An Anne Perry Christmas: Two Holiday Novels (The Christmas Stories)

A Christmas Journey, By Anne Perry, is the first of the author's Christmas novels. Let me start by saying that I really appreciate Anne Perry and enjoy her books. This story, if it was a stand alone having nothing to do with Christmas, and all to do with Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould, would have been better received. The short book was enjoyable; as an average book by Ms. Perry is better than many authors' best work. However, if you are looking for a story about England at Christmas, I would suggest looking elsewhere. There were only a couple of times that the holiday was mentioned, and it had little to do with the story. That said, if you want to learn more about Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould (One of the truly great characters from the Thomas and Charlotte novels) this is a great way to do it. This story I rate 3 stars. A Christmas Visitor is the second Christmas tale by Anne Perry. The first book, A Christmas Journey, was a nice book about redemption and forgiveness, yet had little to do with the Christmas season. In A Christmas Visitor, however, Ms. Perry's storytelling skills and the Christmas season take center stage. The story involves the suspicious death of Judge Judah Dreghorn and a house and property that he bought years before after a claimant for the property was sent to prison, by Judge Dreghorn, for forgery. Family friend Henry Rathbone travels to the Dreghorn home as does the surviving brothers and sister-in-law of Judah. The story is very interesting and the mystery is a nice puzzle. Ultimately, family and the spirit of the season are the most important elements of this very good four (4) star book. Together, these books rate four stars. A holiday treat.