A Christmas Odyssey

By: Anne Perry

Narrated by: Terrence Hardiman

Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Henry Rathbone is called by an old friend whose son has gone missing 10 days before the Christmas holiday. Now in his early 20s, Lucien has known trouble for some time and has often fallen victim to the vices of drugs, alcohol, and women. His father now fears the worst. Their old friend and reformed brothel-owner, Squeaky Robinson, volunteers to help. Henry agrees and, joined by Crow, a young doctor at the clinic, the pair trawls the pubs, brothels, and opium dens of the West End in search of clues. And so they set forth on their odyssey into London’s dark streets, on a mission whose outcome they cannot begin to guess.

©2010 Anne Perry. All rights reserved. (P)2010 AudioGo

wonderful story for Christmas!

before my I started this Christmas story I was worried after reading some body the reviews...I am so glad I disregarded and continue my read. it's a perfect story of true friendship, deep dispire and redemption. harsh for the faint heartened. perfect holiday story.
England in the 1800's was glorious for the privileged but for the the lost soul much could be found to lead you down a dark path. I felt truly wrapped with the true spirit of Christmas!

Good, but much darker than the other Anne Perry books.

I enjoyed this book but it is much darker than the other Anne Perry Christmas mystery books. I’ve listened to several of the others and they’ve been following a “pattern.” This one does not. It’s nice that it’s different but I just wanted to give a heads up that it’s a darker book than the others. Still very well written and the narrator is superb.

Not Really a Feel-Good Christmas Tale.

This is very different from Anne Perry's other Christmas stories. Technically, it is Christmas. It has a happy ending. It is a retelling of the Prodigal Son. But it was very harsh in its depiction of the filthy underbelly of Victorian/Edwardian England.

dark

while this is ultimately a story of a Prodigal son, and therefore hopefully redemptive, any positive message is over shadowed by the very dark subject matter. this is a story of the 1880s London underworld. it is grim and vivid and stomach turning at times. the narrator gives an excellent performance but overall this is a dark and negative tale. i certainly cannot recommend it of you are looking for an uplifting Christmas read.

It Didn't Make Me Care

I usually love Anne Perry, but I almost DNF this one. The first half is almost entirely focused on overblown Victorian sensibilities toward honor, and the horrors of the sinful pleasures. When a real mystery finally comes into play in the second half, there are some interesting twists, but we are trying to figure out who killed a whore and a drug dealer who we never knew within the story, and don't really care about.

Unexpected Fun

I did not expect an action packed start to finish Christmas story. I was thoroughly entertained.

The prodigal son comes home for Christmas

For many Christmas is a depressingly dark and lonely time. Anne Perry accurately depicts how easy it is to be sucked into a place where you think there is no redemption, no forgiveness. Her retelling of the prodigal son as a Christmas story is chilling and reminds all of us in our snug little houses that it can be a different world for others. It is not an easy story to listen to, with all the cruelty and degradation, but its ultimate message of hope and unconditional love is powerful and will stay with me. I find it most appropriate during the season of Advent. Well done!

Dark odyssey toward redemption!

I echo the J Mac review of 2 years ago: this is the story of the prodigal son and of the darkness/trapped-ness/& loss that many people experience. Here, instead of waiting & hoping for the son’s return, the father sends out one to seek his son in the dark & lonely place in which he lives (externally and internally). The incentive is love, the goal is repair of the relationship. Will they find him? Will the son be willing to return?
Restoration is a theme in Anne Perry’s Christmas tales; the darkness of many people’s experiences is just clearer in this one.

Darker Tale

Not really a Christmas story, only that it happened during Christmas time - still good storytelling though.

Unexpected

Anne Perry's books are as much about human nature as they are about solving a murder. This tale involves a motley cast of characters who brave the depths of London's underworld in search of a "lost" son. There is quite a contrast between the depravity found beneath the city streets and the gaiety of the Christmas holiday above ground. This story explores how low a person can fall, yet, like many of Perry's other stories, offers a glimpse of hope and a chance and redemption .