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    A Christmas Message: A Novel
    A Christmas Message: A Novel
    A Christmas Message: A Novel
    Ebook137 pages2 hours

    A Christmas Message: A Novel

    By Anne Perry

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    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 Narraway is giving his wife, Vespasia, an unforgettable Christmas present—a trip to Jerusalem. Vespasia is enchanted by the exotic landscape of Palestine, and charmed by a fellow traveler the Narraways meet at their hotel in Jaffa. But when the man is murdered over a torn piece of ancient parchment he was taking to Jerusalem, Victor and Vespasia risk their lives to finish his mission and deliver the puzzling document to its home. Pursued by a shadowy figure with evil intent, they embark on a dangerous yet ultimately enlightening pilgrimage to the holy city, where the mysterious message on the parchment may finally be revealed.
     
    Rich in suspense and wonder, A Christmas Message is at once a breathtaking adventure story and a poignant meditation on faith and spirituality.

    Praise for A Christmas Message

    “A strangely intriguing mystery handled neatly by the wonderfully capable Victor [Narraway] and [his new wife, Lady] Vespasia.”—Library Journal
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateNov 1, 2016
    ISBN9781101886397
    A Christmas Message: A Novel
    Author

    Anne Perry

    Anne Perry (1938–2023) was a bestselling author of historical detective fiction, most notably the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series and the William Monk series, both set in Victorian England. Her first book, The Cater Street Hangman (1979), launched both the Pitt series and her career as a premier writer of Victorian mysteries. Other novels in the series include Resurrection Row, Death in the Devil’s Acre, and Silence in Hanover Close, as well as more than twenty others. The William Monk series of novels, featuring a Victorian police officer turned private investigator, includes Funeral in Blue, The Twisted Root, and The Silent Cry. In addition to these series, Perry also authored the World War I novels No Graves as Yet, Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, and others, as well as several collections of short stories. Perry’s novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world and have sold more than twenty-five million books in print worldwide.  

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    Reviews for A Christmas Message

    3/5

    36 ratings6 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I have a friend who enjoys Anne Perry's William Monk books and apparently some of her Christmas series. She passed this book on to me. It's probably weird to drop into the Christmas set at book #14--I didn't know that when I was reading it but seeing it listed as such does make me wonder less at why there seemed to be some backstory I thought I was missing.

      Victor and Vespasia undertake a journey--well several journeys, I guess. There's the physical journey which is supposed to be a Christmas holiday, but there's a spiritual journey that develops as well as they decide to fulfill the delivery of a parchment they've been entrusted with.

      Likes:
      -Victor and Vespasia must love each other. One, they are willing to change their lives/behaviors for each other. Two, each is willing to die for the other.
      -The spiritual journey that several characters take and the beliefs that they must examine as they journey.
      -Vespasia is written as a self-sufficient woman (though her skirts do get in the way a time or two). She's not the typical historical female. Though she also has common sense and knows when she needs to be the typical female of the time.

      Dislikes:
      -I'm not quite sure the spiritual journey leads to the Christian belief system.
      -I have a feeling there is some symbolism present that went over my head. I vaguely think that Benedict was an angel sent to earth (and who's lost some of his memory by taking human form). Jeshua seems to me to be a symbol for Jesus. There's talk of the star followed by the wise men and whether it was a physical star that pointed them to Bethlehem or an inner sense that led them. (This book seems to lean toward the inner sense.) The Watcher character seems to represent Lucifer or a demon.
    • 3/5
      Strong message supported by an allegorical perspective on a Christmas message. Vespacia and .Narraway find their vacation trip to Jerusalem interrupted by a murder and the challenge of delivering a section of a coded message. Her introspection about her relationship with Narraway consumes most of her thoughts as they strive to complete their journey by the Eve of Christmas.
    • 2/5
      This is one of Anne Perry's Christmas mystery novellas that I usually enjoy. This one, however, is just preposterous. Victor Narroway & his wife, Charlotte Pitt's Aunt Vespasia have gone to Palestine with the goal of spending Christmas in Jerusalem. But, of course, in Jaffa, they meet a mysterious man who ends up being killed, apparently for the piece of paper that he secrets to Narroway just before his murder.

      Victor & Vespasia must travel to Jerusalem and deliver the paper to a bakery where, hopefully it will be matched up with the two other missing people to make a whole message. Presumably because they have nothing better to do, they set off, running into another person who amazingly has the second part of the puzzle.

      Unfortunately they also run into "The Watcher", a shadowy figure that obviously symbolizes evil. What then follows is a chase, a fight, and much religious hocus pocus as the mystery is solved & good triumphs over evil. Unfortunately good story telling doesn't triumph over muddled writing. This is four hours of my life I'll never get back.
    • 2/5
      I usually enjoy Anne Perry's Christmas novellas, as each one takes a lesser character (or two) from her other mysteries and inserts them into their own mystery. Up until now, they have always been well written and provide a little more insight into the character than the longer mysteries, and there is always a satisfactory conclusion. That is not the case with this book.

      This book, however, does not live up to her usual standards, in my opinion. Vespasia and Victor Narraway are on a journey to the Middle East for Christmas 1900. In Jaffa, they have dinner with a mysterious man only to find him murdered the next day and Victor in possession of a peculiar piece of parchment and a note which directs him to deliver the parchment to Jerusalem by Christmas Eve. The two set out by train from Jaffa and encounter more mysterious strangers en route, as well as meeting with not one but two malfunctions of the train. Once they make it to Jerusalem, two more pieces of parchment appear and are all delivered to the same location to three religious men, one Catholic, one Orthodox, and one Protestant.

      I believe this was intended to be a deeply philosophical novella which would lead to reflections on the message of Christmas and the meaning of life. However, I found it to be meandering and confusing; many of the sentences left me scratching my head as to what was being said, either due to poor writing or poor editing. This book will not get a second reading from me as many of her Christmas books have.
    • 3/5
      Every year I look forward to Anne Perry's little Christmas novellas, and this year especially because it was centred around two of my favourite characters - Great Aunt Vespasia and her new husband Victor Narraway. If anyone has read the wonderful Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series, you will recognize these names. This one is set in the Holy Land. Narraway has given his wife the Christmas gift of a trip to Jerusalem. Both are thrilled to be there, but it isn't long before they are dragged into a dangerous world of watchers and people who want to harm them. They have been entrusted to take a piece of very old parchment to a bakery in Jerusalem, and there are many dangerous people who want to stop the piece from making it there. The premise of the story sounds good, but I think the topic is far too complex to fit properly into the limited pages of a novella. And so many of those limited pages are filled with religious musings. Unfortunately I have to give this little book 3 out of 5 stars - totally contrary to my other review of this author's impressive backlist.
    • 5/5
      An illuminating Christmas mystery!

      On the surface of this Christmas mystery, Victor Narraway and his wife Lady Vespasia (two of my favourite Perry characters) travel to Jerusalem for Christmas. En route, at their hotel in Jaffa, they run across an interesting older gentleman who hands them a parchment to deliver in Jerusalem just before he is killed by a mysterious figure "The Watcher". The story morphs into a Dali like journey of deserts and death, faith defined and refined, and deepening spiritual mysteries.
      Following the theme of the wise men seeking truth and wonderment as they track the star that lead them to Bethlehem, Narraway and Vespasia embark on a similar journey, followed by the dark watcher. Along the way they are joined by another.
      Three pieces of parchment, and the truth for all mankind, are part of this journey.
      Narraway and Vespasia are confronted by their own beliefs and the gradual refining of them.
      A simple story of intrigue that cloaks hidden inner meanings of the mystical and faith surrounding the Christmas message and all that followed.
      A very different story from what I expected, challenging and thought provoking, reflecting much of Perry's own faith base.
      The title sums up the depth and breadth of what this story contains. I found it a fascinating treatise on the Christian message.
      I was struck that it is Narraway, ex head of Special Branch and Lady Vespasia, a force in her own right, both mature people, with years of the ability and shrewdness, including being able to mark the difference between the false and the genuine, who are the chosen to encounter this very different journey.
      Who is the watcher, what is the stick he carries, seemingly he's supernatural at times and yet able to be injured. What is he watching for?
      A mystery on many levels with faint echoes of Dan Brown.
      I found this story stuck with me long after reading.

      A NetGalley ARC

    Book preview

    A Christmas Message - Anne Perry

    Book cover imageA C hristmas M essage A N ovel ) A nne P erry ballantine books • new yorkA C hristmas M essage A N ovel ) A nne P erry ballantine books • new york

    A Christmas Message is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    Copyright © 2016 by Anne Perry

    All rights reserved.

    Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

    BALLANTINE and the HOUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

    LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

    Names: Perry, Anne, author.

    Title: A Christmas message : a novel / Anne Perry.

    Description: New York : Ballantine Books, 2016.

    Identifiers; LCCN 2016024742 (print) | LCCN 2016032012 (ebook) | ISBN 9781101886380 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781101886397 (ebook) Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical. | FICTION / Historical. | FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Traditional British. | GSAFD: Mystery fiction. | Romantic suspense fiction.

    Classification: LCC PR6066.E693 C4723 2016 (print) | LCC PR6066.E693 (ebook) | DDC 823/.914—dc23

    LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/​2016024742

    Ebook ISBN 9781101886397

    randomhousebooks.com

    Book design by Karin Batten, adapted for ebook

    Cover design: Belina Huey

    Cover illustration: Aleta Rafton

    v4.1

    ep

    Contents

    Cover

    Title Page

    Copyright

    A Christmas Message

    Dedication

    The Christmas Novels of Anne Perry

    About the Author

    V espasia stood at the long, open window of her hotel bedroom and gazed across the rooftops of the city toward the western sky. The sun was sinking into the Mediterranean, as if it were bleeding crimson into the water. The light was fading quickly. The air was already cooler, but it was mid-December. Even here in Jaffa, on the coast of Palestine, the winters were cold.

    Still smiling, she pulled her shawl around her shoulders. This journey to Jerusalem was the most cherished Christmas gift she had ever been given. She knew all the great cities of Europe, but she had never come farther east. Was it her imagination that this land was so very different from the places she knew? How much is any place seen through the lens of one’s imagination, colored by the dreams one has of it and of the events that have happened there?

    In Paris, does one hear the laughter and music, and see the ghosts of the Revolution and the Terror? In Rome, does the tramp of the legions sound on the stones? Does one see Caesar with the laurels on his brow, and the world at his feet?

    Who does one see in this land, holy to Muslim, Jew, and Christian alike?

    She should close the window and go in, keep the room warm. And yet she wanted to watch the sky darken until there was only the blaze of stars to see.

    Vespasia had known Victor Narraway for many years in connection with Thomas Pitt and the cases he had solved, and in which they had assisted one way or another, but in spite of her silver hair and the refinement of many years in her face, this year of 1900 was only the second of their marriage. Narraway’s gift of a journey to Jerusalem had surprised her. There was a spiritual resonance to it she would not have expected from him. She knew his ethical beliefs very well. She could not have married a man whose driving forces she did not know, but he had never framed them in terms of religion. But then perhaps she had not either. One could kneel in church among scores of people who used the same words as you did, many long familiar, and yet the meanings they each took from them were probably worlds apart.

    There was so much to discover, even in those you knew best. She hoped it would always be so. One should be growing, changing, learning forever. Ideas in the mind were like blood in the veins. The heart that does not beat is dying.

    She heard movement behind her and turned.

    Narraway was standing in the middle of the room, smiling. In the soft candlelight he looked very dark, and the usual lines of anxiety were eased away, as if he had left all responsibilities behind.

    You’ll get cold, he warned her.

    Yes, I know, she admitted. I was waiting for the stars. She pulled the windows closed and fastened the lock. It’s too early for dinner. If I take a cloak, we could go for a walk. Perhaps toward the sea? It’s only half a mile or so.

    No, he said a trifle too quickly. It would be unwise to walk in the streets after dark. A flicker of concern crossed his face. In fact, it might be better not to go toward the dockside even in daylight.

    I know there’s unrest, she replied. But isn’t that a little…?

    No, it isn’t, he answered, his face somber. There’s always unease in Palestine, but this time of the year it’s worse. Thousands of Christian pilgrims come here on their way to Jerusalem, or Bethlehem. Jews come to the Western Wall, and Muslims to the Dome of the Rock. Feelings are high. He gave a slight shrug, just the lifting of one shoulder. God knows, too often we have little respect for one another’s religions or customs, especially if they conflict with our own, and we don’t understand them. We don’t even try to.

    She heard the sharpness in his voice, and might have mistaken it for temper had she not known the depth of his knowledge. In all the experiences they had shared, very often in connection with matters of importance and danger, she had never seen his nerve fail him. Once he had been head of Special Branch, that arm of the police service responsible for the detection of treason and threats to the safety of the state from within, as opposed to those who defend from armed attack by other nations. In all her long and frequently interesting life, Vespasia had never known anyone less likely to fear unreasonably.

    He offered her his arm. We’ll walk in the garden. It’s small, but it’s very pleasant, even at this time of the year.

    At the door, he put her cloak around her and she felt his touch linger a moment longer than necessary. The pressure of his fingers was light, but she was aware of its warmth, and it pleased her.

    The garden was indeed small, little more than a wide-open courtyard with a few vines on the supporting pillars of the extended roof. A couple of cypress trees rose like black flames beside the fountain, which flowed with slight sound into the stone pool. The four hanging lanterns were too dim to detract from the blaze of stars across the open center.

    There’s hardly room to walk, he said with regret. But at least there’s no one here to disturb. The moment he said it, she saw that he was mistaken. A shadow detached itself from one of the farther pillars, was visible for a moment, then melted into the hollow of the arcade and disappeared. She felt his hand tighten on her arm, and she stopped.

    Possibly a servant, she said quietly. It was ridiculous to be distressed by it.

    Or someone keeping an assignation, Narraway suggested, beginning to move again.

    Vespasia looked upward at the sweep of stars, now that the darker sky made them brilliant. I imagine they’ll be even better out in the desert, when we take the train to Jerusalem. The stars seem so much farther away in London; here they look almost close enough to touch—just stretch a little more, stand on tiptoe. I wonder if that is why Christ was born in a place like this.

    For the stars? he said with disbelief.

    Well, the wise men could hardly follow the star on a winter night in London, she said reasonably.

    Do you believe that, about the star? he asked with interest, and perhaps a shadow of amusement. He was standing a little behind her, close enough to keep the faint breeze from chilling her. If they could see it, why couldn’t everyone else? Why couldn’t Herod, for a start? Didn’t he ask them where it led, and to come back and tell him?

    She was silent for a moment. She had not considered it before. Indeed, why had the frightened, jealous Herod not seen the star himself? Why did he need the wise men to return and tell him where it had guided them?

    I don’t know, she said at last. Perhaps you only recognize what you are looking for.

    But he was looking for it, Narraway pointed out.

    She thought for a moment longer. He was looking for a rival king, in order to kill him while he was still an infant. The wise men were looking for a different kind of king, one to whom they brought gifts, symbolic of who he was.

    Really? His voice lifted with mild curiosity.

    Gold for the king, frankincense for the priest, and myrrh for the sacrifice, she told him.

    I didn’t know that was what they meant, he admitted. Do you want to walk out into the next courtyard? It goes beyond the archway there.

    What a good idea, she agreed. Then in to dinner.

    breakbreak

    T hey were still early for the meal, and found themselves in a very pleasant lounge, where they asked if they might join an elderly man who was sitting alone near the fire. His hair was white, and his high-browed aquiline face was weathered by wind and sun, and—Vespasia guessed—by much thought. The lines in it were etched deeply, and yet they only added to the beauty of his repose.

    Narraway introduced himself and Vespasia, and they took the offered seats near him. The man spoke of his occupation as an astronomer, but he did not offer them his name.

    You are English, he said with

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