A CHRISTMAS BEGINNING - Anne Perry
Ballantine Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-345-48582-3
November 2007
Historical Mystery

Angelsey Isle, Great Britain - Victorian Era, circa 1870

When Metropolitan Police Superintendent Runcorn of Scotland Yard is due for a vacation he has never taken, he realizes that he is tired of the city and leaves London to rent a room from Mrs. Owen in the town of Beaumaris, on Angelsey Island in Wales. Runcorn is alone; he has no family waiting at home, and after the stresses of London's continual crimes, he yearns to spend his time in peaceful surroundings. On the island, he runs into John Barclay, a man he met during a murder investigation. But it isn't John Barclay who interests Runcorn. It's his beautiful widowed sister, Melisande Ewart. In London, Melisande defied her brother and helped Runcorn solve a murder, something quite below her station. He admires her bravery, but it's her soft beauty and the haunted sadness in her eyes that still call to his memory.

Once Runcorn realizes that John Barclay must own property here on the island, he can't stop thinking of Melisande, so, first thing Sunday morning, he dons a suit he packed for just such an event and attends the local church where he meets Vicar Arthur Costain and his wife Naomi. And there, he sees Melisande, and she remembers him! He knows this by the way she acknowledges him with a secret smile. Runcorn is a people watcher; he has to be in his vocation, and he can't help but notice when another beautiful young woman walks down the center aisle, self-assured and seemingly happy within her own world. As Runcorn watches her, he sees John Barclay glaring at her. It appears that this young woman, the vicar's sister, Olivia Costain, garners a lot of attention. Another man, whom Runcorn later learns is wealthy land owner Mr. Newbridge, is also watching her angrily as she walks by. It appears that Olivia has angered several men in the parish. But how? She is certainly a captivating female, so when Runcorn stumbles over her lifeless body the next day, he's determined to find her murderer.

A CHRISTMAS BEGINNING is Anne Perry's latest Christmas novella, which gives us some surprising insight into Superintendent Runcorn, a character from the popular William Monk mysteries. Runcorn is anxious to solve Olivia's murder, but he is out of his jurisdiction, and he is on vacation. Even so, he eventually convinces Constable Warner to allow him to help. After all, the only thing this small island sees in the way of crime is an occasional robbery or a domestic squabble, never a murder.

The secondary characters in this story are dynamic; the most memorable are Melisande Ewart and her fiancé, Sir Alan Faraday; the Costains, and the curate, Thomas Kelsall. There is even a surprise ending and a little thread of romance beneath the mystery. For a quick and memorable read, pick up a copy of A CHRISTMAS BEGINNING.

Diana Risso