|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
Praise for the Christmas novels of Anne Perry
A Christmas Promise
“Poignant . . . should be on the Christmas stocking list of anyone who likes a sniffle of nostalgia.”—The Washington Times
A Christmas Grace
“[A] heartwarming, if crime-tinged, complement to the holiday season.”—Booklist
A Christmas Beginning
“Intriguing . . . Perry’s use of period detail is, as always, strong and evocative.”—The Seattle Times
A Christmas Secret
“A delightful little book . . . Perry’s gift is that she can evoke a sense of place and time while still producing the thrills and chills expected of a modern-day mystery writer.”—The Orlando Sentinel
A Christmas Guest
“[A] satisfying tale.”—The Wall Street Journal
A Christmas Promise
“Poignant . . . should be on the Christmas stocking list of anyone who likes a sniffle of nostalgia.”—The Washington Times
A Christmas Grace
“[A] heartwarming, if crime-tinged, complement to the holiday season.”—Booklist
A Christmas Beginning
“Intriguing . . . Perry’s use of period detail is, as always, strong and evocative.”—The Seattle Times
A Christmas Secret
“A delightful little book . . . Perry’s gift is that she can evoke a sense of place and time while still producing the thrills and chills expected of a modern-day mystery writer.”—The Orlando Sentinel
A Christmas Guest
“[A] satisfying tale.”—The Wall Street Journal
Product Description
In her beloved Christmas novels, Anne Perry brings readers both the authentic Victorian charm and the nail-biting suspense that have made her Thomas Pitt and William Monk tales bestsellers for a generation. Though rife with intrigue, these special seasonal stories beam with the blessed light of the holiday.
Ten days before Christmas, as an icy wind cuts through London, wealthy James Wentworth feels not joy but grief. His reckless son, Lucien, has been lured into a deadly world of drugs and wild passion. Wentworth’s only hope, he believes, is his old friend Henry Rathbone, who volunteers to search for the prodigal son. Rathbone knows nothing of the sensation-obsessed underworld where Lucien now dwells, but he acquires two unexpected new companions who do: Squeaky Robinson, a reformed brothel-keeper who now works in Hester Monk’s medical clinic, and Crow, a mysterious slum doctor who turns no one away, however undeserving.
Slowly this odd trio gathers clues—about Lucien’s mad infatuation with a beautiful woman named Sadie, and about Shadwell, the ruthless man who owns her and, like the Devil, never lets go of one of his own. Rathbone, Squeaky, and Crow even welcome into their little band a most valuable recruit: young Bessie, a teenager whose courage holds fast even in the depths of the slum. And so they set forth on their odyssey into London’s dark streets, on a mission whose outcome they cannot begin to guess.
Anne Perry’s novels are supreme masterpieces of suspense, and A Christmas Odyssey ranks with the very best. The days leading up to Christmas may prove to be fraught with challenges, but ’tis the season for comfort and joy and miracles.
Ten days before Christmas, as an icy wind cuts through London, wealthy James Wentworth feels not joy but grief. His reckless son, Lucien, has been lured into a deadly world of drugs and wild passion. Wentworth’s only hope, he believes, is his old friend Henry Rathbone, who volunteers to search for the prodigal son. Rathbone knows nothing of the sensation-obsessed underworld where Lucien now dwells, but he acquires two unexpected new companions who do: Squeaky Robinson, a reformed brothel-keeper who now works in Hester Monk’s medical clinic, and Crow, a mysterious slum doctor who turns no one away, however undeserving.
Slowly this odd trio gathers clues—about Lucien’s mad infatuation with a beautiful woman named Sadie, and about Shadwell, the ruthless man who owns her and, like the Devil, never lets go of one of his own. Rathbone, Squeaky, and Crow even welcome into their little band a most valuable recruit: young Bessie, a teenager whose courage holds fast even in the depths of the slum. And so they set forth on their odyssey into London’s dark streets, on a mission whose outcome they cannot begin to guess.
Anne Perry’s novels are supreme masterpieces of suspense, and A Christmas Odyssey ranks with the very best. The days leading up to Christmas may prove to be fraught with challenges, but ’tis the season for comfort and joy and miracles.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A dark, well-written Christmas novella,
By
This review is from: A Christmas Odyssey: A Novel (Hardcover)
First Sentence: Henry Rathbone leaned a little farther forward in his armchair and regarded his visitor gravely.Henry Rathbone is asked by a good friend to find his son, Lucian. Lucian has been lost in the world of gambling, drugs and dangerous sex. Although Henry gives his word to find Lucian, this is a world about which Henry has no knowledge. With the help of Squeaky Robinson, former brother-keeper; Crow, an unlicensed doctor who works in the slums, and Bessie, a brave teen who lives on the edges of that dark world, the four set out to fulfill Henry's promise. Anne Perry's Christmas novellas are my annual gift to myself. They allow me to re-visit Victorian England, as she so accurately displays it, visit the secondary characters in her Monk and Pitt series and read a book with a subtle Christmas message that doesn't preach or push. While this year's book may not have ended up being my favorite so far, as it is very dark, it once again demonstrates just what a fine writer is Perry. Perry creates characters about whom you really care and she creates them from all walks of life. She truly demonstrates that it's not one's social or economic status that defines them, but what kind of person they are and the philosophies that define them. Henry talks about friendship and Perry quantifies it in a way we each can understand. She talks, though her characters, about the ingratitude of those who have, and how relevant is that to today, and shares her observations on homeliness, again without preaching. This is not at all a sweet, light Christmas story. Perry takes us from the home of wealth to places no one should ever have to go amongst people no one would ever want to meet. Parts are dark, gritty and vile. This is a tale of facing the devil and making a decision, of holding to your promises. There is redemption but there is also a question left open at the end. It is classic Perry and it is worth reading. A CHRISTMAS ODYSSEY (Hist Mys-Henry Rathbone/Squeaky Robinson-England-1865) ' Good Perry, Anne ' 8th in series Ballantine Books, ©2010, US Hardcover ' ISBN: 9780345518583
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
2.9 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews) 28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Hell is everybody's world, at one time or another.",
By Luan Gaines "luansos" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Christmas Odyssey: A Novel (Hardcover)
Perry takes an odd assortment of characters through the twisted alleys of London's underworld, where class distinctions are blurred by the smoke of opium pipes and the sale of every kind of depravity known to man. When James Wentworth requests the assistance of his friend, Harry Rathbone, in locating his dissolute son, Lucien, from the sure self-destruction of his vices, it is but ten days until Christmas. A gentleman of some refinement, Rathbone turns to Hester Monk's medical clinic for suggestions on how best to conduct his search. The clinic visit yields the scrappy Squeaky Robinson, a former brothel-keeper, and an enigmatic slum doctor, Crow. The unlikely trio descends into the London's warren of tunnels, a cornucopia of perversions and drugs for anyone with the price of admission.Perry's Victorian London shimmers with Christmas cheer in streets bedecked with sparkling lights, below a bleak network of alleys and tunnels where Lucien is lost among the bodies of those who seek oblivion. Bessie, a teenager familiar with this underground maze, joins the entourage searching for a man who doesn't want to be found. They hear talk of Sadie, a beautiful woman who sparkles with manic energy, captivating the distracted Lucien; and the Shadow Man, a dark figure who rules a kingdom of vice and addiction, who decides who will enter and who will leave, who is useful and who must die. In this brutal place, Lucien is the quarry, but Rathbone, Squeaky, Crow and Bessie are the prey of a monster who feeds on the confusion of innocents. This is certainly an unusual Christmas mystery, but one that contrasts the two worlds of London society, the fancy homes and joyful celebrations of the wealthy and the damp, hopeless streets where poverty and crime coexist and depravity thrives unchecked. Three eccentric personalities- and Bessie- make for an interesting adventure, class, experience and skill reduced to a common denominator, humanity. An unlikely group, joined in common goal. Luan Gaines/2010. 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A dark, well-written Christmas novella,
By L. J. Roberts - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Christmas Odyssey: A Novel (Hardcover)
First Sentence: Henry Rathbone leaned a little farther forward in his armchair and regarded his visitor gravely.Henry Rathbone is asked by a good friend to find his son, Lucian. Lucian has been lost in the world of gambling, drugs and dangerous sex. Although Henry gives his word to find Lucian, this is a world about which Henry has no knowledge. With the help of Squeaky Robinson, former brother-keeper; Crow, an unlicensed doctor who works in the slums, and Bessie, a brave teen who lives on the edges of that dark world, the four set out to fulfill Henry's promise. Anne Perry's Christmas novellas are my annual gift to myself. They allow me to re-visit Victorian England, as she so accurately displays it, visit the secondary characters in her Monk and Pitt series and read a book with a subtle Christmas message that doesn't preach or push. While this year's book may not have ended up being my favorite so far, as it is very dark, it once again demonstrates just what a fine writer is Perry. Perry creates characters about whom you really care and she creates them from all walks of life. She truly demonstrates that it's not one's social or economic status that defines them, but what kind of person they are and the philosophies that define them. Henry talks about friendship and Perry quantifies it in a way we each can understand. She talks, though her characters, about the ingratitude of those who have, and how relevant is that to today, and shares her observations on homeliness, again without preaching. This is not at all a sweet, light Christmas story. Perry takes us from the home of wealth to places no one should ever have to go amongst people no one would ever want to meet. Parts are dark, gritty and vile. This is a tale of facing the devil and making a decision, of holding to your promises. There is redemption but there is also a question left open at the end. It is classic Perry and it is worth reading. A CHRISTMAS ODYSSEY (Hist Mys-Henry Rathbone/Squeaky Robinson-England-1865) - Good Perry, Anne - 8th in series Ballantine Books, ©2010, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780345518583 8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Depressing and not a good christmas novel,
By Susie Boyer - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Christmas Odyssey: A Novel (Hardcover)
I joined a bookclub and this was the book selected for this month. It definitely was a quick easy read (read it in one weekend) BUT I thought it was depressing and pointless. Maybe it was well-written but the storyline to me was stupid. Maybe I just don't like reading about opium and cocaine use in the london slums and prostitution and everything else that goes on in the depths of london hell. Maybe that is just a different world that I have no interest in.
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
