A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

A while back, I reviewed Anne Perry's novel Blind Justice (link leads to review). And so, when I heard that she wrote a Christmas story, I decided to sign up to read it. And of course, it's set in the same world - so, a murder mystery with a Christmas twist.

A Christmas Hope follows a minor character in the series, Claudine Burroghs, an upper class lady. At a Christmas party, a prostitute is killed and fingers are pointed at a drunkard poet. The only thing is, she spoke with the poet before that, and she doubts that he's the killer. So she defies society and her husband to search for evidence that he's innocent.

To me, more than the mystery part, the societal aspect was more interesting. Here's a high-born lady, supposed to be ornamental and move in the highest circles. Yet she decides to do something unlady-like, and instead of going completely against the current, she does use some societal norms (like visiting others) to achieve her ends. I really enjoyed reading about how she used her status to get information.

Because this is a short-story, it finishes pretty fast, and with a happy ending to boot (well, it is a Christmas story after all). If you're looking for a cheery Christmas story but would like a little twist, I'd reccomend this book. It's an enjoyable book that despite being a murder mystery, was rather cheery (at the end, not in the middle).

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.