A Christmas Hope
By Anne Perry
Ballantine. $18 (Rating-Good)
Anne Perry’s annual holiday thriller this year focuses on a determined woman who refuses to let the wrong man be convicted of a murder he did not commit. Welsh poet Dai Tregarron is known as a womanizer and brash drunk. Although his pastoral poetry is appealing, few if any individuals care for Tregarron’s unseemly behavior.
When a young woman is accidentally killed at a posh party, there are few witnesses to the tragic event but those who are there accuse Tregarron of the crime. Since they come from good families, the authorities are more than willing to accept their version of what occurred.
On the other hand, Claudine Burroughs, who was attending the party with her husband, is convinced that three young men are not telling the truth. Against the wishes of her husband and defying the conventions of Victorian society, Claudine refuses to let the matter drop because she will not tolerate what she perceives as a miscarriage of justice.
Christmas is the season of miracles and it will take a miracle to save Tregarron from the gallows. With members of an upper-class clique closing ranks to protect their own and the disapproval of her own husband, Claudine is going to have to enlist a rather unlikely ally to save the accused man’s neck.
There’s more going on here than just making sure the true guilty party is exposed. Claudine’s persistence has even more to do with standing up to any type of injustice and fighting for the rights of those who have no voice of their own. At this time of year, this message should resonate with all men and women of good will!
The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries
Edited by Otto Penzler
Vintage. $25 (Rating-Excellent)
Otto Penzler has assembled sixty of his all-time favorite yuletide crime stories in this remarkable collection. You’ll find classic Victorian tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson and Thomas Hardy plus a wide selection of more recent stories by Sara Paretsky, Ed McBain, Mary Higgins Clark, Robert Bernard and Pat Frank.
These stories range from suspense and pure detection stories to police procedurals and private eye adventures. Penzler also has fun grouping his selections under headings such as “A Funny Little Christmas,” “A Sherlockian Little Christmas”, “An Uncanny Little Christmas” and “A Classic Little Christmas.”
“Curmudgeons will like this book…these unsympathetic souls will find solace in the fact that crime, violence, and even murder continue to flourish at what should be a time of peace, joy, and love,” writes Penzler in the book’s introduction.
Although you may be familiar with a few of these stories, the odds are this is the first time you have read most of them. So, stoke up the fireplace, pour yourself a cup of hot coco, some tea or fill a glass with something with a bit more zip and enjoy these tales of Christmas mystery and mayhem!
Ten Lords A-Leaping
By C.C. Benison
Delacorte Press. $25 (Rating-Very Good)
The third volume in this captivating series that features Father Tom Christmas, the mystery-solving vicar of Thornford Regis, finds Father Tom caught up in the deadly rivalries of a powerful aristocratic family.
The problems of the residents of Eggescombe Hall date back a generation or two but the family’s dirty linen gets a good public airing when a church fundraiser leaves one of the clan’s principle members, Lord Morborne, dead.
Given his insatiable curiosity and excellent investigative skills, Father Tom will naturally play a pivotal role in finding who is responsible for this dastardly deed. Rumors of bigamy, art forgeries, and upstairs/downstairs intrigue make the investigation all the more interesting. But it is the infighting of the younger family members that the vicar must beware of because one misstep dealing with these powerful folks and the priest might be looking for a new parish.
An intelligent suspense yarn with plenty of turns and twists, plus a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters, this is a mystery that you’ll relish from start to finish. It will provide an excellent distraction from some of the pressures and cares that often accompany the holidays.
The True Gift
By Patricia MacLachlan
Illustrated by Brian Floca
Atheneum. $5.99 (Rating-Excellent)
This chapter book for readers seven years of age and older tells the story of a brother and sister who turn Christmas into a very special celebration for the unlikeliest of characters – their grandparents’ white cow,
Liam is convinced that the white cow is lonely because there are no other animals in the barnyard. The young boy enlists his sister into chipping in her holiday gift money with what he has collected to purchase a small brown cow to keep the white cow company.
The pair are a tad short, so Liam also sells his favorite books to make up the difference. The children make the purchase and now the solitary white cow has a companion to share the empty yard with. But on Christmas Eve, an even a bigger surprise awaits not only the white cow and her new friend but also the entire family.
Although this is a rather unusual Christmas story, it does capture the spirit of the season and, since it was first published in 2009, “The True Gift” has become a favorite read in many households this time of year.
With a Mighty Hand: The Story in the Torah
Adapted by Amy Ehrlich
Art by Daniel Nevins
Candlewick Press. $29.99 (Rating-Excellent)
The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament. It tells the story of the beginning of the Jewish people and their relationship with God. From Adam and Eve to the first patriarch, Abraham, to Moses, who led his people out of Egypt to the promised land, the stories in the Torah have been studied and revered since it was first written down nearly 3,000 years ago.
In this special volume, Amy Ehrlich offers an authentic, lyrical adaptation that is presented as a continuous narrative. Accompanying the text are the paintings of Daniel Nevins that capture the wonders of these stories.
“When I set out to write a version of the Torah, I soon determined that my best way forward would be to follow the thread of its story,” explains Ehrlich. “I would tease this out little by little and go wherever the story led me.”
Ehrlich continues, “Inevitably, this being the Torah, it led me through thickets of genealogy, law, and ritual. I’ve included portions of these – enough, I hope, to give readers a sense of how the ancient Israelites experienced their faith, and how some observant Jews still do.”
Beautifully designed and executed, “With a Mighty Hand” will become a cherished possession of any child who receives this special volume.