A Christmas Visitor (2004)

Anne Perry's new Victorian thriller unspools deep in the English Lake District, shrouded in the gloom and chill of winter. Three brothers plan to reunite one Christmas at Dreghorn, the family estate, but before the festivities, one dies, slipping on frozen stones in a stream. Accidental death or murder? It's up to the widow's godfather, Henry Rathbone — one of Perry's recurring characters — to sift through the clues, many of which disappear with each fresh snowfall and thaw. At 199 pages, A Christmas Visitor is one of Perry's slightest offerings, but satisfyingly dark and suspenseful.