Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book, gave up reading. I usually don’t like mysteries, it I thought this book might be interesting. I gave up after less than a quarter through.

I’ve never read a book by this author; I didn’t know what to expect. I enjoyed how she whisks readers back to the Victorian era as families prepare themselves for the yuletide season, and how main character Gracie puts herself in the middle of an intriguing situation in hopes of finding out who’s doing what. Millie, a friend of Gracie, begs her for help. Millie is scared. She fears being accused of stealing. Things are disappearing. No one knows (or they are not saying) who they suspect. Because Millie and her mother had been accused in the past (and was cleared of all charges) She is afraid that fingers will point to her first.

I enjoyed learning about how houses were run back then, combined with an interesting mystery. The main character seeks out anything that looks suspicious and/or out of the ordinary. Gracie is character that expresses love and compassion to everyone she works with. Showing them that she works hard and will not let the fear of losing her job get in the way of helping someone in need. She hopes to get to the bottom of things by Christmas and hopefully have everyone keep their jobs.

This was an interesting story that made me want to read more novels by this author.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

Perry's annual Christmas novella this time features Gracie, once maid to Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, and it's a bit unusual. Gracie agrees to help out young Millie, a house maid for Harcourt family, who believes something is very wrong in the house. And indeed there is. No spoilers from me but know that there are some very grinch like characters and that revenge, of a sorts, is a dish served cold. Gracie's terrific and as always. it''s nice to see a minor character from Perry's novels fleshed out. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

It’s that time of year again - time for a new Anne Perry Christmas mystery. Perry’s Christmas novels feature secondary characters from her novels. I’ve read some with characters from the WIlliam Monk series, but the main character of this book is Gracie Tillman from the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series. Gracie used to be a main for the Pitts but is now married with three young children. She temporarily goes back into service at Harcourt House when the daughter of a deceased friend comes to her with concerns over strange events going on where she works.

Much of this story is downbeat which is unexpected for a Christmas novella. Without spoiling anything, the Harcourts are not people I would want to deal with! The book puts a spotlight on how people in service were treated during this time (England, 1900) and how saying or doing the wrong thing would result in being thrown out onto the streets without a character reference which was disastrous, especially for young women. Gracie does a great job of doing what she can to figure out what is going on in the household and coming up with a way to try to help since she has a home to go back to and isn’t at the mercy of Gilbert and Julia Harcourt. Thankfully, the overall sadness of the story shifts and the ending is hopeful and satisfying. This isn’t my favorite of Perry’s holiday novellas, but I always appreciate how well-written Perry’s books are, and I enjoyed the chance to get to know Gracie better.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Ballantine Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

A Christmas Legacy is the 19th Christmas story book by the incomparable Anne Perry. I absolutely love her Daniel Pitt and Elena Standish series, and I find myself looking forward to her Christmas stories now. Last year's A Christmas Resolution was delightful, but this one really drew me in. I now have the rest of the Christmas books on my TBR or listen-to piles.

Gracie Tellman was formerly a maid for Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, but now she is married with three young children and enjoys being a housewife and mother. She never thought she'd be a maid again, but then Millie Foster, the daughter of Gracie's deceased best friend, shows up at her home shortly before Christmas. The household where she works seems to have food going missing from the kitchen. Millie is terrified that she or the other servants will be accused of theft and fired without character references. She knows from her mother that Gracie has helped solve crimes with her former employers, so she begs for help. Gracie goes to Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt's home where Millie works, telling them she will be filling in for Millie who is sick and has a cold. Things at first appear normal, though all the servants seem on edge. Then Millie discovers that Mr. Harcourt's elderly mother is basically confined to an upstairs bedroom. She seems to be suffering from neglect... But is her son and his wife helping her move on to the afterlife a bit faster?

This was an absolutely perfect Christmas story! Gracie was a wonderful heroine. She was a loving spouse and mother, and she was also very caring about others. She seemed to have picked up some investigative skills from the Pitts. She also appeared to have some spunk! When the Harcourts threatened to sack her, what did she care? She wasn't getting paid, plus already had a home to go to! The care Gracie showed to the elderly mother was just beautiful and touching. The old woman needed care desperately, and Gracie did all she could while allowing the woman to keep her dignity. The servants in the house were an interesting bunch, sometimes snippy and friendly at other times. It was obvious they were all worried about losing their jobs. I was especially fond of little Bessie and Archie, who would fare the worst if fired. The neglect that the Harcourts showed mother was disgraceful and heartbreaking. The abusive treatment of the elderly is about as despicable as one can get! Fear not, though....not all is gloom and doom. The mystery was wonderful and the characters great. However, this story had one of the best feel-good endings of all time! I just adored the entire thing. So many Anne Perry books to catch up on, and so little time!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed were entirely my own.

I didn't realize this was a series book until after I read it, which is probably why I didn't enjoy it immensely. As I was reading I just had some underlying questions that might have been answered in earlier books. This is a cozy read though, and just delightful. This is one of those books where nothing HUGELY life shattering happens and you keep reading and turning pages waiting and then the book is over and you are like, oh ok. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I gone into it not looking or expecting life shattering character change.

Visiting the characters from the Pitt and Monk series is always a delight. In this year's Christmas book, Anne Perry focuses on Gracie, the former housekeeper for Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. Several years have passed since we last saw Gracie, and she is still married to Pitt's former partner Samuel Tellman and they have three children. The mystery centers around a series of thefts that have taken place in one of the affluent neighborhoods. In order to help her friend, Millie, who works in the home where the thefts occur, Gracie volunteers to replace Millie as one of the servants while Millie is out "sick." This gives Gracie a chance to do some sleuthing.

Since this a warmhearted "cozy" read, nothing too terrible happens in the book, and everything works out just as it should. The greatest pleasure of the book is getting reacquainted with Gracie and discovering just how much she has come into her own. I look forward to the annual Christmas books from Anne Perry mainly because I love the Pitt and Monk series and enjoy catching up with the secondary characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of the book.

Anne Perry is an author whose books I buy without reading the synopsis. Her books are that good.

This book reminds the reader of how hard it was to be in service during the late 1800s early 1900s. The servants had a roof over their head, food in their mouth and a pittance as a salary at the wim of their employer. If the employer couldn't find his watch (which he had sent out to be repaired and forgotten) he could fire his man servant without references for stealing.

Gracie Tellman finds Millie at her door reporting that she is afraid she is going to lose her job. Gracie decides she will replace Millie at her job explaining that she has a cold and will return when she feels better. It is not long before Gracie finds there is something definitely wrong in this and it is up to Gracie to find out what it is.

I really liked this book and even cried a little at the end.

This was my first novel by author Anne Perry and it was an enjoyable read. The main protagonist Gracie, is the former maid of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, characters in previous stories by Ms. Perry. There were mentions of Gracie's time with the Pitts, but I wasn't confused having not read any of those stories (and I look forward to reading them in the future). This novel is set after Gracie leaves the service of the Pitts and is now a wife and mother. When a friend of Gracie's comes to ask her help solving a mystery at the home of her employer, Gracie takes the young woman's place for a few days to do some investigating under the ruse of the young woman being ill and not wanting to lose her position. At the household, Gracie finds a loving group of servants who are loyal to their difficult employers, Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt, but also seem to be living in fear of losing their positions. Gracie soon discovers what is really happening in the house and does her best to right the situation. I will say that I pretty much knew how the story was going to go because the largest spoiler was in the publisher's synopsis so that was a bit disappointing. It would have made a greater impact has that little detail been left to the discovery of the reader. The setting was in Victorian London, but the entire novel takes place in the Harcourt Home and even though it was Christmas time this book has very little Christmas joy in it. The ending was satisfying if not predictable. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Publishing, and Anne Perry for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I always enjoy reading easy Christmas stories. This one was easy, but left me wondering as I read. Without giving away too much, I think this series needs to be read in order. My questions about Gracie and why she spends the holidays with the Harcourts seems strange to me. Possibly this would be explained in some earlier books. It was an enjoyable story, reminiscent of an ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ household. The characters are all quite unique, with individual personalities that add well to the story. Some are lovable others not so much! I think I will look into the other books so that I can get a better understanding of Gracie and her family. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my review.

I loved this Christmas story starring Gracie Tellman, the former maid for Charlotte Pitt, who is married to Bow Street Inspector Samuel Tellman. She is just finishing making a Christmas cake when Millie Foster, the daughter of a woman she had helped years before, comes to the door. Millie was working in a home with a lot of tension. Food seems to be disappearing, and the staff is all frightened. Something is bad, and she doesn't know what. Gracie agrees to take Millie's place for a few days to see if she can figure out what is happening while Millie stays in Gracie's home to help take care of her three children, promising to be home before Christmas.

Gracie soon realizes than the mother of the man of the house is in an attic bedroom, slowly starving to death and not properly taken care of. Her son and his wife are waiting for her death so they will have more money! The staff have been stealing food to take to her, and soon Gracie goes to her to bathe her, make the bed up clean, and talk to her. One day the old woman's lawyer comes, and Gracie is asked to witness some changes to the will. The story has a great ending!

This was a short story that was a very easy read. It did not take long and would be ideal if you wanted a story to read but did not have a lot of time.

Gracie, a married woman with three children, takes a temporary job to discover what is going on in another household in order to help out a frightened young lady employed there. She snoops around and asks questions which ultimately lead to her solving the “mystery “. Right from the beginning you know this will have a happy ending which makes A Christmas Legacy a good holiday read.

Over the last decade I’ve rather lost touch with Inspector Thomas Pitt and, in a series I loved even more, Inspector Monk. That’s not because I love the novels any less but because so many other things have claimed my attention. So I welcome the chance to return to the world of Pitt and his wife—or, in this case, their maid Gracie, who has left their household, thinking to make a clean break with police work in all its forms, only to discover a mystery of her own when a young acquaintance of Gracie's, Millie, arrives, terrified about a series of mysterious thefts at the house where Millie works that may result in the summary dismissal of one of the servants.

In part as an example to her five-year-old daughter, in part to help Millie, Gracie leaves her three children in her husband's care and returns to service long enough to resolve the mystery. It would give away too much to say more about this charming novella, except that it reveals a deeply troubled family and a neat turning of the tables that is profoundly satisfying.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. This was just a wonderful book to read and it was just easy to lose yourself in the story. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I just love reading books by this author! Her characterization is always good; and the people in her books are an interesting bunch. The gentleness of the main characters, and how kindly they treat each other is so pleasant in a world where the characters made up by other authors do way too much cursing and often fall into bed with people they barely know. I also love how real her characters become--I feel as I'd really like to meet most of them.


Anne also gives the reader a really good sense of mood through her writing and the settings are perfect. I can picture them in my mind. By the end of the book everything is neatly wrapped up even though you may not have thought when picking up the book that would ever be possible.

I am a HUGE fan of this author.

It's Christmas time and Gracie Tellman, the former maid at the Pitt household, is back! Millie, a friend who is in service, asks her to investigate the mysterious goings-on at the house where she works. Gracie has the idea of looking into the matter herself. The plan? Gracie will say that Millie is ill and that she, Gracie, will be taking her place for a few days. Samuel Tellman, police inspector at the Bow Street Station, suggests that Gracie get a reference letter from Lady Charlotte Pitt to ease her way into the other household.

Gracie soon verifies for herself that something strange is indeed happening. A maid is caught with a fancy dessert on a tray. The lady of the house accuses her of stealing food. Knowing this to be unlikely, Gracie has somewhere to start looking. But is the "something" illegal? Immoral? Is Gracie in danger by investigating? She sees that the other house staff members are worried they'll be let go if they talk about the situation

Anne Perry has written another mystery that kept me turning the pages and scratching my head about what could be bothering Millie and the others. Although this book could be a standalone, it would be more fun to start at the beginning of the Thomas Pitt series and meet Gracie as a young girl in their household. I highly recommend this book and all the books in the Thomas Pitt, Daniel Pitt, William Monk, and Elena Standish series.

I have reviewed this novel for New York Journal of Books where it will be posted on their site the evening prior to the release date.

"A Christmas Legacy" by Anne Perry
Ballantine Books
November 9, 2021
10-059315939X
Historical Holiday Fiction


Gracie Tellman, happily married and the mother of three young children, is shocked when Millie Foster, the daughter of her deceased best friend, shows up at her house. It is closing in on the Christmas holidays, and Millie is gravely distressed. She states that in the household where she is employed things are turning up missing, and Millie is afraid of being accused of theft, though she has never stolen anything.

Her bosses, Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt, are treacherous employers who treat their help like lowly slaves. Millie realizes they could quickly throw her and the other nine employees—a couple who are mere children—out in the cold with no references or place to go. At this time of the year, and with the current economic conditions in Victorian England, it would be almost impossible to attain another position.

The only one who can help Millie is Gracie, for Gracie once had been a former maid herself. Though Gracie's employers were kind and generous, she knew the job. The holidays are quickly approaching, and Gracie is needed at home, yet she decides to take Millie's place, and she tells the Harcourts Millie is ill, and she is there to cover for her until she regains her strength.

Gracie no sooner enters the property and can sense the tension, even between the other servants. Everything is strait-laced and prim and proper, for they all address each other in a formal manner. There appears to be no camaraderie or friendliness among the help, though Gracie realizes they are frightened for their positions. They are bound together as if family, for they have no one else.

Although things seem to be running appropriately, the owners are churlish and aloof. When Gracie learns the master's mother is secreted to a bedroom hidden in the attic, Gracie takes pity on the older woman. Shocked to see she is frail and looks half-starved, Gracie determines she will care for her.

One day Gracie is in Mrs. Harcourt's closet hanging up her gown when she overhears the Harcourts arguing in the adjoining bedroom. They are discussing their now dire financial straits and considering which of their staff they should terminate. It also seems they are anxious for Mr. Harcourt's mother to die, which they believe would get them access to her assets and get them out of their current situation. Gracie is astounded by what she hears but remains silent, fearful of being spotted and accused of eavesdropping.

In the short time Gracie has been working in the household, she feels contempt for the Harcourts and empathy for the servants she has come to know. But what can she do?

Gracie decides to befriend Mr. Harcourt's mother by bringing her treats until one day she notices the woman lying in bed in filthy sheets and a soiled gown. Shame and embarrassment have her seething for the way this grand lady is being treated. She changes the bedding and bathes the woman giving her a clean nightgown to wear and a way to regain some sense of dignity. While attending to her, Gracie talks about her children, getting a weak smile out of the woman, making her feel better. However, she is still distraught by the neglect this woman is facing.

The distinct differences between the classes of that time period are shocking and downright sad. The contempt of the homeowners toward not only their staff but their own flesh can make one's blood curl. What is also heartbreaking is how everyone refers to the family's matriarch as the "old lady" and not Mrs. Harcourt or "mother." How insensitive some people can be, especially when it comes to money and status. This novel contains facts of a long-ago era in Victorian England. Still, there also is the mystery surrounding the seclusion of a frail and helpless family member while conveying heartbreak, fear, and the yearning for a better life of the household help. Will good win out over the evil taking place in this domicile, or will it continue to prevail?

I love Anne Perry's Christmas books. This one featured Gracie and was delightful. I constantly recommend these books and look forward to adding A Christmas Legacy to my recommended Christmas list.

Gracie Tellman was formerly a maid in Sir Thomas and Charlotte Pitt’s home. She loved helping solve crimes. Now she’s a wife and mother of three with her own mystery to solve. Her curiosity, empathy, and bravery work together to a very satisfying conclusion. I’d love to read more of Gracie Tellman!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.