Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for my copy of A Christmas Vanishing by Anne Perry in exchange for an honest review. It publishes November 7, 2023.
As always, Anne Perry delivers a wonderful story to read at Christmastime, although, I would argue you could read this any time of the year! I loved the character development in this short book, the mystery, and the overall message of hope and forgiveness. Don't miss this one!

I typically love Anne Perry’s annual Christmas mystery but this one was missing something and is okay at best.

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. I would rate this book 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Ballantine. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Absolutely perfect for the holidays with the right mix of nostalgia and mystery! I found Anne Perry earlier this year, and she’s now an Author I look for whenever I visit my local B&an and my local library!

This was a good mystery but also a good story of how people can change. For the good or the bad. Mariah accepted an invitation to go visit a friend for Christmas. It isn't like she is close to her family and has any better plans. When she arrives at her friend's house, her friend wasn't at home and her husband won't even let Mariah in the door. He doesn't seem to know where his wife went. After finding another place to sleep, Mariah is very worried about her friend. Why would she leave just before Christmas? Mariah enlists the help of several villagers to help find her friend. The more she investigates, the more she realizes that she really doesn't even know her friend anymore. She is finding out some very disturbing things about her friend. Mariah has done some soul searching of her own and knows that her friend is going to have to do some serious repenting to get out of this one. Will there be a Christmas miracle?

Intriguing mystery for Christmas - with a wonderful message for Christmas. Like others in this series, it's a quick read. The mystery is well written and draws you in. The message of forgiveness is profound - a not so gentle reminder of the importance of it.

Eighty something Mariah Ellison is invited by her old friend Sadie to visit her for Christmas. Taking place in Victorian London and a small village nearby, the reader follows Mariah on a trek to find her missing friend. Sadie isn't home when Mariah arrives by horse drawn coach and Sadie's husband seems not to be very concerned about his missing wife. Mariah enlists the help of Gwendolyn and Oliver is this short mystery about the missing Sadie. Along the way, we meet many of the townspeople who are concerned about Sadie, but also have some secrets that Sadie has discovered. Where did she go and why?
This novella was a quick read, but a bit sad and depressing for a Christmas story, surprising, since the cover seems so warm and inviting.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Eighty year old grandmother Mariah Ellison has traveled across the country on the train to visit an old friend, who she hasn't seen in years. She is surprised to find that her friend is missing and no one seems to be concerned enough to look for her. Mariah will need to dig through the secrets in town to find her friend. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This book started a little slow to me, but it picked up when she moved in with another friend. I like that themes of forgiveness and redemption are woven in the book. I also like that Mariah realizes that she has hurt people in the past and is evolving into a nicer person. The mystery overall is good and I read it all in one day though it's missing a little of its usual Christmas charm.

When I chose to add this to my holiday reading list, I didn’t know that while it is a standalone, it’s also somewhat of a spinoff from Anne Perry’s Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series. The MC in this story, Mariah, is Charlotte’s grandmother. This story is also an installment in Perry’s standalone Christmas collection that includes friends and/or relatives from many of the characters in several of Perry’s other series.

The book summary lays out pretty much the whole storyline in this 193pg novella. What the book summary doesn’t reveal is that Mariah was a battered and abused wife; she’s an angry and bitter widow now, who is ashamed of the secrets she hid of the kind of life she lived. While Perry doesn’t come right out and say it there are sooo many personal reflections and memories from Mariah, it’s pretty obvious that her late husband was an emotional, verbal, physical and sexual abuser. It isn’t until well into the second half that it is confirmed what Mariah’s husband and marriage was like.

Most of the story revolves around Mariah and Gwendolyn and another resident, Oliver, investigating what happened to Sadie. Gwendolyn is a resident who takes Mariah in when Sadie’s husband rescinds the invitation that his missing wife extended to Mariah to spend Christmas together in Sadie’s home and Oliver is the town book dealer and restorer. During their investigation, they discover why Sadie is missing and who is responsible for her disappearance.

This story exhibits the dangers of people’s long held secrets becoming exposed and the power we expend trying to keep our secrets and the power we give away to those who enjoy exposing other’s secrets. I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup #BallantineBooks #AChristmasVanishing

Mariah, grandmother of Charlotte Pitt, is surprised first when her long lost friend Sadie invites her to visit and then again when it turns out that Sadie has gone missing, Of course, Sadie wasn't always the nicest person (she used information against others) but there's a real mystery here that Mariah will solve. Those looking for a cheery Christmas novella won't find it here but it's clever and entertaining. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I already miss Perry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine books for the chance to read and review this ARC.
This is the latest entry in Anne Perry's Christmas novella series. This is a quick read and well worth reading for fans of the author and her characters from her Charlotte Pitt series.
The familiar character is Mariah Ellison, Charlotte's grandmother. She is invited to spend Christmas with her old "friend" Sadie Alsop. She arrives to find her friend is missing and the others in the village especially her husband are behaving rather oddly. Mariah of course wants to investigate, with limitations from her age and an uncooperative village.
This is definitely a period piece written in a way very true to the times it portrays.
The story was slow to begin with very little happening and much redundancy of points. It felt a little frustrating to me - wanted to just shake up the investigators a bit. The story did pick up and there were some interesting twists to its resolution. Some romance was also included.
Overall I enjoyed the book very much. The characters from this series are always so complex.
Good little Christmas stocking stuffer!

This was an enjoyable Victorian Christmas novella, and a fitting conclusion to Anne Perry’s Christmas series. It centers on Mariah, who is Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother. Now in her 80’s, she returns to her home village at the invitation of old friend only to discover that the friend has disappeared. Solving the mystery of her disappearance involves much reflection on her own past and relationships, and ends with her making a commitment to her future. I enjoyed it much more than the last few entries in the series, since Anne Perry’s slow, contemplative style truly matched the mood of the novel and made for a satisfying sense of completion.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I do so love books by Anne Perry, I will read ANYTHING that she writes! This was a cute and quick read and I love that Mariah has been looking at her life and her treatment of others and trying to do better! I kept thinking she was going to call Charlotte & Thomas in to help solve the mystery but she took the bull by the horns and did it herself!

#AChristmasVanishing
#NetGalley

Anne Perry’s latest Christmas novella is short, but deep. Charlotte Pitt’s grandmother Moriah has come to terms with her past and is determined to be a kinder, gentler person. Her self-reflection fills the book as she tries to find her missing friend, a friend from her past who brings back memories she’d prefer to forget. Even in her 80s, Moriah is determined to get to the bottom of her friend Sadie’s disappearance and to make sure her present is nothing like her past. Redemption is the goal. A dark novel with a hopeful ending. I’m very sad that this may be Perry’s last.

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

I always look forward to Anne Perry’s Christmas books, well actually any new book from her! I did not realize until I finished the book that she had passed earlier this year. A Christmas Vanishing featuring Charlotte Pitts grandmother did not disappoint. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A Christmas Vanishing is Perry’s last Christmas novel. I found it to be very repetitive and written in an almost Victorian style. It was a mystery with many different characters. The book did not hold me captive and I nearly went to the end to see how it ended.
This is just my opinion and you will find many others have rated it quite highly. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for this ARC.

This year's Christmas book is about Charlotte Pitt's grandmother, Mariah. She has been invited to visit an old friend in the small town of St. Helen's, Sadie Alsop. After a long train ride, Mariah gets to Sadie's house. Sadie's husband Barton answers the door and says Sadie has gone and he couldn't possibly invite her in. She goes to talk with John and Annabelle Spears, and they suggest they go to Annabelle's sister, Gwendolyn, who is very happy to have her visit.

Mariah gradually finds out the Sadie has been blackmailing several of her acquaintances in town, and finally decides she needs to get everyone to help search for Sadie. Will they be able to find Sadie before she freezes to death? The great thing about this book is the way the people involved all manage to redeem themselves while trying to help someone else. While working to find Sadie, Mariah realizes her own mistakes of the past and makes new friends.

I love this Christmas series in which the characters seem to become better people than they used to be. I thank Netgalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

Mariah Ellison is invited to spend Christmas with Sadie, an old acquaintance, in a small village outside of London. But when she arrives Sadie is missing. And when she asks around no one seems concerned about the missing woman. For such a picturesque cover I wasn’t expecting a sad tale of betrayal, secrets and forgiveness.

I am new to this prolific author who created Monk and other detective characters. Mariah is the grandmother of Charlotte Pitt who leads over 30 mystery novels set in Victorian, England. Anne Perry died earlier this year but as I am assuming she wrote this book. (I couldn’t find anything that hinted that she didn’t.) She has a tradition of doing Christmas mysteries.

As a new reader I was thrown at first because I wasn’t sure of the year or time period. Clues were trains and horses. Once I got past that, this was a pretty basic talk to people, and figure out who has the motive type of mystery. It was okay but it wouldn’t immediately send me out to read the large backlog of books from the author.

Past mistakes color the present!

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.

I've read other books by Perry, and it's sad that this is her final Christmas novel. The mystery was a solid one, However, there was quite a bit of repetition. It had a bit of an historical Hallmark movie feel to it. There are an abundance of characters, which will likely keep readers guessing.


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