BOOK REVIEW: A Christmas Secret, by Anne Perry

NOTE: Oh. my. GAWD. Can't even deal with this.
A Christmas Secret
Author: Anne Perry
Series: The Christmas Stories
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: November 7, 2006
Source: local library
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NOTE: So I read and reviewed this book before I realized that Anne Perry was, in fact, herself a convicted murderer. I'm still trying to process that information. (Agghhhhh! That's the sound my mental processing makes.)

This is the first Anne Perry book I've ever read and I was pleasantly surprised. I guess I've always avoided her because, despite the "mystery" label, her covers always look like they belong on romance novels (not my favourite genre). And with a plot description about a 19th century vicar's wife who accompanies her husband to a remote village at Christmastime to replace the regular pastor, well, I was afraid the only "secret" she'd be uncovering would be the "secret to a happy marriage" and maybe a new biscuit recipe. But I am happy to say I was wrong.




A Christmas Secret is an atmospheric novel, in that the setting itself goes a long way to establish the mood of the book. Dominic and Clarice Corde are in a snow-covered village in December, experiencing the long nights without benefit of electricity or motor vehicles. Their duty is to reach out to the people in the community while at the same time being received as intruders. And what exactly happened to the last vicar? They were told he went away suddenly on personal business, but no one seems to have seen him leave or even heard him say where he was going.

Could something more sinister be at play? Well of course it could, that's what makes it a mystery. But the moody atmosphere had me half-expecting that the couple could uncover something truly evil at any moment, even in the seemingly idyllic setting of a church parish near Christmas. It reminded me a little of The Taker series by Alma Katsu, except without the psycho-sexual overtones, the ill-fated love affairs or supernatural storylines. So not at all, I guess.

But it wasn't that evil was lurking around every corner, it's that it could be. That's what I liked so much about the book. It reminded me of winter itself (I'm Canadian, so winter can be serious business at times). It's beautiful and tranquil and contemplative, but a little sinister. Winter means the potential to be snowbound, cut off from power sources and means of communication, left hungry, freezing, and even dead. Winter can kill you. And I think Anne Perry's novel captured that mood perfectly. But of course it was a murder mystery, so it wasn't winter that did the killing...I won't reveal any more than that.

I think I'll put Anne Perry on my "read again" list after this.