A Xmas Beginning....no where as good as past entries. I found that I
had to push myself to finish it. Hoping the next entry(due out in october
2008)is much better. Overall a very good series!

A Christmas Beginning can stand alone, however you will enjoy it and understand it more if you are familiar with Superintendent Runcorn from Ms. Perry's other novels. From the first Monk novel, the series he appears in, until now, Runcorn has undergone a gradual change. In the beginning, he bitterly dislikes Monk and resents him, seemingly without cause. However, we (and Monk) eventually discover what is in their past...and Runcorn become more human and understandable.

Ms. Perry does a good job of giving the reader the backstory on Runcorn, however. We find out that he has come to the remote island to get away from London, to give himself time to ponder. He's made new discoveries about himself and Runcorn, a plain man from very humble beginnings, is not sure how to deal with them. There is also the memory he carries of Melisande, a woman far above him socially and dependent upon her brother.

If you are looking for a regular whodunit mystery, there's a good chance you will be disappointed. There is a murder and a mystery to be solved, with several suspects, though. Runcorn finds the body while walking one evening. The officer in charge, a local gentleman, turns out to be engaged to Melisande, and her brother is only too pleased to inform Runcorn of this with a warning to stay away. After all, the police rank socially just above the ratcatcher. The townsfolk are jittery, Christmas is just days away, and Melisand asks Runcorn to help her fiance with the investigation: he is the only one around who has any experience.

The mystery is not the soul of the book. Ms Perry takes us into Runcorn's mind and heart while he walks the cold, windswept landscape. Her descriptions make you feel as if you are there, shivering and hurting along with him. He knows he cannot have Melisande, no matter how much he loves her and always will.

I found this to be a very peaceful, relaxing book- just perfect for a quiet evening.

I am a long-time Anne Perry reader. I love the rich details that surround her characters and the setting for each of her novels--Victorian England, a time and place so foreign to American life and yet so familiar.

I began reading Anne Perry with Thomas and Charlotte stories and moved to Monk and thereby Runcorn. The one-human-to-another trait that she places within each of her characters is a strong suit for her and the reason I read her works.

I did not know as I began the novel if I would be tolerant of Runcorn because of the way he behaved toward Monk or that he would be interesting as a solo character, but I held my judgment in abeyance and now I am glad that I did. He was complex enough to be interesting as a character(wounded, vulnerable, honorable). The plot was not worked out as completely as some of Perry's other stories, but then I accepted the plot as an indication of her attempt to concentrate on her development of Runcorn. This technique did allow him to redeem himself with me.

At the end, I was happy that he might have a chance at the kind of love and life that Charlotte and Thomas and Monk and Hester share. But, of course, Melisande may not be able to change her life so drastically,as Charlotte had done when she married Thomas.

The Christmas season does not play an important part in the story, not even to provide atmosphere. The story could have occurred at any time of the winter season. The only connection of the story to the Christmas season is the title. You can infer at the end that the title refers to Runcorn.

A disappointment. Repetitive,disconnected and of little interest. Ms. Perry appears to be writing for a deadline not her readers.

First Sentence: So this was the Isle of Anglesey.

Superintendent John Runcorn has come to Anglesey in Wales to spend Christmas alone. He didn't expect to become involved in the murder investigation of the local vicar's sister. Nor, did he expect to run into Melisande Ewart, a woman Runcorn knew from a murder he'd investigated in London and never forgotten.

Ms. Perry's Christmas gift to her fans is these annual short novels that are absolute gems. Each takes a secondary character from her regular series, in this case the Monk series, and places them center stage. Each story also has a central theme, overriding the mystery, but they are never preachy or moralizing. This year's theme, for me, was renewal and love; beginnings.. For the first time, Runcorn really looked at himself and who he was, realizing he could change. It's fascinating to see a character whom we'd come to know as unpleasant, reveal his insecurities, both to us and finally, to himself. The ending is absolutely delightful. At the core of the book is still an interesting mystery with a twist at the end, which did feel a bit rushed; hence the rating of VG rather than Excellent.