It's a freezing winter day in London, 1895, when two young girls have a chance meeting. The pair turn out to have much in common: both are poor, both are parentless. But Minnie Maude, only eight, has even worse problems: the uncle with whom she lived has just been murdered, and if that's not enough, the family's donkey has run away. Her new friend Gracie, all of thirteen, feels obliged to help her, and so the girls team up to solve the mystery-and find Charlie the donkey. Anne Perry fans will recognize young Gracie as Charlotte Pitt's maid, a continuing character in the author's bestselling Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Victorian mystery series.
"[Perry] does a highly credible job of evoking Dickens, especially in the opening scenes."
Publishers Weekly
"With Perry, you're guaranteed evil will be mixed with good. Let's just say a Nativity scene at the end will give you faith that all's right with the world - for a brief shining moment."
USA Today
"The contrast is fascinating, and the story…is meticulously laid out and hard to put down."
