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    A Christmas Escape
    A Christmas Escape
    A Christmas Escape
    Audiobook3 hours

    A Christmas Escape

    Written by Anne Perry

    Narrated by Steven Crossley

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    For countless readers, Christmastime means a delicious new holiday mystery from New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry. A Christmas Escape, her twelfth noel to the season, transports us to a Mediterranean island for an unconventional Yuletide adventure-and an unforgettable volcanic encounter. Lonely Charles Latterly arrives at his small hotel hoping that the island's blue skies and gentle breezes will brighten his spirits. Unfortunately, there's no holiday cheer to be found among his fellow guests, who include a pompous novelist, a stuffy colonel, a dangerously ill-matched married couple, and an ailing old man. The one charming exception is orphaned teenager Candace Finbar, who takes Charles under her wing and introduces him to the island's beauty. But the tranquility of the holiday is swiftly disrupted by a violent quarrel, an unpleasant gentleman's shocking claims of being stalked, and the ominous stirrings of the local volcano. Then events take an even darker turn: A body is found, and Charles quickly realizes that the killer must be among the group of guests. Captivating in its depiction of untamed nature in all its awesome power, and of the human heart in the throes of transformation, A Christmas Escape gifts readers with Anne Perry's talent for making the season brighter-and more thrilling.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 10, 2015
    ISBN9781490674018
    A Christmas Escape
    Author

    Anne Perry

    With twenty million books in print, ANNE PERRY's was selected by The Times as one of the twentieth century's '100 Masters of Crime', for more information about Anne and her books, visit: www.anneperry.co.uk

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    Reviews for A Christmas Escape

    3.5/5

    102 ratings31 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Charles Latterly's wife has just died and he is feeling lost. He feels that his life is not as successful as he had hoped. Instead of enduring the Christmas holiday, he decides to take a trip to the Mediterranean isle of Stromboli. He is staying near a volcano and looks forward to exploring the volcanic sites. His host is a happy Italian man who enjoys cooking and welcoming his guests. He also meets a charming young girl, Candace Finlay, and enjoys her company. The peace is broken by an ornery man who seems to find problems with everyone. And them, the unlikely happens...I don't seem to enjoy the shorter stories, they just seem so quick and without much detail.
    • 3/5
      I wasn't exactly thrilled by this entry into the Victorian Christmas Mystery series featuring characters from the world of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. This one featured Charles Latterly, the brother of Hester Latterly Monk. Charles, a recent widower, feeling like a failure whose life has been wasted, goes to Stromboli, a volcanic island in the Mediterranean for a three-week Christmas vacation at a lovely inn near the top of the active volcano. I kept getting distracted from the mystery by the odd relationship between Charles- a 40-something year old widow - and a precocious orphaned teenaged girl. Although the relationship is portrayed as completely benign, I wondered that the girl's guardian was so quick to trust Charles with her well-being. Anyway, *SPOILER WARNING* the volcano erupts a few days into his vacay, killing one of them, and one of the guests staying at the inn is found murdered just before the survivors have to flee for their lives down the mountain ahead of the lava flow. *END SPOILER* I thought the ending was abrupt even for a novella. I read one of these a few years ago - A New York Christmas - and liked it a bit more, but I don't think I'm going to be searching out more of these to read.
    • 4/5
      Charles Latterly, a recent widower, is taking a vacation on Stromboli, one of Italy’s islands over Christmas. The inn where he is staying is in the shadow of a volcano that has been sputtering on and off for years. He is thrilled to meet Stefano, their host, who is a wonderful cook and tries his best to take care of and calm his guests. The other guests consist of The Baileys, who are a mismatched couple. Mr. Bailey bullies his wife as well as treating everyone else abominably, often baiting them. Colonel Bretherton is an old military man, who seems to care very much about Mrs. Bailey. The Finbars, Roger, an older gentleman who is his great-niece’s guardian, and his precocious niece, Candace, who meets Charles upon his arrival and charms him immediately. The last vacationer is Quinn, a best-selling author who wrote a rather racey book from the perspective of his major character, Lucy, who reminds Candace of her feisty grandmama. Considering this is a novella, Anne Perry does an admirable job of introducing us to her characters and letting us get to know them.

      There is a lot of animosity between some of the characters, which plays out at the dinner table during meals. Most involves the obnoxious Mr. Bailey. Quinn and Mr. Bailey often have curt words with each other with Candace coming to his defense and inadvertently causing more issues. Charles tries to be the peacemaker in a couple of situations but is not always successful. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey do not seem to have an amicible relationship and the smitten Colonel must be careful not to intervene in their situation. When Bailey turns up dead, although it is covered up to look like an accident, there are any number of suspects. Of course, that investigation has to be put on hold as the volcano wakes up and furiously begins to spew lava and hot rocks. The mad dash down the mountain and the dead bodies left in its wake bring this story to a fast and furious ending.

      This short novella is well-written with descriptions that are very realistic and make the reader feel like they can actually see the beautiful Stromboli. The biggest disappointment about this novella is the fact that, other than being set in the Christmas time frame, there is not much about it that is Christmas-like. The story may just as well have taken pace at a different time of the year as during this holiday season. I have not read any of the Anne Perry mystery series so can not relate to her other books as many of the other reviewers have done but I enjoyed the book as a standalone.

      I received a copy of this book from the Mysteries and Crime Thrillers Blog.
    • 4/5
      Certainly a most novel approach to a Chrismas novel if one considers journeying a distance in a rowboat to spend time on the side of an active volcano. But Perry has again added a murder in a most unique setting. As usual, the detecting is secondary to the circumstances in which all is done. Unusual is the development of the storyteller as a person from a nothing person to a strong person.
    • 2/5
      Recently-widowed Charles Latterly arrives on the island of Stromboli for the Christmas season. His fellow guests in the small hotel are all British, and it's soon apparent that there are tensions among them. Most of the other guests were already acquainted before their arrival at the Italian hotel and it seems they brought their rivalries and disagreements with them. The teenaged Candace is the one bright spot for Charles. Candace is still young enough to speak her mind without restraint, and Charles' shock and alarm at her frank assessments of their fellow guests is tempered with admiration for her spirit. The tension comes to a head as the island's volcano comes to life, and Charles and his fellow guests must flee for their lives while wondering which one of them is a murderer.Anne Perry's historical crime novels focus on motive and psychology. They can be excellent when she hits it just right. When she doesn't hit it right, they become too melodramatic. This novella is heavy with melodrama. Recommended only for series completists.
    • 4/5
      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).
    • 3/5
      Pretty much what I was expecting – a short and light little Holiday mystery, although maybe a little light on the Christmas theme. (I was concerned about listening to it in April but really, the most Holiday things about it were the name and the lovely illustration on the CD box.) Englishman Charles Latterly travels to a small, Italian island for a Holiday getaway as a balm for his loneliness. Frictions soon surface among the guests at the villa in which he is staying. Nature herself then creates another, perhaps greater, danger. This was my first book by Anne Perry and I’m tempted to give another of her books a try. Latterly seemed to be a recurring character and a quick check indicated he is a minor character in her William Monk series. The narrator, Steven Crossly, does a great job and added greatly to the book’s appeal.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      This was a thoroughly enjoyable mystery. It's a classic story of a group gathered at a country estate; the detail which makes it more interesting is the estate in question is on the isle of Stromboli in Italy and the volcano is becoming active. A rather typical cast of characters - the retired military man, the unhappy married couple, etc. - is not tedious as one might expect because of Perry's deft characterization which brings each character to life. The climax of the novel involves the guests trying to escape the volcano's eruption as our hero wonders which of the fellow survivors killed the thoroughly disagreeable victim.The narrator for this audio version does an excellent job.
    • 2/5
      “A Christmas Escape”—which was provided as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program -- is definitely wrought in Perry’s signature style, complete with a set of familiar and intriguing characters who, this time, find themselves trying to solve a murder while also trying to outrun an unexpected eruption of a historic island volcano. Perry has chosen to set her holiday mystery on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Stromboli, an island off the coast of Italy whose volcano, Mt. Stromboli has been in almost continuous eruption for the past 2,000 years. To her credit, Perry did pack in a lot of character development and a decent amount of suspense into this short book. All the Victorian-era characters were finely drawn and I was especially happy to see that the lead character was Charles Latterly, brother to Hester Monk of Perry’s William Monk series. Charles is a very appealing hero here. However, this year’s offering felt a little “dialed-in” with really no holiday theme except that the English characters all decided to “get away from it all” that year and spend Christmas in on an exotic Mediterranean island. There was also a lot of detail about the volcano erupting which got a little tedious at times when I’d have preferred a bit more story. Overall, I enjoy and look forward to Perry’s little Christmas mysteries but this latest one was simply not my favorite.
    • 4/5
      Although this story is loosely related to author Anne Perry's Commander Monk mystery series, it never the less stands well on its own. The lead character, Charles Latterley, is the anchor-less brother to Monk's wife, who is now a widower and lacking in confidence and direction. The results of this story soon provide him with purpose and reasons enough to continue. The setting is Christmas holiday time, in the late 1800s on the island of Stromboli just off the coast of Sicily. The volcano (with the same name as the island) is threatening to wreak its havoc upon the islanders and holiday makers just in time for Christmas. All is not well among the travelers at the mountainside inn. Nothing raises one's Christmas spirits quite the way murder and theft do. This is not your usual happy, glittery with shiny tinsel Christmas story. It is dark and brooding. In spite of all that, hope will prevail as it does every Christmas. I am grateful to Recorded Books and LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for having provided a copy of this audio-book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone. This is not a bright holiday tale. It is deep, but there is sadness mixed in with the hope. The tone is bittersweet and a tad melancholy. I must have been in just the right mood because I was satisfied with the emotions the story drew out.My only real niggle is that the revelation and subsequent ending felt rushed and abrupt. Yes, it leaves thing clear about who and much of the why, but skipped over the how and a more in depth why. I do hope there will be more Charles and Candace in the regular series.So, again, I enjoyed the story of one of the side characters set at Christmas time with his own mystery to solve. The setting was fantastic and I felt like I took a little journey to southern Italy as a result. Synopsis (from back of audio-book box):For countless readers, Christmastime means a delicious new holiday mystery from "New York Times" bestselling author Anne Perry. "A Christmas Escape, " her thirteenth noel to the season, transports us to the Mediterranean island of Stromboli for an unconventional Yuletide adventure and an unforgettable volcanic encounter.Lonely Charles Latterly arrives at his small hotel hoping that the island s blue skies and gentle breezes will brighten his spirits. Unfortunately, there s no holiday cheer to be found among his fellow guests, who include a pompous novelist, a stuffy colonel, a dangerously ill-matched married couple, and an ailing old man. The one charming exception is orphaned teenager Candace Finbar, who takes Charles under her wing and introduces him to the island s beauty. But the tranquility of the holiday is swiftly disrupted by a violent quarrel, an unpleasant gentleman s shocking claims of being stalked, and the ominous stirrings of the local volcano. Then events take an even darker turn: A body is found, and Charles quickly realizes that the killer must be among the group of guests.Captivating in its depiction of untamed nature in all its awesome power, and of the human heart in the throes of transformation, "A Christmas Escape" gifts readers with Anne Perry s talent for making the season brighter and more thrilling.
    • 3/5
      I received this as an Early Reviewers copy, although it arrived after Christmas. It's a short story featuring a minor character from the Monk novels, Hester's brother, Charles Latterly, who is on a Christmas holiday after the death of his wife. As is common in Perry's Victorian novels, it's set in a time where manners and honor feature prominently. As with the other Christmas mysteries, this is a quick read, but written in Perry's usual engaging style. I felt that the ending was quite abrupt, however, and would like to have seen a bit more of a wrap up. That said, it's an interesting, if implausible to modern mores, story.
    • 4/5
      After the death of his wife, Charles Latterly travels to the island of Stromboli for Christmas, hoping that will give him a fresh start. His retreat is far from restful however, as he has to deal with quarreling fellow guests at the hotel, an active volcano, an equally active teenager, and a murder victim. This may not be the Christmas escape he planned but it will forever change his life.“A Christmas Escape” is the first book I have read by Anne Perry and I was unaware of her tradition of writing an annual Christmas mystery so I went into this book without any expectations. For the most part, I was quite pleased with this book. Perry does an excellent job of mixing humor and tension in the book I loved the description of the various characters and the island setting - her descriptions are vivid enough that at times help I felt like I was on the island myself dealing with an unsettled for volcano - this was especially true at the end of the book. I love Perry's style of writing - the book has an old-fashioned Agatha Christie-like feel to it that I really enjoyed. Having said that, the book is a bit unbelievable (would a guardian trust his teenage ward to a virtual stranger in real life?) and slight, especially the murder mystery which occurs late in the book and really isn't detected by anyone (there is also a secondary mystery that is mentioned and solved in the space of a few pages). Still, I really enjoyed the characters and setting of this book.“A Christmas Escape” is the first Anne Perry book that I have read but it certainly won't be my last.
    • 3/5
      This is the latest Christmas novella from Anne Perry. As usual, she takes a minor character from one of her previous books--in this case, Charles Latterly, Hester Monk's brother--and makes him the protagonist.Charles, recently widowed, has come to the island of Stromboli, Italy, for the Christmas holiday. After being greeted by Stefano, owner of the hostelry where he is staying, he begins to meet the other guests. He is particularly drawn to 14-year-old Candace Finbar, an orphan who is under the guardianship of her great-uncle Roger. Charles soon learns that two of the guests are extremely antagonistic towards each other and make life unpleasant for those around them. He also discovers that another guest is greatly attracted to the wife of one of the antagonistic men, making things even more complicated. Increasing the tension is the increased activity of the volcano which looms over the entire island. Although the volcano has been clearing its throat for years, it becomes more and more apparent than an eruption is about to occur. Stefano encourages everyone to head to the seaside to escape, but before this can happen, one guest is found dead in what appears to be an accident but turns out to be murder. Shortly thereafter, both Stefano and Roger are killed by lava bombs from the volcano and Charles takes on the task of escorting the remaining guests to safety. Along the way, the murderer is revealed and justice is served. As they enter the village hours later, bells are ringing and the survivors realize it is Christmas Day. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a quick read. It is not particularly light reading, however, due to the ongoing feeling of menace from the volcano. This review was written for the Library Thing Early Reviewers (although I did not receive the book until after it was already available to the public).
    • 3/5
      Charles Latterly arrives at a small hotel hoping that the island's blue skies and gentle breezes will brighten his spirits. Unfortunately, there's no cheer to be found among his fellow guests. The one charming exception is orphaned teenager, Candace Finbar, who takes Charles under her wing and introduces him to the island's beauty. But the tranquility is swiftly disrupted by a violent quarrel, an unpleasant gentlemen's shocking claim and the stirrings of the local volcano. Then events take an even darker turn when a body is found.I'm a big fan of the author's William Monk and Thomas Pitt series. I've never read her Christmas books so I was looking forward to a treat. Unfortunately, I found the book less mystery and Christmas and more about the volcano.
    • 5/5
      One of the more intriguing entries in the series has Hester Monk's brother going to the Mediterranean to recover from the death of his wife. He joins a party of travelers satying at an inn near the peak of Stromboli, so that he may do some hiking. Of course there is a murder, and Charles cannot resist trying to help solve it. Tensions run high and then go higher as the volcano rumbles to life and all must flee. Predictable in some areas, but just great in others. Makes me feel sure I do not want to be caught in an eruption anywhere.
    • 4/5
      Interesting novella with a hint of mystery. The author writes a series of these, set at Christmas time. In this book, you get an exotic setting and interesting, flawed characters. Enjoyable and very appropriate for a holiday read. I recommend it!
    • 3/5
      I received this book from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. It was enjoyable and held my attention. It takes place on the island of Stromboli, which is a real island with an active volcano, just like the volcano described in the book. I wondered why the characters in the book would choose a small volcanic island for a "Christmas Escape," but found, by looking online, that the island is a genuine tourist attraction. The book is a kind of mystery/adventure story, describing a murder, a volcanic eruption, and a scary escape from a hotel near the eruption to the safety of a seaside village on Stromboli.
    • 3/5
      It’s correct that this story has little to do with Christmas, other than it is that time of year when Charles Latterly decides to go on an island vacation. But that aspect doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is that the story itself lacks clarity and development. It has a great premise: a volcano is threatening to erupt. It has a delightful cast of characters: a charming young girl on the brink of womanhood, her aging but doting uncle, and lonely Charles who is at once fascinated by her, as well as verbally abusive man, his brow-beaten wife, a retired military man, an author, and the owner of the inn. This combination should have made for a really wonderful story. But the characters are not well developed and the plot does not move smoothly to its conclusion. More than once, I was sure I had skipped a page, because the story seemed disjointed, but I had not. And when I turned what was the unexpected last page, I was sorely disappointed. Too many questions remained unanswered. Perhaps because this was a short novella – only 157 pages – there just wasn’t time for the author to address these issues. She did leave me wanting much more, and in a novel, that is not a good thing.
    • 4/5
      Charles Latterly visits the island of Stromboli to get away for Christmas. He meets a couple who doesn't get along, a retired Colonel, an author, and a young girl and her great uncle who takes charge. The owner of the hostel where they are staying assures them the volcano on the island is always rumbling but that the lava never flows their way. Soon one of the group disappears and is found dead. When murder is discovered, Charles is certain that the murderer is among those remaining. A volcanic eruption takes out two more of the group, but Charles is certain the murderer will be accompanying them as they make their way to the sea to escape. A quick and fun Christmas read! This book was received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program in exchange for a review.
    • 5/5
      I received this book through the LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. Anne Perry is absolutely one of my favorite Authoress'. Each year I look forward to the new Christmas mystery. These novellas are a joy. I read this one in 2 days. Just could not put the book down. Charles Latterly is related to another character from one of the Anne Perry series. His story was a good one. I read enough mysteries that I normally can figure out before the end of the story who the culprit is. In this case I was enthralled right up to the end. A good read!!
    • 4/5
      I received this book through the LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. This was the first book I've read by Anne Perry, and I did enjoy it. It's a rather small book - about 150 pages, and the pages are small, so it felt more like a short story than a novel. As a result, there was not a lot of background on the characters - I would have liked to know more about why they were spending Christmas together. Overall - a pleasant read.
    • 3/5
      This was a good, solid, old fashioned mystery set at Christmas time. I liked the period details, and the setting on the edge of a volcano near the sea in Italy. There were a good amount of characters, with likable heroes.
    • 3/5
      This year has been a scarcity in holiday books, but I have read Anne Perry's latest Christmas novella. This story centers in Stromboli, and an active volcano ready to eliminate all in its path. Charles Latterly, Hester Monk's brother, goes to Stromboli for a vacation and rest, and meets other individuals seeking the same retreat during the holiday season. Charles becomes friends with a young orphan and her guardian, the Finbars. The other guests are Mr. and Mrs. Baxley, Quinn, and Colonel Bretherton. All seem to be enjoying the sumptuous feast prepared by the host, until tempers heat and the volcano awakens. Perry writes a compact Christmas novella complete with despair, hope, and love.
    • 2/5
      Charles Latterly needs to escape from his life so he goes to Sicily at Christmastime to do so only to find a greater need to escape not from is own world but the one we all live in.
    • 4/5
      Every Christmas Anne Perry delights us with a new adventure for a minor character from her mysteries series and this year was a grand surprise where the reader meets Hester Monk's brother, Charles Latterly while he is on a vacation to Italy. Murder is evident but the settings and characters are new and unknown - great change of pace.
    • 4/5
      Eagerly anticipated, well done, an early Christmas gift from an excellent author. This series continues to provide several hours of quiet contentment during the holidays.
    • 4/5
      I look forward to Anne Perry's little Christmas novelettes every year. They always include a minor character from one of her two long-running series. In this case we have Charles Latterly, Hester Monk's brother. The setting is different for a Christmas story. Charles has traveled to the Mediterranean island of Stromboli to spend Christmas. He has just recently lost his wife and he wants to get away to regroup and do some hiking. Stromboli island has a very active volcano, but the hiking is spectacular. He is staying at a small hotel on the island that is located in the lee of the volcano. The food is fantastic, but the other guests are varied, and some are not very likable. A lot happens in this little book. The Stromboli volcano is showing signs of becoming very active. There is a lot of antagonism between some of the guests that spills over onto the other guests like Charles. Anne Perry's storytelling is excellent, whether it's in one of her novels, or in a small novelette like this. Her descriptions and her characterizations makes her stories and her characters come alive. There wasn't much about Christmas in this book, but it was enjoyable all the same.
    • 5/5
      Christmas with a difference!It took me a while to realize that this story is about Hester Monk's brother, Charles Latterly. Charles has decided to escape the harshness of a Victorian London Christmas and has journeyed to a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of three active volcanoes in Italy. His hostelry is perched against the upper reaches of the volcano.Here Charles hopes to attain a measure of inner healing, a different perspective. What he finds is a strange mixture of guests and a volcano that appears anything but benign.The dark grumbling of that entity are viewed differently by the guests. Some are drawn to it, others repelled.Languid days, the mystery of the volcano, the sense of something almost mystical beyond the grasp of mere mortals colours the background and enhances the electricity amongst the various guests, all calmed by the host, Stefano whose culinary abilities seem to act at times as a soothing tonic not only for the guests but for the volcano itself.The English guests are a very different group--some grating, others ineffectual and yet others discerning. Charles is much taken, as am I, by the delightfully precocious teen, Candace Finbar. A young girl who sees to the heart of things way beyond the normal scope of understanding with a maturity that belies her years. Her's and Charles' unlikely, charming friendship becomes a central focus.All is not as it should be in this small guesting community and when the volcano spews forth it's anger and a member of the household dies, fleeing the danger portended by the volcano is spiked with the added realization that there is a killer amongst the company.A very unusual story that speaks on a multitude of levels, a Christmas offering with a difference.A NetGalley ARC
    • 5/5
      Charles Latterly is taking a vacation on one of Italy’s islands, hoping the location will brighten his spirits. He is not alone at the inn where he is staying, in the shadow of a volcano that has been quietly raging on and off for years. Stefano, their host, is a wonderful cook and tries his best to take care of his guests. The Baileys are a strange couple. Mr. Bailey enjoys bullying his wife as well as treating everyone else abominably. Colonel Bretherton is a stuffy, old military man, who is sweet on Mrs. Bailey. Then there are the Finbars. Roger, an elderly gentleman and his niece’s guardian, is accompanied by his precocious and interesting niece, Candace, who immediately takes a fancy to Charles, showing him around the area. Finally, there is the well-known, best-selling author Quinn, who appears to be not what people think he is. Together, this motley crew are spending the holidays at the inn. The biggest disappointment about this novella is the fact that, other than being set in the Christmas time frame, there is not much about it that is Christmas-like. The story may just as well have taken pace at a different time of the year as during this holiday season. The story also holds intrigue. There are dead bodies, a debit owed that may never be paid, and the awakening volcano, spewing danger everywhere in its path. This short novella is well-written. I almost felt as if I have traveled to the sunny Italian venue where it took place. The descriptions were quite well done and very realistic. This is a fairly good book, though, as I said, not filled with a lot of Christmas like events and mentions. Still, it is entertaining and will appeal to anyone who enjoys the author’s writing and other books. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.