearance of his wayward son, Lucien. In desperation, he turns to Henry Rathbone, who finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow. As the group’s investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of London they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek. But tales also emerge of Lucien’s violent tendencies, his consuming obsession with a dangerous young woman and the disturbing Shadow Man. Can they bring Lucien home alive and if so, will it be a grave mistake for all concerned?

A double festive treat for Christmas, bringing together two of Anne Perry’s spellbinding seasonal novellas in one special edition.

A Christmas Journey:

A tranquil weekend party in early December at a magnificent country house is shattered by a suspicious death. Taking a leading role in the ensuing investigation is one of the most beloved characters from Anne Perry’s Thomas Pitt series: Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould. When Gwendolen Kilmuir’s body is found in the lake in the gardens of the estate, it appears she jumped from the bridge. The host, Omegus Jones and Vespasia decide to find who or what might have led Gwendolen to resort to such an extreme measure. They vow to make the guilty party seek forgiveness and expiation through the task of taking a sealed letter written by Gwendolen before her death to her mother up in the north of Scotland. The journey will be both physically and emotionally arduous but will bring answers to some unexpected and profound questions.

A Christmas Visitor:

Henry Rathbone, one of the engaging characters from Anne Perry’s William Monk series, arrives to spend Christmas at a family manor house near Ullswater, but his host, Judah Dreghorn, has slipped while crossing a stream in the grounds of the estate and drowned. Not only this, but Ashton Gower, recently released from prison, is slandering Judah’s name, claiming that his family rightfully owns the estate and that the forged deeds for which he was jailed were in fact genuine. Rathbone and the two remaining Dreghorn brothers, also returning to the Lakes for Christmas, must discover the truth behind Judah’s death and Gower’s outrageous claims.

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.