A Christmas Visitor (Christmas Novella 2): A festive Victorian mystery set in the Lake District (Christmas Novellas)
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(as of Nov 27, 2025 05:26:28 UTC – Details)
One Christmas proves to be unlike any other…
Henry Rathbone, one of Anne Perry’s most engaging characters from her William Monk series, appears in the seasonal murder mystery A Christmas Visitor. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Ann Granger.
‘It wouldn’t be Christmas without a good mystery, and this one has the perfect backdrop: a rambling manor in the Lake District’ – You Magazine
Henry Rathbone arrives to spend Christmas at the Dreghorn family manor house near Ullswater. He is greeted by the news that the master of the house, Judah Dreghorn has slipped while crossing a stream in the grounds of the estate in the middle of the night, and drowned. Not only this, but Ashton Gower, recently released from prison, is slandering Judah’s name, claiming that his family rightfully owns the estate and that the forged deeds for which he was imprisoned were in fact genuine. To Rathbone and the two remaining Dreghorn brothers, also returning to the Lakes for Christmas, Judah’s mysterious death and Gower’s outrageous claims seem inextricably linked.
What readers are saying about A Christmas Visitor:
‘I guarantee that you won’t soon forget this story’
‘An excellent novel set in the Lake District’
‘Five stars’
ASIN : B004JHY8RG
Publisher : Headline
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 25 Nov. 2010
Edition : New e.
Language : English
File size : 390 KB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 160 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-0755383122
Page Flip : Enabled
Book 2 of 21 : The Christmas Stories
Best Sellers Rank: 305,037 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) 626 in Christmas as a Religious Holiday 3,545 in Historical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Fiction 3,894 in Historical Mysteries (Kindle Store)
Customer reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 407 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
11 reviews for A Christmas Visitor (Christmas Novella 2): A festive Victorian mystery set in the Lake District (Christmas Novellas)
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Lillian –
Five Stars
the book was really good reading and a good price would use the sellar againthankyou
robert morgan –
Four Stars
what i wanted, ok
Jane Baker –
Christmas Spirit
I much preferred this to Anne Perry’s “The Christmas Journey” last year. It had more substance and was more thought-provoking. Reading about a united family, albeit a little tense at first in their meeting for the first time in grief, evoked the spirit of Christmas and re-birth.There was a strong moral in this for me. Whatever the price, honesty and kindness will over-ride other passions and the family remained united despite disparate emotions. Love for each other and for the value of their family won.Anne Perry is becoming a “tour de force” in Christmas novellas and her vocabulary and prose is powerful in bringing her readers to ally with her message.
Donald Mitchell –
The Honorable Judge Decides
On this sweltering summer day, I needed something to cool me off. A Christmas Story about Victorian England by Anne Perry seemed like just the right thing. I was right. It definitely helped!As we move away from Christmas and Easter, it’s easy to forget the things that Christians are supposed to do . . . including following the example of Jesus. There is perhaps no more dangerous occupation for a Christian’s soul than being a judge . . . for it is God’s job to judge and ours to forgive.In this novella, we learn about a remarkable, upright judge, Judah Dreghorn. The tale develops in an unusual fashion because Dreghorn has just died and his brothers, sister-in-law, wife, child and friend, Henry Rathbone, are arriving to celebrate Christmas as best they can. Dreghorn’s death soon appears to be suspicious, and the visitors begin to unearth the secrets of his final day on Earth . . . with surprising consequences.For many who prefer a certain type of Christmas story, this book will seem a little off. I found it more morally advanced than most Christmas stories because it addresses the challenges of doing the right thing . . . when there are earthly consequences.I guarantee that you won’t soon forget this story . . . and will probably think about it when you have the chance to right a wrong.May God bless you always!
Felicity Grace Terry –
A CHRISTMAS VISITOR.
Hmm, set at Christmas but other than the book title and descriptions of wintry scenes aplenty I’m really not sure why this is described as a Christmas novella.An murder story come what I thought of as a morality tale that lacked any sort of depth. The authors tendency towards the repetitive annoying. Still, on a positive note, a quick read of only 130 or so pages and I did quite enjoy the Lake District setting.Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
Florrie 22 –
Boring
I enjoy most types of books, especially historical type novels and period drama and was really looking forward to this ‘Christmas mystery’, but what a disappointment! This was one of the worst books I’ve ever read and I am an avid reader!It was utterly boring. The characters were dull and lifeless and after about 50 pages, I didn’t really care what happened to them. I am sorry that I persevered to the end when I could have been less bored washing the dishes!!I really have no idea why it’s twice been given 5 stars????Please don’t waste your money on this drivel. If you must read it, borrow it from a library. I have never, ever written a 1 star review before as most books have something in them to redeem themselves. This does not!!!
Sophie3 –
This is the best of the series that I’ve read so far. I highly recommend it. Interesting, fast moving, a tight mystery. Enjoy
Bücherfreak –
Ein schöner Krimi, gut zu lesen, ideal um versickerte Englischkenntnisse etwas aufzufrischen. Ich wollte immer wieder wissen, wie die Geschichte ausgeht und bin deshalb am Ball geblieben.
SORIN Anne-Marie –
No problem
Leigh –
This started as good story, an interesting premise. The death of Judah Dreghorn shortly before his brothers were due to arrive at the family estate for Christmas. The widow Antonia calls her godfather Henry Rathbone to join them and to offer her some support. As the two other brothers Ephraim and Benjamin arrive and Naomi, widow of the fourth Dreghorn brother Nathianiel arrive and learn the tragic news, they begin to wonder if there is more to Judah’s death than it being just a tragic accident. And this is where the story went where I didn’t think it would. While it appeared to be a good murder mystery, Judah’s body was believed to have been moved after his death, the book moves from finding out who could’ve killed him, to the story of forged documents and who the estate the Dreghorn’s are living on, really belongs to. By the book’s conclusion, the focus of the story is all about who forged the documents, or if they were really forged and the death of Judah Dreghorn becomes a secondary or even background story. In fact the only conclusion to that story is the police were investigating his death and one particular person. Rather disappointing for a murder mystery fan, someone who was hoping for just that when I started this book. While overall not a bad story, the ending for me was disappointing. On the bright side it was a quick and fairly easy read and Perry as always is excellent at setting the scene and making the reader feel they are right in the middle of the story themselves, so it wasn’t all bad.
jiffy –
I have now read eight of Anne Perry’s Christmas mysteries, and A Christmas Visitor is one of my favorites. The plot deals with the death of a well-respected judge named Judah Dreghorn who, for some reason, went on a long cross-country walk late one night in December and apparently slipped on an icy rock when crossing a stream, hit his head, and drowned. But the real story was much more complicated. It involved disputed ownership of the Dreghorn family estate, a man who claimed to have been wrongly imprisoned by the judge, and a Christmas reunion of the surviving Dreghorns–Judah’s widow and son Antonia and Joshua, his two brothers Benjamin and Ephraim, another brother’s widow Naomi, and Antonia’s godfather Henry Rathbone. I was most interested in finding out why Judah went where he did on the night of his death, but an even more important plotline is the issue of a possibly forged deed to the Dreghorn home. I had hoped for a different ending to the story, but what happened was necessary for the author to make her point about the importance of honor and doing the right thing even if it involves great personal sacrifice. This is a very worthwhile little book, ideal for Christmas reading and Christmas giving.