A Christmas Hope

Anne Perry s vastly entertaining ("Newark "(NJ)" Star-Ledger") holiday novels are as delicious as mince pie and plum pudding ("Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"). "A Christmas Hope" is just as delectable, the gripping story of an unforgettable battle between goodness and evil in Victorian London and a lonely woman s search for meaning in her life.

Claudine Burroughs, a volunteer in Hester Monk s clinic for sick and injured prostitutes, no longer expects closeness with her coldly ambitious husband and dreads the holidays. Then, at a glittering yuletide gala, she meets the attractive poet Dai Tregarron, and suddenly her spirits lift. But an hour later, this fascinating man is enmeshed in a nightmare accused of killing a young streetwalker who had been smuggled into the party.

Even though she suspects that an upper-class clique is quickly closing ranks to protect the real killer, Claudine and the clinic s disreputable bookkeeper, Squeaky Robinson, vow to do their utmost for Dai. It seems, however, that hypocritical London society would rather send an innocent poet to the gallows than expose the shocking truth about one of their own.

Nevertheless, it s the season of miracles, and Claudine and Squeaky finally see a glimmer of hope not only for Dai but for an innocent young woman teetering on the brink of a lifetime of unhappiness. Anne Perry s heartwarming new holiday novel is a celebration of courage, faith, and love for all seasons.