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erincataldi's review against another edition
3.0
Anyone looking for a historical Christmas mystery has come to the wrong place. Anne Perry has created a short, small predictable mystery but thrown in the whole Christmas thing as an afterthought. Nothing about this story screams Christmas except perhaps the last line. Charles has gone to a small island for the holidays to bask in the sun on the side of the volcano. Things take a dark turn when one of the men staying at the "hotel" (more like B & B) says that someone tried to kill him. As if things couldn't get anymore dangerous the volcano starts to grumble. Are they all in danger? Will the volcano blow? A quick read narrated beautifully by Steven Crossly.
I received this audiobook for free from Library Thing in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.
I received this audiobook for free from Library Thing in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.
jbarr5's review against another edition
4.0
A Christmas escape by Anne Perry
Starts out when Charlie arrives in Stromboli, a mountainous island off the coast of Greek. He can't wait to walk to the mountain top where the volcano sometimes erupts.
Candace startles him, a 17 year old girl. Like tour of this area as I'll never get to see it for myself, very descriptive!
Events occur that leave a man dead. There are only a handful of people there and the killer is one of them. Charlie takes Candace under his care. They investigate to see who'd want the man dead...
The volcano has erupted!
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Starts out when Charlie arrives in Stromboli, a mountainous island off the coast of Greek. He can't wait to walk to the mountain top where the volcano sometimes erupts.
Candace startles him, a 17 year old girl. Like tour of this area as I'll never get to see it for myself, very descriptive!
Events occur that leave a man dead. There are only a handful of people there and the killer is one of them. Charlie takes Candace under his care. They investigate to see who'd want the man dead...
The volcano has erupted!
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
monica_requejo's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up because I love Anne Perry's books, but somehow I'd not realized that she wrote Christmas novellas.
I have read some of Perry's books that feature Charles Latterly's sister, Hester, but it's been awhile since I read any of them, and my memory was a bit rusty. I think I would've enjoyed A Christmas Escape if I'd remembered events of previous novels featuring Hester (and Charles as a side character), since I didn't really remember why Charles believes that he's wasted his entire life. It was partially explained in this novella, but not very thoroughly.
Anyway. The story itself was fairly short, interesting, and although the mystery was figured out in the end, it felt as though the "whodunit" was rushed.
The character I really liked was Candace - I felt that Perry did an excellent job of describing a 14-year-old girl who is wise in some ways, whimsical and childlike in others. The parts where Candace was talking (whether out of turn or not) were my favorite portions of this book. :)
Would recommend for a short, not-very-Christmassy read.
I have read some of Perry's books that feature Charles Latterly's sister, Hester, but it's been awhile since I read any of them, and my memory was a bit rusty. I think I would've enjoyed A Christmas Escape if I'd remembered events of previous novels featuring Hester (and Charles as a side character), since I didn't really remember why Charles believes that he's wasted his entire life. It was partially explained in this novella, but not very thoroughly.
Anyway. The story itself was fairly short, interesting, and although the mystery was figured out in the end, it felt as though the "whodunit" was rushed.
Spoiler
Also, it was never explained if Candace would receive the money that, through her grandmother, she was entitled to. Also, the way that Finbar trusted Charles enough to ask him to take care of Candace seemed to be a bit... bold? unreasonable? I don't know. Odd, for sure.The character I really liked was Candace - I felt that Perry did an excellent job of describing a 14-year-old girl who is wise in some ways, whimsical and childlike in others. The parts where Candace was talking (whether out of turn or not) were my favorite portions of this book. :)
Would recommend for a short, not-very-Christmassy read.
sde's review against another edition
3.0
This was the December pick for our mystery book club. It is short, and the cover made it look sweet. It started out as a light story of a bunch of Brits taking a Christmas vacation on the Italian island of Stromboli. There was some bickering, and I thought this might be a sweet mystery of something simple, not a death.
About half way through, things changed!
I had never heard of the Stromboli volcano, so I looked it up. It is indeed a live and very active volcano, and it erupted again just a few days ago. I am crossing this island off my vacation list.
About half way through, things changed!
Spoiler
Things got dark, several people died, a girl was orphaned for the third time, and more killing was attempted. Oh, and a bunch of things were destroyed by an erupting volcano! So not quite as sweet as I anticipated.I had never heard of the Stromboli volcano, so I looked it up. It is indeed a live and very active volcano, and it erupted again just a few days ago. I am crossing this island off my vacation list.
felinity's review
4.0
Charles Latterly, Hester's brother, has been a shadow character in the series so far - appearing occasionally, but not one you feel you know (an acquaintance of the reader, if you will) - so being the central character is something new, and very welcome.
He's passing the Christmas holiday in Stromboli, a small island off the Sicilian coast. At first his manner is reserved, his regret evident, but as the atmosphere and his host work their magic he welcomes the change, becoming almost playful as he learns to respect the surroundings. But this is not your typical feel-good Christmas novella: just knowing the author leads you to expect something sinister, a mysterious death. Two questions remain: who will survive, and where is the bigger danger: a murderer, or the volcano?
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
He's passing the Christmas holiday in Stromboli, a small island off the Sicilian coast. At first his manner is reserved, his regret evident, but as the atmosphere and his host work their magic he welcomes the change, becoming almost playful as he learns to respect the surroundings. But this is not your typical feel-good Christmas novella: just knowing the author leads you to expect something sinister, a mysterious death. Two questions remain: who will survive, and where is the bigger danger: a murderer, or the volcano?
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
rebdhar's review against another edition
4.0
A volcano provides the backdrop for this version of Perry's annual Christmas books. A fun read if you like a little murder with your Christmas story.
mariejosed's review against another edition
3.0
En ce qui concerne l'intrigue, ce n'est pas fameux et si on espère une belle ambiance de Noël...c'est raté, mais ça m'a donné envie d'en savoir plus sur l'Île de Stromboli.