Reverend Dominic Corde and his wife, Clarice, look forward
to leaving London for Cottisham to substitute for the much-
loved vacationing vicar, Reverend Wynter. The locals are
very attached to the vicar, but make the newcomers feel
welcome in their village. Dominic wants to make a good
impression, so he and Clarice begin visiting with members
of the congregation to get to know everyone and better
minister to their needs. In these meetings, they discover
that all is not well among all the members.
When Clarice locates the vicar's family Bible, something he
would surely have taken with him, she tries to find out
where, exactly, he is vacationing. What she discovers is
that the highly respected vicar never made it out of the
coal cellar. The condition of the body in the cellar leads
Dominic and Clarice to believe foul play is involved, and
the pair set out to discover who hated the vicar enough to
kill him.
A CHRISTMAS SECRET is an excellent Victorian cozy mystery.
Anne Perry captures the ambiance of the Victorian era with
the wonderful characters of Dominic and Clarice. The couple
is devoted both to one another and to their faith. Fans of
Ms. Perry will want to add this one to their
collection.
Dominic and Clarice Corde, who met and fell in love in
Brunswick Gardens, journey to a quaint hamlet to replace
the local vicar who is away on holiday. The holiday takes
a nasty turn when the vicar is discovered not to be away
at all, but brutally murdered and stashed in the cellar.
So instead of fulfilling the vicar's duties, the Cordes
are charged with solving his murder. All the while, the
picturesque village is becoming increasingly and
dangerously snowbound, its residents trapped as a killer
remains at large. The crime's surprising solution reveals
not only the killer, but the true meaning of the Christmas
message.