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Christmas Novellas — by Anne Perry
Christmas Novellas Series in Order: 21 books
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A Christmas Journey
Book - 1
Readers of Anne Perry's bestselling suspense novels revel in a world that is all their own, sharing the privileged existence of Britain's wealthy and powerful elite in West End mansions and great country houses. It is also a world in which danger bid...
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A Christmas Visitor
Book - 2
The Dreghorn family is gathering for an anticipated reunion in the Lake District of England. The blissful tranquility of the snowbound estate, however, is soon shattered by what appears to be an accidental death. The victim's distraught wife, Antonia...
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A Christmas Guest
Book - 3
In A Christmas Guest, Mariah Ellison, better known as the vinegar-tongued Grandmama from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, makes a stunning appearance in a bracing story full of devious delight . . . and certain death. For Grandmama Ellison, Chr...
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A Christmas Secret
Book - 4
Just in time for the holidays, Anne Perry gives her fans a marvelous gift: a new yuletide yarn full of light celebration and dark mischief. Dominic Corde is thrilled to "fill the robe" as substitute vicar in the village of Cottisham, while the Rev...
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A Christmas Beginning
Book - 5
Superintendent Runcorn--who Anne Perry fans will remember as William Monk's ex-boss--is feeling rather lonely during his holiday on the remote, snowy island of Anglesey, off the north coast of Wales. However, he is suddenly called into action when th...
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A Christmas Grace
Book - 6
With Christmas just around the corner, Thomas Pitt's sister-in-law, Emily Radley, is suddenly called from London to be with her dying aunt. Leaving her husband and two children behind, Emily makes the long journey to an all-but-forgotten town in the ...
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A Christmas Promise
Book - 7
Anne Perry's Victorian Christmas novels have attracted as many faithful readers as her two" New York Times" bestselling series featuring investigators Thomas Pitt and William Monk. A Christmas Promise is the seventh in Perry's holiday...
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A Christmas Odyssey
Book - 8
Once again, the distinguished mathematician Henry Rathbone is approached to help solve a mystery. This time, the call comes from an old friend whose son has gone missing--and just before the Christmas holiday. Now in his early twenties, Lucien has kn...
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A Christmas Homecoming
Book - 9
Among the brilliant array of Anne Perry's New York Times bestselling novels, her Christmas stories occupy perhaps the warmest spot in the hearts of readers. Each one is a masterpiece of suspense; each is alight with the true holiday spirit. In A C...
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A Christmas Garland
Book - 10
The year is 1857, soon after the violent Siege of Cawnpore, with India in the midst of rebellion. In the British garrison, a guard is killed and an Indian prisoner escapes, which leads to yet more British deaths. Cries for revenge are overwhelming. D...
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A Christmas Hope
Book - 11
A Christmas Hope is just as delectable -- the gripping story of an unforgettable battle between goodness and evil in Victorian London -- and a lonely woman's search for meaning in her life. Although she lacks for nothing, Claudine Burroughs dreads...
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A New York Christmas
Book - 12
Anne Perry's new Christmas novel is an irresistible tale of love, betrayal, greed, murder, and selfless devotion. For the first time, Perry's annual yuletide offering is set in New York City -- a sparkling young metropolis bursting with life, promise...
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A Christmas Escape
Book - 13
For countless readers, Christmastime means a delicious new holiday mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry. A Christmas Escape, her thirteenth noel to the season, transports us to the Mediterranean island of Stromboli for an unconve...
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A Christmas Message
Book - 14
In the spirit of the season, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry presents readers with the gift of another holiday mystery, taking them to the Holy Land for an intriguing and miraculous journey of discovery. The year is 1900, and Victor ...
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A Christmas Return
Book - 15
'Tis the season of giving -- and with this wonderful book, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry shares a brand-new holiday mystery filled with bygone relationships and hidden secrets. As Charlotte Pitt's grandmother Mariah Ellison finds he...
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A Christmas Revelation
Book - 16
In this intriguing, uplifting holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry, an orphan boy investigates a woman's kidnapping -- and discovers there's more at stake than a disappearance. It wouldn't quite be Christmas without a holiday mystery...
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A Christmas Gathering
Book - 17
A cold case adds an extra chill to the holiday season as bestselling author Anne Perry whisks readers to an elegant home in the English countryside for a Christmas of secrets, soul-searching, and forgiveness. As beautiful as it may be, their frien...
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A Christmas Resolution
Book - 18
A smitten young woman is about to marry a dangerous man--unless Detective Hooper and his new girlfriend can prevent it--in this wickedly tangled holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry. Detective John Hooper, William Monk's right-ha...
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A Christmas Legacy
Book - 19
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt's former maid takes a new job as Christmas approaches -- but not everyone in the household may survive the holidays in this tension-filled novel from bestselling author Anne Perry. After leaving her position with Charlott...
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A Christmas Deliverance
Book - 20
A courageous doctor and his apprentice fight to save London's poor -- and discover that the hearts of men can be colder than a winter chill -- in this gripping holiday mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry."Perry's Victorian-era h...
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A Christmas Vanishing
Book - 21
Charlotte Pitt's clever grandmother investigates the sudden disappearance of her dear friend in this chilling holiday whodunit by New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, accepts her longtime friend S...
Series Premise
The novellas are set in Victorian England (and occasionally beyond) during the weeks leading up to Christmas, where a central character—often someone peripheral to Perry's main series—becomes entangled in a mystery involving secrets, betrayal, hidden motives, or a crime that threatens personal or social harmony. Through careful observation, quiet courage, and moral reflection, the protagonist uncovers the truth, restores justice or understanding, and finds renewed hope or connection, underscoring Christmas themes of kindness, reconciliation, and the light of goodwill amid darkness.
The series is designed to be read in any particular order, as each novella stands completely alone with its own unique cast, setting, mystery, and resolution. While publication order follows the real-world release sequence and offers a gentle chronological sense of Perry's evolving holiday style, there are no overarching plots, recurring central detectives, or required prior knowledge; readers can choose any title based on mood or interest without missing essential context or spoilers.
Christmas Novellas Series Characters
Each novella features a different central protagonist—often a minor or supporting figure from Perry's broader Victorian universe—such as a lady of society, a devoted servant, a clergyman's wife, a young relative, or a traveler whose quiet strength or moral clarity drives the story. These characters are typically intelligent, compassionate, and observant, navigating personal dilemmas or mysteries with dignity and insight. Supporting figures vary widely: family members (spouses, children, siblings), household staff, friends, or acquaintances whose secrets or motives intertwine with the central puzzle. Unlike Perry's longer series, there is no recurring detective; instead, the protagonist serves as the moral and investigative lens, often aided by intuition, empathy, or chance revelations. The cast feels authentic to the era—refined yet human, flawed yet capable of growth—emphasizing everyday heroism and the quiet power of kindness during the holidays.
Setting of the Christmas Novellas Series
The novellas are firmly rooted in Victorian England, primarily during the winter weeks approaching Christmas, capturing the era's distinctive blend of elegance and hardship amid holiday preparations. Settings vary richly to suit each tale: grand country houses with roaring fires and decorated halls, fashionable London townhouses filled with seasonal gatherings, snowy rural estates, modest middle-class homes, or even distant locales like Scotland or the Continent for journeys of discovery. Common elements include gaslit streets, horse-drawn carriages, traditional Christmas fare (plum pudding, carols, mistletoe), church services, and the contrast between festive cheer and underlying secrets. The atmosphere is vividly evoked—chilly fog, crackling hearths, candlelit rooms, and the soft hush of snow—creating an immersive sense of the season's magic tempered by Victorian social constraints and moral complexities.
Tone & Themes of the Christmas Novellas Series
Perry's tone in these novellas is elegant, reflective, and quietly uplifting, balancing the shadows of Victorian-era mystery with the gentle glow of Christmas hope and humanity. The stories maintain a sense of restrained suspense—crimes are serious but described with restraint, focusing on psychological and moral dimensions rather than graphic violence or despair—while weaving in warmth, compassion, and subtle humor through character interactions or ironic observations. Emotional depth emerges from themes of regret, forgiveness, family estrangement, and quiet acts of kindness, yet the narratives steer firmly toward resolution, redemption, and the reaffirmation of goodwill. The prose is polished and atmospheric, evoking the era's manners and seasonal ambiance without sentimentality, creating an overall vibe that is civilized, introspective, and reassuring—like a fireside reading on a snowy evening—perfect for holiday readers seeking thoughtful, heartwarming mysteries.
The Christmas Novellas endure as a cherished holiday tradition in historical mystery fiction, where Anne Perry masterfully combines elegant suspense, seasonal warmth, and profound reflections on human nature to create tales that uplift and intrigue in equal measure. Through self-contained stories of redemption, forgiveness, and quiet courage set against Victorian Christmas backdrops, the novellas reaffirm the season's enduring message of hope and goodwill. Ideal for readers seeking thoughtful, atmospheric holiday reading with the sophistication of classic Christie or Dickens but infused with Perry's compassionate insight, the series offers timeless comfort and delight—perfect for curling up by the fire with a story that warms both heart and mind.
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