I just love Anne Perry's books, though I've only read the last 3 years Christmas books I can see I have quite a few to catch up on.
Her books just have a different feel to them than many of the other mystery books I've read.
The books have a vintage feel to them, taking place during a slower time when neighbors had to meet up with each other to solve a disappearance.
Mariah Ellison is delighted to visit her longtime friend Sadie and her husband Barton, in their picturesque village. After arriving, expecting to be invited right in by Sadie, she's rudely told by Barton, Sadie has disappeared, and she can't come in. She takes things into her own hands by talking to their neighbors trying to investigate the vanishing. As the gossip accumulates all have something to say about Sadie, some not too nice. Some miss her. One common thread shows up in the conversations, Sadie is not quite the person Mariah thought she was. Coming together the neighbors discover things about themselves. Despite the seriousness of the situation Mariah discovers a well of emotions including forgiveness, redemption and restoration.
With Christmas drawing ever closer will there be closure with joy ringing out or will uncertain times continue into the new year? I look forward to being transported back in time again to a slower time as I read more of her books.

Pub Date 07 Nov 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

"The fewer friends you have the more precious they become."

For over 20 years renowned mystery author Anne Perry has published a Christmas mystery novella every year with charming characters, a delightful mystery, and endearing messages about using this time of year to reflect on friends and family. A Christmas Vanishing lives up to this tradition.

Sadie is missing! When 80 year old Mariah arrives in the picture perfect postcard village of her friend Sadie to celebrate Christmas together she is shocked when her husband tells her Sadie hasn't been home for days, he doesn't know where she is and has no idea, nor does he care, that Sadie invited Mariah to spend the holidays with them. He slams the door in her face!

Luckily Mariah knows people here and is offered refuge in a lovely home. Worried that something nefarious has happened to Sadie she rallies the town to help find her. The twist is that while investigating Sadie's last known movements it comes to light that Sadie may have made herself a few enemies by her own actions.

The writer as usual leads us down a few paths of possibilities before revealing what happened to Sadie. Along the way we are treated to examples of kindness and forgiveness. As Mariah says to the people Sadie has hurt, "It's not who she is, it's who we are." Such a great lesson about not lowering your values because someone has lowered theirs towards you.

Sadly, Anne Perry passed away in April of this year. She published over 100 books. If this is the last book in her legacy it's fitting that it's one of her Christmas novellas filled with her signature style of quaint locations, descriptive characters and in the end leaving her readers with holiday cheer.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

While I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of this Christmas story, it fell a little flat for me as it read more like a philosophical novel on how to live rather than a Christmas mystery. And while I loved how Anne Perry ended this story, it felt a little repetitive at times. All in all, a quick, captivating read.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from Library, NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I've always enjoyed the books by this author and for a few years I have been devouring the Christmas series. I listened to first few through Audible plus, and found more at the library. I'm not quite finished but the books are unrelated to each other and mostly not heavily connected to the various series. A Christmas Vanishing is related to the Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series, as the main character is Mariah, Charlotte's grandmother.

All of the Christmas stories are a bit shorter, about a half book size but longer than what I consider a novella (under 100 pages). Regardless, the development of the world and characters is exquisite. I felt the characters as real people and their emotions connected to me. I could smell and taste the food, feel the fabrics cottons, wools and silk fabrics of items, and the chill of the winter air.

Mariah goes to visit a friend she hasn't seen in 20 years in a town where she knows various people. Her friend, Sadie, isn't there when she arrives. Mariah is worried and with the help of the friend who offers her lodging spur the moment, and a few others in town, she investigates to try to find Sadie. In the process, they try to figure out why as well as who. Did she go away on her own to put herself in the spotlight? Is she hiding because she is afraid of someone? Did she meet up with a friend / lover willingly? Or has she been abducted for some reason?

Mariah and her new friends talk to people and learn what they can. During the process though, Mariah works to show the kinder side of herself because she has changed over the years also. She struggles a bit with her temper, but is really quite fair and thoughtful.

A Christmas Vanishing was a lovely, comfortable read because it was so well written and interesting. I recommend it and all the Christmas stories I have read. I'm sad since I am afraid this is the last one.

A quick read and an interesting mystery about the disappearance of Mariah’s friend. And Christmas is fast approaching.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A clever holiday mystery, Anne Perry’s A Christmas Vanishing, features Mariah Ellison (Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother for followers of Anne Perry). Mariah travels to the small village where she used to live, to spend Christmas with her longtime friend Sadie. But when she arrives, Sadie has vanished without a trace and Sadie’s husband Barton refuses to talk to Mariah or let her stay at their home. Determined to find her old friend, Mariah is driven by an icy storm and local gossip. In the process of urgently seeking Sadie before the nasty weather overcomes her, Mariah is forced to search her own soul and seek redemption for her own past behavior.

A holiday mystery filled with chills and redemption; A Christmas Vanishing is a sweet read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. I enjoyed it.

I loved this! Set in England in the Victorian period, Mariah Ellison is a character I have not liked in a previous series by this author. It was nice to see her transformation in this book. This author has since passed away, so if this was her last book, I am glad she chose this character for this one. This was a really nice, cozy mystery to get me into this holiday season.

In this most recent of Anne Perry’s historical Christmas featuring prominent side characters from her regular Charlotte and Thomas Pitt or William Monk series, the spotlight lands on Mariah Ellison, Charlotte Pitt’s starched up, steely-eyed cranky grandmother who sapped the light and joy from a room just with her presence all through the series. But, this is Christmas and a lonely Mariah has determined to change this late in life. Her turning over a new leaf coincides with an invitation to visit a village and friend where she spent some of her younger, married years.

Like she has before, Anne Perry crafted a character who was not all or only one way, but held nuances of dark and light that made her real as a fictional character can be. Mariah was not a favorite character for me and was something of a tartar so I was fascinated to see how Anne Perry took me from disliking her to applauding her for inner strength and new found courage to change.

Much of A Christmas Vanishing is introspective. Mariah is trying to find her friend, Sadie, but also finding herself after decades of growing into a bitter, hateful woman because of the abuse she took privately at the hand of her husband. Mariah struggles against letting her old bad habits reign in her life, but is making great efforts even while she renews an old acquaintance and forges a friendship as they look for Sadie and she meets a man who becomes a fast friend and partner in the search.

The mystery does eventually take the forefront, and it was a sad affair with spikes of suspense. The end is a softer, heartwarming village Christmas and forgiveness and new chances at the heart. Much of the story is strongly developed character-wise and plotting with a bit of late-Victorian era Christmas backdrop, but there is repetition in some of the inner monologue that did slow the pace down at times.

All in all, this standalone long-novella Christmas mystery hit the spot and I can recommend the series to those who want holiday flavor to their historical mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This short novel is one of the last from author Anne Perry, who died in 2023. In it, she tells a story of Mariah Ellison, who is Charlotte Pitt's grandmother.

Mariah has been invited to spend Christmas with an old friend who she has grown distant from in the twenty years since they were friends and neighbors in a picturesque English village. With no one else around to celebrate, Mariah boards a train and goes to the village. But when she arrives, she discovers that her friend, Sadie, has vanished and no one knows where she is or why she is gone. Her husband turns Mariah away and she finds another old friend who offers her a place to stay while they try to find out what has happened.

Turns out, just as her husband guessed, Sadie left after an argument and went to an empty cottage in the village. But when he goes to get her back, she is no longer there, and he has no idea where she may have gone. When Mariah and her friend Gwendolyn break in to the cottage, they see signs that Sadie did not leave on her own, but may have been kidnapped. With Christmas fast approaching, and the temperature steadily falling, they fear that Sadie may be in danger and my be unprotected from the weather.

As Mariah works to find her friend, she discovers some unpleasant actions by Sadie that may have caused the problem she is now in. Will they be able to find her in time? How many in the village are willing to help? And who has hidden her away, and why?

A quick read because the story is compelling and you want to find out the answers.

*Fast, easy read
*Little bit of humor with all the awful scenarios Mariah and Gwendolyn think up
*Mature woman main character- loved it!
*Beautiful imagery and prose as always
*Loved the spiritual message that Jesus Christ gives us forgiveness, mercy, and hope- really ties into the reason for the season

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A Christmas Vanishing was a decent quick holiday read. I liked that the main characters were elderly yet tough. I felt the fuss made over the missing person (if you read it you will understand) was a bit hard to believe but it is a Christmas story. I liked it overall.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Anne Perry’s holiday novellas are known for taking minor characters from her regular series and allowing them to take the lead in a Christmas mystery. This story features Mariah Ellison, the grandmother of Charlotte Pitt, from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. (Both Charlotte and Thomas are mentioned in the story, but don’t make an appearance.) Mariah gets a request from an old friend she hasn’t seen in years, so she decides to travel from London to the small village of St. Helens for Christmas. Mariah is in for an unpleasant surprise when she arrives at her friend Sadie’s home. She decides to stay in St. Helens anyway and with the help of another friend, investigates a strange mystery.

The cover of this book has a lovely wintry cover and the book includes themes of friendship, redemption, and second chances. However, even though it takes place at Christmastime, I wouldn’t call this a Christmas story. I wish it had included information about Christmas traditions at the time the story takes place, which is near the end of England’s Victorian era. That would have added so much to the historical setting and helped brighten an often gloomy story.

It is interesting following Mariah’s investigation, and as she questions various residents of St. Helens, seeing her realize there is more to people than meets the eye. I was only somewhat surprised when all the details of the mystery came to light. However, I enjoyed the character growth of Mariah who admitted she had become bitter and hateful because of things she experienced in her life. As the story progresses, Mariah becomes forgiving and open to second chances for others, as well as to new beginnings in her own life. The story ends on a high note of hopefulness for several of the characters at the end of the story which helps make up for some of the darkness at the beginning.

~ Christine

I always enjoy Anne Perry’s Christmas stories. I just read that she passed in 2023. I did not know that. I will miss her Christmas stories.

Mariah Ellison has been invited to spend Christmas in a small village by her old friend Sadie and her husband Barton. Mariah accepts the invite as she'd like to get out of London to a quieter town and see her old friend again. It's been about 20 years since Mariah and Sadie have seen each other. They are both in their 80's now and want to enjoy the time they have left.

When Mariah arrives she goes to Sadie's house. She's exhausted from her long train ride from London and the chilly ride to her house. As Mariah knocks on the door excited to see her friend, no one answers. She knocks again and finally Barton comes to the door. He's quite rude and says he knows nothing of Sadie's invitation to Mariah and tells her she can't stay here as Sadie is not here. Mariah tries to reason with him and tells him that Sadie sent her the train schedule and knew she was arriving today. Barton again says she can't stay and shuts the door in her face.

Mariah heads to another friends house and is told there's no room for her as they didn't know she was coming. She explains about Sadie's invite and they send her to Gwendolyn's house as she loves company and is on her own. Mariah is thrilled that Gwendolyn is happy to have company over Christmas and tells her she can stay as long as she wants. Mariah and Gwendolyn know each other from years back and have always gotten along well. When Mariah tells Gwen about Barton's rudeness she tells her that he's upset because Sadie has been gone for 2 nights and he doesn't know where she is.

Mariah, Gwen, and several other townsfolk begin to investigate Sadie's disappearance in hope of finding her soon. It's very cold outside and she could die if she was outside. The rest of the book is about the search for Sadie. Will they find Sadie alive? Did someone take Sadie? Why would someone harm Sadie? When secrets come out about what Sadie was doing to people without others knowing it becomes clear that people had reason to dislike her. Would someone harm her? A Christmas Vanishing is a bit slow and I rate it 3 stars with an average rating. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced copy of A Christmas Vanishing in exchange for a fair review. #AChristmasVanishing

Mariah, Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, is invited to stay with a friend for Christmas, but when she arrives the friend is missing and her invitation is rescinded. Finding other lodgings, Mariah begins to look into the disappearance of her friend Sophie, and many secrets begin to rise to the surface.

This is a fine mystery, but did not transport me to the Christmas season. It's also fairly slow-moving for a novella. The mystery, the secrets, and the characters are all interesting, and I liked 80-year-old Mariah very much. This is a good, but not a great, mystery. The theme of forgiveness is very strong throughout the book.

I received a free copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I found Anne Perry's A Christmas Vanishing to be a pretty good piece of Historical Mystery. I like it and am giving it four stars.

Well written tight mystery. Miranda is invited to spend Christmas with an old acquaintance in the country side, but once she gets there her friend is gone and her husband doesn't know when she'll be home, thus begins the adventure. Why would her friend leave when she knew she was coming? As days go by and nothing of her friend, Miranda takes it upon herself to find her with the help of another old acquaintance, and a new friend. While she figures out the mystery she learns and realizes how similar they are to each other. Both can be short tempered and waspish, pushing people away, gossipy, and not many really good friends. Miranda has already realized this about herself and is ready to start a new life, even at 80 years of age. Many thanks for NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced read.

This is a bit different than the previous years of Christmas season stories.
This time it’s Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother that trying to solve the mystery of her disappearing friend after she was invited to visit for the holidays. A surprised husband who didn’t know anything about the invite left her standing outside in the cold. Luckily some other acquaintances in town are providing her with lodgings for the night. Mariah even managed to make some new friends. This is a fast and fun read with some surprises but maybe you are better at guessing the outcome then me.

Description:

This is the twenty-first book in The Christmas Stories series by Anne Perry. However, it can be read as a standalone.

Mariah has arrived to town. When she shows up at her friend’s house, Sadie is no where to be found. Sadie’s husband doesn’t know where Sadie has gone to or when she will be returning.

Mariah doesn’t think Sadie would just disappear when she had been expecting her and even helped her get there. If Sadie has disappeared after all the talk about town of Sadie preparing for Mariah’s visit there has to be something wrong. If Sadie ran off and got lost or hurt, she could be in danger of freezing to death.

Will Mariah be able to find Sadie before it’s too late?

Review:

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Susan Lyons as well as reading the ebook version. Lyons has a voice that fits perfectly for historical fiction books. I really enjoyed Lyons narration and would recommend this book in either version.

This was a quick mystery that kept me guessing. I wasn’t sure what was going on at first. The twists in this story kept me entertained til the end. These ladies seem to be such good friends at first but as the book evolves I began to question their friendship and everything else I thought about them and the other characters involved.

This ends on Christmas Day but is not really centered around Christmas. If you are looking for a book that has all the festivities you would normally find around Christmas, this is not it. However, it is a good read that does have the winter vibe.

While this is a book from a series, I read this as a stand alone. I didn’t find any issues understanding the story without having read the previous books. However, I do also have A Christmas Legacy(#20) to read and will be reading it soon.

I would recommend this short read for those looking for holiday readathon books or anyone looking for a winter mystery without all the holiday fluff.

Another amazing Christmas book by Anne Perry. She has an incredible way of being the reasons for Christmas and it’s promises. Each book is it owe identity. I do love how she brings in each characters from her series into each of the books. They have their own story of redemption. Highly recommend.