A Christmas Odyssey (#25) is this year's Christmas mystery by Anne Perry. She sets this story in Victorian London using characters from her William Monk series. Henry Rathbone, Sir Oliver's father, is asked by his friend to find his prodigal son, Lucien Wentworth, and bring him home. Henry decides to consult Hester Monk because the patients she treats in her clinic could provide Henry some leads in his search. Instead at the clinic, he meets up with Squeaky Robinson, whose mission is to protect Hester. He winkles Henry's reason for calling out of him and they, along with one of Squeaky's acquaintances, "Doctor" Crow, wind up as an unlikely alliance searching for Lucien. Along the way they also acquire Bessie, a very young barmaid who provides their first real lead to finding Lucien.
Although this is possibly the darkest of the Christmas novels, set as it is in the London underworld, ultimately it is a novel of redemption for several of the characters. A quick, sometimes harrowing, but satisfying and unsentimental read that's just right for the holidays.
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