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serendipity_viv's review
4.0
I had imagined Anne Perry to be from the Catherine Cookson brigade, who I avoid like jellied eels. Alas I admit to be so wrong. Anne Perry writes a brilliant Victorian crime novella in the style of Agatha Christie. I really enjoyed reading this book and watching as the main character followed the clues to work out who committed the crime.
Mariah Ellison has been forced to spend Christmas with ex daughter in law and new husband, whilst her granddaughter goes to France for Christmas. She is not at all happy about the situation and makes herself the most inhospitable guest that she can be. Until another unexpected guest is forced upon the couple which changes everything. Mariah dislikes her straight away and only really begins to see what a wonderful person she was after she is found dead the following morning. Mariah is convinced that she was given some kind of poison and sets off to the house of her relatives who rejected her at Christmas to tell them the sad news and secretly find out who killed her.
Anne Perry draws upon the hidden lives of many Victorians as they try to keep their secrets away from scrutiny. Mariah herself suffered intensely during her marriage, but has never let anyone know the truth. It was not the way to create a scandal. Whilst searching for the killer and helping the family come to terms with their loss, she finds a way of coming to terms with her own past and finds herself mellowing with time.
From what I can gather Anne Perry uses a lot of the same characters in her other books. Mariah is the grandmother to Charlotte from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries which I might just have to investigate. Mariah comes across as a stuffy, prudish old boor to begin with but by the end she has blossomed through my rose tinted glasses into a rather lovable and cuddly grandmother.
It was a lovely Christmas read, especially being able to view how the Victorians seem to wholeheartedly throw themselves into the Christmas preparations. Perry has done a remarkable job of bringing the Victorian traditions to life. I will definitely be including another one of Anne Perry's Victorian Christmas novellas in my reading pile next December.
Mariah Ellison has been forced to spend Christmas with ex daughter in law and new husband, whilst her granddaughter goes to France for Christmas. She is not at all happy about the situation and makes herself the most inhospitable guest that she can be. Until another unexpected guest is forced upon the couple which changes everything. Mariah dislikes her straight away and only really begins to see what a wonderful person she was after she is found dead the following morning. Mariah is convinced that she was given some kind of poison and sets off to the house of her relatives who rejected her at Christmas to tell them the sad news and secretly find out who killed her.
Anne Perry draws upon the hidden lives of many Victorians as they try to keep their secrets away from scrutiny. Mariah herself suffered intensely during her marriage, but has never let anyone know the truth. It was not the way to create a scandal. Whilst searching for the killer and helping the family come to terms with their loss, she finds a way of coming to terms with her own past and finds herself mellowing with time.
From what I can gather Anne Perry uses a lot of the same characters in her other books. Mariah is the grandmother to Charlotte from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mysteries which I might just have to investigate. Mariah comes across as a stuffy, prudish old boor to begin with but by the end she has blossomed through my rose tinted glasses into a rather lovable and cuddly grandmother.
It was a lovely Christmas read, especially being able to view how the Victorians seem to wholeheartedly throw themselves into the Christmas preparations. Perry has done a remarkable job of bringing the Victorian traditions to life. I will definitely be including another one of Anne Perry's Victorian Christmas novellas in my reading pile next December.
leah_gravel's review against another edition
2.0
Ce roman court se lit d'une traite mais cela vient surtout de sa taille plutôt que de son intrigue. En effet, celle-ci ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard. C'est bien loin des enquêtes de Charlotte et Thomas Pitt qui sont si riches en détails.
La détective de Noël est un roman qui se lit très bien entre deux romans plus importants pour faire une pause et lire quelque chose de plus léger.
Point positif : les descriptions des préparatifs de Noël qui apportent une certaine magie à l'histoire.
Points négatifs : l'intrigue qui va bien trop vite et les répétitions.
Pour conclure, faites comme moi, lisez-ce roman lors d'un de voyage en train. C'est un roman de gare sympathique ;)
La détective de Noël est un roman qui se lit très bien entre deux romans plus importants pour faire une pause et lire quelque chose de plus léger.
Point positif : les descriptions des préparatifs de Noël qui apportent une certaine magie à l'histoire.
Points négatifs : l'intrigue qui va bien trop vite et les répétitions.
Pour conclure, faites comme moi, lisez-ce roman lors d'un de voyage en train. C'est un roman de gare sympathique ;)
stefhyena's review
3.0
Predictable, emotionally a bit heavy-handed, the historical setting is superficial but this is a mostly harmless book. I liked Mariah better before she became "nice" the waspishness could have been retained. From the way they went on about Maude I thought she was a lesbian or something but sadly she was only crossed in love.
Some internalised misogyny but easy enough to read around.
Some internalised misogyny but easy enough to read around.
summermsmith's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this. It makes me interested to read others by Anne Perry.
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