In her 13th holiday mystery, Perry shifts settings, taking us to a remote inn on an island off the coast of Sicily. James Latterly—the brother of Hester Monk, from Perry's Victorian-era William Monk series—has fled there after the loss of his wife but finds himself protecting his fellow wayfarers as he hunts for a killer.

Perry's 13th seasonal mystery (A New York Christmas) features James Latterly, Hester Monk's brother. Latterly travels to the Italian island of Stromboli to escape the grief and desolation he's felt since his wife's death. On this beautiful, volcanic island he finds himself in the company of an eclectic group of fellow Britons. As the volcano's gentle rumbles turn into a dangerous spewing of rocks and lava, the travelers prepare to flee to the sea, but a killer seems to be taking advantage of the chaos. Charged with the safekeeping of a precocious 14-year-old girl, Latterly tries to determine who the killer is while navigating the dangerous descent. VERDICT With barely a mention of Christmas, read this one for Perry's skillful rendering of Stromboli and the inhabitants unfortunate enough to be there during a volcanic eruption. [See Prepub Alert, 6/1/15.]