In A Christmas Legacy we meet Gracie, married with three small children and her husband Samuel who is a police inspector at Bow Street Station. One day Gracie gets a knock on her door from a young girl, Millie, looking for help. Gracie used to work in service for the Pitt family when she was younger and she knew Millie’s mother Jenny. Millie, needing help and not knowing what to do, takes the risk of leaving work and seeking help from Gracie. Millie hopes Gracie is someone she can trust with her predicament. Food where Millie works at the Harcourt household is going missing and she and the rest of the staff are worried. There is a constant air of fear and concern that someone will be blamed and thrown out into the streets without reference. It’s right before Christmas and Gracie knows she is the only one who can help Millie figure this out. Gracie decides to take Millie’s place at the Harcourt’s for a few days to see if she can unravel the mystery, and ease Millie’s fears of being cast out into the cold.
I loved Gracie’s character. She is endearing, sweet, kind, and cares so much about people that you just root for her to succeed. I was mentally cheering her on to figure this mystery out. Why is food missing, who is taking it, where is it going, and why is everyone so secretive and scared? At about a third of the way through the book I had a hunch the direction it was going, and although it’s predictable it’s a joy to read. You want to see how the characters will navigate the dilemma and overcome. I especially loved reading about Gracie and her interaction with every member of the Harcourt household. She just warms your heart. She encourages and helps change the course and trajectory of everyone she encounters for the better. She definitely inserted hope into that house. The ending is so lovely and everything is beautifully resolved. The perfect read to give you all the beautiful feelings of the holidays...hope, faith, and love. It’s a very cozy read, and I completely recommend this charming story.


Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book I exchange for my honest opinion.

The first of Ms Perry’s Christmas novels I’ve read, A Christmas Legacy transports the reader back to a time when servitude was still commonplace and a way of life for so many. I doubt many escaped it as the main character, Gracie, was able to do. Well written, the novel offers mystery, romance, hidden dreams, and even a surprise ending.

A Christmas Legacy is a Christmas story by Anne Perry. This is the first of many books I hope to read by this author.

Gracie Tellman was a maid for Thomas and Charlotte Pitt before getting married., Gracie is now the mother of three young children and enjoys being a housewife and mother. Millie Foster, the daughter of Gracie's deceased best friend, shows up at her home shortly before Christmas and asks for her help. There is a mystery that needs to be solved where she works. Millie states that there is food going missing from the kitchen. Millie is unaware of what is going on in the house but is sure that she or the other servants will be accused of theft and fired without character references. She knows that Gracie has solved crimes so she begs for help. Gracie goes to Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt's home where she will be filling in for Millie. After a few days she discovers that Mr. Harcourt's elderly mother is basically confined to an upstairs bedroom. She seems to be suffering from neglect. Gracie offers kindness to the elder Mrs. Harcourt by changing the linens, her bedclothes, and food.

A Christmas Legacy is wonderful story about kindness and generosity to others.

The latest Christmas novel by Anne Perry carries on the tradition she has established in producing a yearly Christmas story. In this addition to the collection, Gracie Tellman returns temporarily to household service for a wealthy family. She has been asked by a servant in the household to discover the reason for thefts occurring there. When Gracie agrees to do this a short time until Christmas, she finds a carefully guarded secret in the home, with surprising outcomes.

The characters in this novel appeared in previous Perry novels, although this book can be read as a standalone. The characters are described well, and the story moves along at a thoughtful pace, with plenty of intrigue along the way. The short chapters encourage readers to continue reading. While experienced mystery readers might guess at the underlying tensions, the ending certainly contains a twist!

Readers who enjoy a clean mystery without violence, strong language, or sexual situations will find this an engaging read. Be ready to stay up past the usual bedtime to continue reading, as I did! Keep that tissue box handy though, to erase a stray tear or two that might occur while devouring this holiday story.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Honestly I absolutely adore any and all books that Anne Perry writes that have anything to do with Thomas and Charlotte Pitt , their families, their friends and anyone remotely connected to them. I especially always look forward to her Christmas books and this one was fabulous!!!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

I always look forward to Anne Perry’s Christmas books. It’s her chance to highlight some of her secondary characters from other novels so the reader can learn more about them. In this one, Gracie, former maid to the Pitt family, gets involved in a mystery. It is both heart-breaking, touching and satisfying.

This was the first book I have read from this author and didn't realize it was part of a series. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had known more of the backstory from the previous books. But it was still a nice quick little Christmas mystery with justice served.

A Christmas Legacy by Anne Perry 4 stars

This is a heartwarming Christmas mystery with Gracie, former housemaid of the Pitt household as the main character. By this time, she is happily married to her policeman and has three children. It is Christmas time and a knock on her door reveals Millie, daughter of a friend and now a maid in another household. Millie brings her a problem and a mystery about the household she works for. So Gracie goes undercover to investigate the mystery.

This is a very mild mystery; no gory violence and no apparent foul play. The supporting characters are engaging and there is a happy ending for some and a comeuppance for others. I enjoyed this very much. I look forward to the next Daniel Pitt mystery "Three Debts Paid" coming next year.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this ARC.

I enjoyed this book. In this one, we get married Gracie (the Pitts former maid) as the MC. She goes to help out in another household where things are not quite right. The Christmas stories are always a fun, fast read where we get happy endings.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for on honest review.

What would the holiday season be without a visit to Victoria England? A Christmas Legacy by Anne Perry is not so much the story of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt but that of their former maid Gracie Tillman. Gracie is quite the sleuth taking on the job of a maid friend who describes strange thefts and other happenings at the Harcourt House where she is employed.

Gracie is an engaging character to be admired. The well written plot does not involve the young as much as it does the old, how they are viewed by some and their treatment. The problem is one that exists still today at times. Also the treatment of servants is looked closely at as Gracie tries to help in the situation in this cold harsh house. While the Harcourts seem to be in control and a harsh control it is, the story ends with hope and glimpse of change to come. Some might consider this a dark Christmas story but it has an authentic ring to it.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a digital ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

This is a well written cozy mystery. I didn't realize it was part of a series when I requested it. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the books before it. All in all it was a good read I just felt like I was missing some of the backstory.
I received a complimentary copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley and awsn't required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

An enjoyable Christmas story by Anne Perry, who never disappoints. It is a little light on mystery but certainly delivers all of the Christmas feels and a wonderful ending.

Anne Perry, author of two acclaimed mystery series that I very much enjoy, usually writes a short Christmas novella each year. This year is no exception. “A Christmas Legacy” will be released in print and ebook formats on November 9, 2021.

I was blessed to have an Advanced Reader’s Copy sent to me from the publisher, Ballantine, and finished it in one sitting it was so enjoyable. I highly recommend it for a heart touching mystery as well as Christmas cheer.

It is set in the year 1900 in Victorian London, and features Thomas and Charlotte Pitt’s former maid Gracie— now happily married to a policeman and settled with three children of her own. Gracie ends up leaving home for a few days right before Christmas to work undercover and help the daughter of an old friend. It may well be my favorite of all of her Christmas novellas because of the theme of showing kindness despite adversity that runs through the book. It stands alone even if you have not read one of Perry’s other books.

An excerpt from the beginning of the novel:

“How old are you?” Gracie asked sternly.

“I’m very almost six,” Charlie replied, taking her finger away from the mixing bowl in which Gracie was stirring the Christmas cake for the final time, and looking at her mother with a combination of awe and pleading.

Gracie regarded her daughter with as much severity as she could manage, which was not a lot. “So you know to wait until I’m finished and have put this batter into the cake tin. Then you can have the rest.”

“But you don’t leave anything,” Charlie said reasonably.

“I leave enough,” her mother replied, and started to spoon the mixture into the baking tin. It was rich with raisins, sultanas, candied orange peel, and everything else delicious, even tiny threepenny bits, wrapped in pieces of cloth, so nobody would accidentally swallow them.

“How long is it till Christmas?” Charlie asked again.

“A week and two days,” Gracie replied.

“Why does everybody have a party for some little boy?” Charlie asked. “We aren’t going to have another little boy, are we? We’ve got enough.” She had two younger brothers, aged four and three. She was quite sure they did not need any more.

“This one was special,” Gracie explained.

“You said ours were special, too,” Charlie reminded her.

“Special to us. The one at Christmas is special to everybody.” Gracie moved the spoon round the bowl for a last time and regarded it carefully.

“That’s enough!” Charlie said quickly. “You can’t take it all!”

Gracie handed her the bowl and the spoon. “Can you manage that?”

“ ’Course I can!” Charlie answered without hesitation. She took the spoon and began licking off the very last scraps of cake mixture.

Before she had finished, there was a knock on the kitchen door at the back of the house. The door opened to the scullery and outside to the yard where the rubbish bins and the coal scuttles were, and where deliveries were made.

Gracie went to answer it. Her daughter followed close behind.

On the step was a girl of perhaps fourteen. She was dressed in a warm coat and wearing a hat, but she looked miserable, even frightened.

“Mrs. Tellman?” she asked. “Gracie Tellman?” She was ready to run away, if Gracie denied it.

“Yes, that’s me,” Gracie answered. “Come in. You look half-perished with cold.”

She stepped back and opened the door wider so the girl could come inside. Gracie could see that she worked in service. Before she was married, Gracie had been in service herself. But unlike so many girls, she had the good fortune to be in service to only one family, the Pitts. She had been thirteen when she started, and well over twenty when she left to marry Samuel Tellman. He had been a junior policeman then. Now he was an inspector at the Bow Street station, one of the most famous in London.

The girl came in and stood shivering in the kitchen. She was not much more than five feet tall, standing eye to eye with Gracie.

Gracie pointed to the kitchen chair nearest the stove, and the girl sat down. Without asking, Gracie filled the kettle and put it on the hob.

“I don’t know if you remember me,” the girl began tentatively. “My name is Millie Foster.”

Memory flooded Gracie’s mind. A case Samuel had first told her about late one evening, sharing his day with her when the children had gone to bed. That was her favorite time, when all the work was done, the doors closed. Samuel would tell her about not just the job, but also the things that had moved him, funny or sad or difficult. At the mention of Millie’s name, Gracie remembered Jenny Foster and her daughter, Millie, who had been about Charlie’s age then, and wrongly accused of household theft. Jenny had been charged with being unfit to look after her only child. It was Tellman, with a lot of help from Gracie, who had proved her innocence and reunited them. They had remained friends until Jenny’s early death, five or six years after that.

“Yes, of course,” Gracie said warmly, and then without any warning her eyes filled with tears, the memory sharp and touched with guilt. There was nothing she could have done to save Jenny, who’d had a sudden and devastating illness. But Millie had been taken in by an aunt, and Gracie had lost touch with her.

Now she looked at the distress in the girl’s face and did not waste time in regretting the past. “What’s wrong?” she asked.”

Anne Perry's Christmas Legacy is a short story with Gracie, who had worked for Thomas and Charlotte Pitt before they had risen in status. Gracie is asked to help her a young servant girl and agrees to go "undercover" and work in a wealthy household. Gracie feels that there is something wrong, but it takes a while before the different members of the staff open up to her. As she discovers why the staff members are frightened and the secret that they share, Gracie fights to make a change.

A Christmas Legacy is an engrossing and satisfying story of loyalty and risk.

Such a sweet Christmas story. Gracie used to work for the Pitt family and knows how it is to be a servant. When the daughter of a friend comes to her with a problem just before Christmas, Gracie knows she has to help her. Gracie agrees to take the girl's place to figure out how to solve the problem. She finds a well-run house, but it hides a bit of a secret. The master of the house has a mother that is kept almost locked away and very neglected. All the servants are afraid to say or do anything because they don't want to be put out in the cold. Good things happen when you are kind to others. Good story.

Orphans and runaways lived a very difficult life in big cities at the turn of the twentieth century. Either they are placed in strict government-run children’s homes or are left to fend for themselves on the streets. Many freeze to death or die of malnutrition. The very wealthy take them in and provide room and board but little if any compensation.

A young lady knocks on Gracie Tallman’s door and asks for help but then is sick with a cold and cannot accomplish her work. Gracie replaces her and helps in the job while she recuperates. Without a reference from another family or maintaining her job, however, all will be lost.

Every aspect of life in the rich person’s manor is closely monitored by the wife of the landlord. How dare the people living in livery expect more than a warm bed and a paltry diet! The offspring of the very wealthy expects everyone to provide luxuries for them without recompense or a simple thank you. They are the entitled.

The end result of Ms. Perry’s writing is a glimpse into a totally stark world of excess and poverty. Even an older person may be hidden away while the family hopes for a quick death to speed the execution of the will and acquisition of the properties. 5 stars - CE Williams

4.5 / 5.0 stars

The holiday novellas of gifted mystery writer, Anne Perry, are treasures to which this reader looks forward each winter. This nineteenth offering in her Yuletide mysteries is certainly among her best. There's mystery, superlative mise en scène with its spot-on historic detail as well as a strong Dickensian feel. There is gravitas to it which causes the reader to sit up and take notice. A cautionary tale, if you will.

True to form, Ms. Perry has drawn on a secondary character of her Charlotte and William Pitt mystery series, to act as the protagonist within her holiday story. Former maid to the Pitts, Gracie Tellman, has been sought out by Millie Foster, the daughter of a deceased friend. Millie is in service at the Harcourt's home. She shared with Gracie concern for disappearing fancy foods and fears that some or all of the staff will be thrown out at Christmas with an accusation of thievery. All of the staff are on tenterhooks. It is agreed that Gracie will step into Millie's place to see what's what and hopefully resolve the issues. In return, Millie will stay at the Tellman's home to care for Gracie's family while she "recuperates from a nasty cold". Gracie soon gets the lay of the land at the Harcourt home and eventually justice is served.

This was a well done story with some real food for thought. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction and especially to those who enjoy a touch of mystery in their stories.

I am grateful to Ballantine Books for having provided a complimentary copy of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: November 9, 2021
No. of pages: 208
ISBN: 9780593159392

A Christmas Legacy
by Anne Perry
Pub Date: November 9, 2021
Ballantine
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt's former maid takes a new job as Christmas approaches--but not everyone in the household may survive the holidays in this tension-filled novel from bestselling author Anne Perry.
Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC. Our patrons are always eager to read Perry's next Christmas book and it was nice to read it before it's on the shelf.
This is #19 in the series and it may be her best yet.
I will recommend it highly.
5stars

I enjoyed reading this book. It gave a glimpse at the heirachy in the Victorian household among servants as well as the often haughty homeowners! The mystery that unfolded was not quite what I expected but once revealed, I would have liked to know more of the backstory of Mrs. Adelina Harcourt and her son.(and his wife). The story also revealed how important the servants all were to one another...as it was sometimes the only family some knew....and how much they depended on these homes for their livelihood. Overall, it was a good read....not high on Christmas cheer....but a Christmas story none the less! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballentine Books, for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. #NetGalley #AChristmasLegacy

Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this book, gave up reading. I usually don’t like mysteries, it I thought this book might be interesting. I gave up after less than a quarter through.