A Christmas Odyssey    by Anne Perry Order:  USA  Can Random House, 2010 (2010) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch Anne Perry's Victorian Christmas novels have attracted scores of readers for years. The eighth title in the series, A Christmas Odyssey, opens ten days before Christmas. James Wentworth has little to celebrate this season since his son Lucien has embarked on a destructive path of drugs and wild passion. The boy has become infatuated with a woman named Sadie. Unfortunately, the ravishing beauty is controlled by a sinister character named Shadwell who has no intention of parting with his possession. Wentworth has asked his old friend Henry Rathbone to find his prodigal son and extricate him from the sensation obsessed underworld that he inhabits. With the assistance of a reformed brothel-keeper named Squeaky Robinson, a street-smart teenager named Bessie, and Dr. Crow, a mysterious slum medico, Rathbone will explore London's East End in an attempt to provide his friend James Wentworth with a very special Christmas present. This atmospheric suspense yarn features some surprising twists and, yes, it does include a warm ending with the Yule log burning in the open hearth, garlands of holly, ivy and mistletoe festooning the family home and an elated father wishing everyone a heartfelt, Happy, Happy Christmas. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews