A Christmas Resolution: A Novel

Anne Perry

Nov 2020 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

A smitten woman is about to marry a dangerous man—unless Detective Hooper and his new wife, Celia, can prevent it—in this wickedly tangled holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry.

Detective John Hooper, William Monk’s right-hand man at the Thames River Police, is blissfully happy in his new marriage to Celia, the cousin of a victim in one of the river police’s recent murder cases. Celia wants the same happiness for her good friend Clementine, who’s just announced her engagement to Seth Marlowe, a member of her church. Christmas is nearing, and this should be extra cause for celebration, but when Marlowe begins receiving threatening letters about his first wife’s death, it becomes clear that he is far from the devout man Clementine thought he was. In his rage, Marlowe accuses Celia of sending the letters, claiming she wants to ruin his engagement to Clementine. At a loss as to how to defend herself, Celia enlists Hooper to investigate the letters’ claims, and what he finds makes her desperate to show Clementine the truth about her soon-to-be husband.

But Celia herself has not always been truthful, especially not during the murder trial following her cousin’s death. How can she be believed now, when she lied on the stand? Especially when Marlowe knows that she did, and could use it against her. This Yuletide season finds love and faith put to the test—and Celia’s and Clementine’s lives on the line.

Ratings and reviews

This book was a bit confusing and I am not sure that I cared for the ending, but it was interesting. The cast of characters included the Pastor; his brother-in-law, Seth Marlowe; Detective Hooper and his new wife, Celia; and Celia's friend Clementine, who becomes engaged to Seth. The setting is a small London village set near water close to Christmas time. Celia just recently got married to Detective Hooper who works for the Thames River Police. As she is leaving church one Sunday, she stops to tell the Pastor how much she enjoyed his sermon when they are interrupted by Mr. Marlowe who informs them that he will soon be marrying Celia's friend, Clementine. Celia is not quite sure how she feels about the announcement, but she can't help wanting to be helpful to Clementine, who really has no one. However, Celia is soon threatened by Mr. Marlowe who accuses her of writing a horrible anonymous letter to him and threatening his relationship with Clementine. Celia tells her husband of that threat and of the next one and so begins the detective's investigation into the death of Mr. Marlowe's first wife, the disappearance of his daughter and the actual author of the scandalous letters. If this sounds like a story for you, then I am sure that you will want to read it to find out just who did what. I thank NetGalley, Anne Perry and Ballantine Books for giving me access to an ARC of this book. Above is my freely given review and all thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.

About the author

Anne Perry was the bestselling author of two acclaimed series set in Victorian England: the William Monk novels and the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novels. She was also the author of a series featuring Charlotte and Thomas Pitt's son, Daniel, as well as the Elena Standish series; a series of five World War I novels; twenty-one holiday novels; and a historical novel, The Sheen on the Silk, set in the Byzantine Empire. Anne Perry died in 2023.