A review by zlibrarian
A New York Christmas by Anne Perry

4.0

Set in early 20th-century New York City, she gives us an appealing, smart, engaging heroine, a believable tale of betrayal and greed, and an unexpectedly charming romantic hero. Although the identity of the murderer is rather obvious, the motives and context are what keep the story going, along with its lovely romantic elements. This novella will appeal to both longtime fans of Perry’s detective Pitt, but as a librarian I’d recommend this book to readers interested in historical fiction and intelligent women characters. Believable family drama and interesting observations on the class system and connections between British and American wealth and the ways wealthy families and industrialists maintained social and economic power. Excellent pacing and details that provide a strong sense of atmosphere. One caveat, given with the understanding that I was reading an ARC: it would have been historically accurate to for the characters use the term ‘Negro’ instead of ‘black’, and even the middle and upper classes (yes, they did exist, as many primary sources attest) of African American NYC society of the period did not interact so easily in neighborhoods and other public spaces as suggested in the middle and later chapters of the book. NY was not the South, but certain social and commercial interactions would not have been so readily accepted as depicted in the story -- a flaw that could have been solved with more focused research. The Colored Orphan Asylum riots, during which Black adults and children were murdered, would have been part of NYC’s active political and cultural memory during the period in which the book is set. Aside from that, A New York Christmas is a good read and definitely one to recommend. I’d be very interested in another Perry novel featuring the main characters. An observant, empathetic detective’s daughter and a big-city policeman? I’d gladly follow them through another story!