Susannah is dying and wishes to have some family around her, perhaps reconcile with the family, before she dies.  Emily has been looking forward to the Christmas season in London with her family and all its trimmings.  She is often wistful about the adventures Charlotte and Thomas have embarked on, and knows she will harbor much guilt if she doesn’t make the visit and so she agrees to go.  

Arriving in the village, Emily senses there is fear in the air.  There is a bad storm coming, villagers fear, but Emily senses that there is something deeper.  When the storm washes a stranger onto their shores, the villagers are reminded of seven years ago when a similar storm brought a stranger into their midst, an occurrence that set an unalterable chain of events into motion; one that haunts many of the locals to this day.  

A simply told story of strangers and broken relationships mended during Christmas season, A Christmas Grace easily weaves the starkness of the Irish countryside with a community protective of its own and their history and a tale of hope for redemption.  Susannah’s dying is almost a metaphor for the village and as the village heals, and Christmas nears, Susannah gains strength. 

Emily is a socialite wife, gracious and gentrified, but gets to reach inside of herself and learn she has more inner strength than she realized.  An elegant, enjoyable, easy read, this story will be enjoyed by longtime Anne Perry fans, but can also be read alone by those yet to discover the Thomas Pitt series.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry