A Christmas Homecoming, Anne Perry
A Christmas Homecoming, Anne Perry
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

A Christmas Homecoming

Author: Anne Perry

Narrator: Terrence Hardiman

Unabridged: 4 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/01/2011


Synopsis

Anne Perry’s latest Christmas novella follows Charlotte Pitt’s mother, Caroline, as she travels up the Yorkshire coast with her husband, Joshua Fielding, and his troupe of actors. Their destination is Whitby, the famed landing site of Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s tale; the brooding, windswept fishing village is home to theatrical “Angel” Charles Netheridge.Cleverly playing upon the idea of evil as something one has to invite in, Anne Perry delivers another thrilling, ultimately heart-warming tale just in time for Christmas.

About Anne Perry

Sometimes the personal story of a particular author seems almost as intriguing as the books they write. Such is the life of British author Anne Perry (aka Juliet Marion Hulme). As a child Hulme was very ill with tuberculosis and ended up being fostered out by a family in the Caribbean. She did get better, and the family moved to a private island in New Zealand, where she describes her life as a Swiss family Robinson type existence. She became ill again and during her bouts of illness through her teen years, she missed most of her childhood education. However, her mother had prepared her by teaching her how to read and write by the time she was four. Her heart always seemed to be in writing.

At the age of 15, Juliet and her best friend plotted and killed her friend's mother. The three went for a walk in the park and Hulme dropped a stone, causing the mother to bend over to pick it up, and her friend hit her own mother on the head with a half brick. They had planned on the strike killing her, but they had to strike her 20 times before she was dead. The girls were put on trial and each served five years in prison. It is said that they never saw each other again after being released. For many years, nobody connected author Anne Perry as the teen murderer, Juliet Hulme. In 1994, the film Heavenly Creatures, portrayed Hulme and her friend Pauline Parker with characters being played by Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey respectively.

Perry's genre of writing covers Victorian Era Detective fiction for the most part. Her novels have been centered around two main characters, Thomas Pitt and William Monk. She has published 47 novels and several collections of stories.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Elliot A on July 24, 2019

In need to find Christmas stories that would actually get me into the Christmas mood I borrowed this book from my mother, hoping that it would be better than The Chimes by Charles Dickens (this would be the first time I admit that a classic is not as good as a contemporary story), which made me feel......more

Goodreads review by Susan on December 14, 2024

I have been reading Anne Perry’s novels for years. I really enjoyed this one, and I think it is one of her best. There are two holiday mysteries in the book. In spite of the turmoil, as a result of the crimes, there are uplifting and heartfelt moments because of the holiday season. In the end, justi......more

Goodreads review by Ann on January 15, 2023

Anne Perry is a master of writing into her novels a Christmas message while exploring the lives of secondary characters within her main stories set in Victorian London. This book features a collection of 2 Christmas novels: A Christmas Homecoming and A Christmas Garland. The first novel, A Christmas......more

Goodreads review by Anne Marie on December 16, 2022

This book had two historical Christmas stories that were mysteries. A Christmas Homecoming - An acting troupe goes to the Netheridge mansion where Charles Netheridge’s daughter, Alice, wrote a play based on Dracula that she wants them to perform. The troupe is hopeful that the play will possibly be......more

Goodreads review by Margie on December 16, 2020

I agree with a previous reader's review. Both stories were interesting but Not very Christmasy unless you look at it as sometimes your current situation takes away the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in your normal way. The first story has a theatre troupe staying on an estate of a wealthy financ......more


Quotes

“There’s loads of atmosphere, plenty of Gothic steam, and a clever trick ending.” Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Perry’s fine ninth Victorian Christmas mystery takes Caroline Fielding, the mother-in-law of Inspector Thomas Pitt of Scotland Yard (the lead of Perry’s main series), to the town of Whitby, in York, where Dracula came ashore in Stoker’s recently published horror novel…Caroline proves herself an astute sleuth in this challenging whodunit.” Publishers Weekly

“Background on staging a play, plenty of vampire lore, and the personal story of Caroline’s attempt to fit in with her much-younger husband’s colleagues add to the appeal of this engaging locked-room mystery.” Booklist

“With careful attention to the nuances of character, Perry offers a tale worthy of mulling over by the fireplace.” Kirkus Reviews