Anne Perry is a New York Times bestselling author noted for her memorable characters, historical accuracy and exploration of social and ethical issues. Her two series, one featuring Thomas Pitt and one featuring William Monk, have been published in multiple languages. Anne Perry has also published a successful series based around World War One and the Reavley family, and the recent standalone novel The Sheen on the Silk. Anne Perry was selected by The Times as one of the twentieth century's '100 Masters of Crime'.

With its powerful message of responsibility and redemption - "We need both to forgive and to be forgiven" - it conveys a moral force in keeping with the season - Wall Street JournalThe tale is redolent with Victorian atmosphere, from the hypocritical snobbishness to the rigid social conventions of the time - Tangled WebA bite-sized mystery that could be fitted in after your Christmas lunch - Daily Telegraph