Bah, humbug! Those two words both reject the magic of Christmas and also serve as a harbinger for joy and transformation. They first appear together in A Christmas Carol, the evergreen gem from Charles Dickens—first published in 1843—that will forever be associated with the most wonderful time of the year. Widely regarded as the most famous work from the Dickensian canon, Carol was an instant bestseller upon release and its redemption narrative

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A celebration of Christmas, a tale of redemption and a critique on Victorian society, Dickens' atmospheric novella follows the miserly, penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge who views Christmas as 'humbug'. It is only through a series of eerie, life-changing visits from the ghost of his deceased business partner Marley and the spirits of Christmas past, present and future that he begins to see the error of his ways. With heart-rending characters, rich imagery...

A tranquil weekend party at a magnificent country house in early December is shattered by a suspicious death. Isobel Alvie makes a cruel remark about Gwendolen Kilmuir on the night Gwendolen is expected to become engaged to the eligible Bertie Rosythe. The next morning Gwendolen's body is found in the ornamental lake on the estate. It appears she has thrown herself from the bridge. The other guests hold Isobel morally guilty of causing Gwendolen's...

During a holiday visit to the home of Charlotte Pitt's parents, Grandmama is called upon to play the role of amateur detective when a fellow guest--an outcast from her own family--is murdered.

Heading for a rural village to replace the local vicar who is away on holiday, Dominic and Clarice Corde are stunned when they discover the corpse of the murdered vicar stashed in the cellar and launch an investigation to find a killer.

Christmas guest: Grandmama arrives on a holiday visit to the home of Charlotte's parents, where a fellow guest--an outcast from her own family--is subsequently murdered. Christmas secret: Dominic Corde is thrilled to fill the robe as substitute vicar in the village of Cottisham, while the Reverend Wynter is away on a three-week Christmas holiday. However, it turns out that the Reverend Wynter isn't on holiday at all-and that something very sinister...

With Christmas just around the corner, Thomas Pitt's sister-in-law, Emily Radley, is suddenly called from London to be with her dying aunt. Leaving her husband and two children behind, Emily makes the long journey to an all-but-forgotten town in the county of Connemara, on the western coast of Ireland. She soon discovers that a tragic legacy haunts the once closeknit community. Violent storms ravage the coast and keep alive painful memories of an...

Three days before Christmas, in the freezing slums of London's East End, thirteen-year-old Gracie Phipps encounters Minnie Maude Mudway, who is eight, alone, and determined to find her friend Charlie. Charlie is a donkey who belonged to Minnie Maude's Uncle Alf. The day before, someone murdered Uncle Alf and made off with his rag-and-bones cart and the beloved beast who pulled it. Minnie Maud means to rescue Charlie, and Grace decides to help. In...

Henry Rathbone is called by an old friend whose son has gone missing just before the Christmas holiday. Now in his early twenties, 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, Squeaky Robinson, volunteers to help as well. Henry agrees and, joined by Crow, a young doctor at the clinic, the pair trawls the pubs, brothels, and opium dens...

A Christmas promise: Three days before Christmas, in the freezing slums of London's East End, thirteen-year-old Gracie Phipps encounters Minnie Maude Mudway, who is eight, alone, and determined to find her friend Charlie. Charlie is a donkey who belonged to Minnie Maude's Uncle Alf. The day before, someone murdered Uncle Alf and made off with his rag-and-bones cart and the beloved beast who pulled it. Minnie Maud means to rescue Charlie, and Grace...