Past mistakes color the present!

A Christmas Vanishing (Anne Perry’s Christmas series) by Anne Perry  

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Octogenarian Mariah Ellison (grandmother to Charlotte Pitt) travels to the village of St. Helens in Dorset at the request of an old friend Sadie Alsop, whom she hasn’t spoken to for twenty years. Time to put the past aside.

Mariah arrives only to find Sadie is missing!  Sadie’s husband Barton refuses to put Mariah up.

Sadie’s sister Annabelle agrees to take her in. It’s puzzling!  No-one has seen Sadie for a couple of days. Yet none of the villagers seem concerned.

Mariah has a bad feeling. Barton seems to think Sadie’s done an Agatha Christie type vanishing and will turn up in her own time. Mariah however is not convinced as Sadie has obviously made all the preparations for her visit. Where can Sadie be?

Distressingly, it seems Sadie has not forgone her habit of finding out people’s secrets and then using that information to her advantage. Could this play a part in her disappearance?

Cajoling the villagers to action, to actively search for Sadie, takes some doing, particularly as darker motives come to light.

Reflections by Mariah on the life she has led add a certain poignancy to the tale. An unexpected meeting will lead to changes, and to hope for her future.

Possibly the last Christmas story from a fascinating author (unless there’s others in her files) who died this year is as always, unexpected and surprising. 

Perry’s passing, and subsequent loss to the world of mystery writing will be felt by all her fans. Vale Anne Perry! (2023)

A Random House-Ballantine ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.