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Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mystery #4.5
The Silent Christmas
In a time of war, they discovered peace.
When David Roberts finds a label, a silver button and a lump of old leather in a chest in the attic, it opens up a window onto the true of joy of Christmas.
Jayne Sinclair, genealogical investigator, has just a few days to unravel the mystery and discover the truth of what happened on December 25, 1914.
Why did her client’s great grandfather keep these objects hidden for so long? What did they mean to him? And will they help bring the joy of Christmas to a young boy stuck in hospital?
This is the fifth Jayne Sinclair Genealogical Mystery but it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone novel.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 28, 2018
342 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Lee
46 books447 followersMartin has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another.
He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai.
He writes three series; the Danilov books set in 1930s Shanghai. The genealogical mysteries of Jayne Sinclair and the contemporary crime cases of DI Ridpath set in Manchester.
When he's not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, practicing downhill ironing, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.
He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai.
He writes three series; the Danilov books set in 1930s Shanghai. The genealogical mysteries of Jayne Sinclair and the contemporary crime cases of DI Ridpath set in Manchester.
When he's not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, practicing downhill ironing, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
September 20, 2019
A short, yet moving novella that sees Genealogical researcher Jayne Sinclair looking into a family's mementos from WW1. It takes us back to Christmas on the Western Front in 1914, where the "Christmas Truce" took place. Having learnt about the Truce in school I found it especially interesting. A quick, yet very satisfying read. Recommended for all lovers of historical fiction and mysteries.
December 16, 2023
I rate it 3.8 stars.
A Christmas novella that tells an extraordinary event that actually happened, through fictional characters and of course fictional dialogues.
---> Readable as a standalone, it's tagged as mystery but it's not a crime mystery ( at least not this book of the series ) , actually it is a search for history regarding people and events of the past.
---> The story takes place on 2 temporal planes: 1914 at the front, in the English trenches and in 2017 when the investigator Jayne Sinclaire tries to shed light on past events.
___ THE PLOT___ in 2017, Jayne Sinclaire, a genealogical investigator, receives a visit from a father and his son: they have found some old objects in the attic, belonging to his great-grandfather, of which they know nothing and would like to discover their history.
Back in time, in 1914, during the first year of World War I, private Tom Wright finds himself in the cold and in the mud, in the trenches, dreaming of being at home in England, with his wife and children preparing the Christmas goose.
A few hundred meters away is the German trench.
The soldiers of both trenches shout jokes about the war at each other, until one evening some Christmas trees appear from the German trench and classic Christmas carols are heard... here the magic begins... that magic that knows no flags and barriers and unites all men through the heart and the desire to live peacefully.
I'll let you enjoy the rest in the book. :-) it's touching.
__MY OPINION___ While I was fascinated by the backstory chapters (the events of which I already knew from non-fiction books I read in the past) and felt affection for the characters I read about, I couldn't feel any emotion during the investigative chapters in 2017 and no empathy towards investigator J. Sinclair. That character seemed rather flat and insignificant to me.
For this reason I only gave 3.8 stars (all earned from the chapters of the past), if the if the storytelling of modern times chapters had also been more engaging I could have given 5 stars (but I only rate those chapters 1 star).
I want to add that I will read with pleasure other books by this author, hoping that in the other novels ( that are much longer than novellas ), even the character of today's temporal plane is well developed and can be more interesting than in the short story.
Still regarding the past part, I add that every time I read about that event, which happened spontaneously, outside of any war scheme and any imagination, I feel moved and I recommend everyone to read it because it is also an invitation to reflection.
Unfortunately, humanity has not learned anything and there are still wars that destroy innocent lives, but perhaps we, in our small circle of life, could try to learn something, give more value to feelings and people, without taking anything for granted .
( Thanks for reading my review, please, forgive any errors you may find in my text, English is not my mother tongue. Merry Christmas everybody ! :-) )
A Christmas novella that tells an extraordinary event that actually happened, through fictional characters and of course fictional dialogues.
---> Readable as a standalone, it's tagged as mystery but it's not a crime mystery ( at least not this book of the series ) , actually it is a search for history regarding people and events of the past.
---> The story takes place on 2 temporal planes: 1914 at the front, in the English trenches and in 2017 when the investigator Jayne Sinclaire tries to shed light on past events.
___ THE PLOT___ in 2017, Jayne Sinclaire, a genealogical investigator, receives a visit from a father and his son: they have found some old objects in the attic, belonging to his great-grandfather, of which they know nothing and would like to discover their history.
Back in time, in 1914, during the first year of World War I, private Tom Wright finds himself in the cold and in the mud, in the trenches, dreaming of being at home in England, with his wife and children preparing the Christmas goose.
A few hundred meters away is the German trench.
The soldiers of both trenches shout jokes about the war at each other, until one evening some Christmas trees appear from the German trench and classic Christmas carols are heard... here the magic begins... that magic that knows no flags and barriers and unites all men through the heart and the desire to live peacefully.
I'll let you enjoy the rest in the book. :-) it's touching.
__MY OPINION___ While I was fascinated by the backstory chapters (the events of which I already knew from non-fiction books I read in the past) and felt affection for the characters I read about, I couldn't feel any emotion during the investigative chapters in 2017 and no empathy towards investigator J. Sinclair. That character seemed rather flat and insignificant to me.
For this reason I only gave 3.8 stars (all earned from the chapters of the past), if the if the storytelling of modern times chapters had also been more engaging I could have given 5 stars (but I only rate those chapters 1 star).
I want to add that I will read with pleasure other books by this author, hoping that in the other novels ( that are much longer than novellas ), even the character of today's temporal plane is well developed and can be more interesting than in the short story.
Still regarding the past part, I add that every time I read about that event, which happened spontaneously, outside of any war scheme and any imagination, I feel moved and I recommend everyone to read it because it is also an invitation to reflection.
Unfortunately, humanity has not learned anything and there are still wars that destroy innocent lives, but perhaps we, in our small circle of life, could try to learn something, give more value to feelings and people, without taking anything for granted .
( Thanks for reading my review, please, forgive any errors you may find in my text, English is not my mother tongue. Merry Christmas everybody ! :-) )
January 8, 2026
A multifaceted, light mystery told in dual timelines about the Wright family.
In the present day, a young boy is in the hospital dealing with leukemia. His father and brother seek assistance from Jayne, the genealogical investigator, as to the history behind a few objects they found in an old suitcase in the attic: a football, luggage tag with strange writing and a button. Answers about these items is what the sick brother wants for Christmas.
In the 1914 timeline, Tom Wright is a soldier on the battlefield in Belgium. He’s wet, cold and missing his family. His hopes of making it home for Christmas are being dashed. His two buddies are with him when the event known as “The Christmas Truce” takes place on Christmas Eve.
The events of the 1914 Christmas miracle play strongly into the answers the young boys are seeking. This is a warm hearted, inspiring story that has ramifications for Jayne and her family, as well. That answer will be found in the next volume of this lovely series.
As for the boys and Tom and his friends, they all get a happily ever answer📚
In the present day, a young boy is in the hospital dealing with leukemia. His father and brother seek assistance from Jayne, the genealogical investigator, as to the history behind a few objects they found in an old suitcase in the attic: a football, luggage tag with strange writing and a button. Answers about these items is what the sick brother wants for Christmas.
In the 1914 timeline, Tom Wright is a soldier on the battlefield in Belgium. He’s wet, cold and missing his family. His hopes of making it home for Christmas are being dashed. His two buddies are with him when the event known as “The Christmas Truce” takes place on Christmas Eve.
The events of the 1914 Christmas miracle play strongly into the answers the young boys are seeking. This is a warm hearted, inspiring story that has ramifications for Jayne and her family, as well. That answer will be found in the next volume of this lovely series.
As for the boys and Tom and his friends, they all get a happily ever answer📚
November 16, 2021
A brilliant read
These genealogical tales are great. This one is well written and a good one to read in remembrance. I love the way research and events are described. The websites Jayne accessed are known, with an occasional new cropping up, so useful. Neither of my grandfathers would talk about their expertise in the Great war. Both fortunate to return, when others did not. Thank you
These genealogical tales are great. This one is well written and a good one to read in remembrance. I love the way research and events are described. The websites Jayne accessed are known, with an occasional new cropping up, so useful. Neither of my grandfathers would talk about their expertise in the Great war. Both fortunate to return, when others did not. Thank you
October 7, 2018
Another really good read from this author. I do love this series.
August 10, 2019
Nice Christmas Story
I like the Jayne Sinclair stories, which means I've read all but one. That's next. "The Silent Christmas" captures the common soldier's feelings centered on the real events of the World War I Christmas truce at a particular point along the line where enemies became normalized by singing trading food and mementos, and kicking footballs around in pick-up games.
The genealogy factor is an investigation by Jayne Sinclair for a family that was searching for explanations about some artifacts found in an attic box, and they wanted to know more about their grandfather who was only known to them as an old and tired man.
While there aren't many surprises in the story (at least for the reader), the family received a gift of information that was both comforting and bonding to their sense of who they are. Isn't that what Christmas Stories should do?
I appreciate the amount of research M J Lee did for this story as described in the end-matter. Good information that helped the the story to the history behind it.
I like the Jayne Sinclair stories, which means I've read all but one. That's next. "The Silent Christmas" captures the common soldier's feelings centered on the real events of the World War I Christmas truce at a particular point along the line where enemies became normalized by singing trading food and mementos, and kicking footballs around in pick-up games.
The genealogy factor is an investigation by Jayne Sinclair for a family that was searching for explanations about some artifacts found in an attic box, and they wanted to know more about their grandfather who was only known to them as an old and tired man.
While there aren't many surprises in the story (at least for the reader), the family received a gift of information that was both comforting and bonding to their sense of who they are. Isn't that what Christmas Stories should do?
I appreciate the amount of research M J Lee did for this story as described in the end-matter. Good information that helped the the story to the history behind it.
January 4, 2020
This was a good story to read over Christmas although it reminded me of the futility of war, a sentiment which seems to be out of fashion at the moment, sadly.
Jayne Sinclair takes time to help out a family whose son is sick over Christmas, even though her father too is taken ill. She uncovers, through really interesting research in the historical archives of regiments who took part in the First World War, the story of what happened to the family's ancestor on 25 December 1914 and, perhaps more touching, what happened later.
Jayne Sinclair takes time to help out a family whose son is sick over Christmas, even though her father too is taken ill. She uncovers, through really interesting research in the historical archives of regiments who took part in the First World War, the story of what happened to the family's ancestor on 25 December 1914 and, perhaps more touching, what happened later.
December 29, 2019
Truce at Christmas
What a great story to read during the holidays. This incident researched by author MJ Lee leads to another Jayne Sinclair genealogical mystery. To be cold, dirty, and longing for their families, what a great to be able to rest and celebrate Christmas by singing carols and playing football with the enemy. This book doesn't have the flow like the others I have read in this series, but worth a read. Recommended for readers who like history mixed with fiction.
What a great story to read during the holidays. This incident researched by author MJ Lee leads to another Jayne Sinclair genealogical mystery. To be cold, dirty, and longing for their families, what a great to be able to rest and celebrate Christmas by singing carols and playing football with the enemy. This book doesn't have the flow like the others I have read in this series, but worth a read. Recommended for readers who like history mixed with fiction.
Read
October 28, 2020I couldn't put it down
I found it hard to put down this book, the book dips into the past and present and being told about the Christmas day truce and football game was interesting, so if you love a good mystery and interested in and learning about family history them I can recommend this book.
I found it hard to put down this book, the book dips into the past and present and being told about the Christmas day truce and football game was interesting, so if you love a good mystery and interested in and learning about family history them I can recommend this book.
July 22, 2019
I loved this book and promptly ordered another Sinclair book!
I love the main characters and look forward to more adventures! I’m fascinated by the way the writer captures the essence of the period.
I love the main characters and look forward to more adventures! I’m fascinated by the way the writer captures the essence of the period.
August 19, 2020
A wonderful book!
I really appreciate books with some history especially WWI and WWII. It is great to have that era brought to life through characters one can identify with. This is a great book!
I really appreciate books with some history especially WWI and WWII. It is great to have that era brought to life through characters one can identify with. This is a great book!
December 21, 2019
This is an excellent book! I plan on reading a lot more of M.J. Lee
December 24, 2019
A nice, flowing account of the Christmas Truce in 1914.
September 19, 2020
Again, I learned of an event I've never heard. Very interesting read and I like the way Jayne's personal life is woven into these stories. M. J. Lee, please keep them coming.
October 8, 2020
A good read wrapped around a sound historical WW1 event. An entertaining read.
October 9, 2020
Great read, both fun & charming.
A fun mystery with heartwarming details. I have enjoyed this series immensely. Suggest that you be prepared to read it all in one sitting.
A fun mystery with heartwarming details. I have enjoyed this series immensely. Suggest that you be prepared to read it all in one sitting.
April 5, 2021
Feel good bit
I’m binge reading the series and needed a bit of “feel good” history. This was a great reminder that history does have heart warming moments.
I’m binge reading the series and needed a bit of “feel good” history. This was a great reminder that history does have heart warming moments.
April 19, 2021
Excellent!
As an avid genealogist, I really enjoyed the mix of research and real life events that brought everything together. Great story.
As an avid genealogist, I really enjoyed the mix of research and real life events that brought everything together. Great story.
February 11, 2019
Excellent read
I love the characters in this book. Again read it in one day. Well done please carry on writing this series
I love the characters in this book. Again read it in one day. Well done please carry on writing this series
October 17, 2018
Wonderful story!
As usual, I couldn't put it down. I love this series and look forward to the next one. I highly recommend the Jayne Sinclair series.
As usual, I couldn't put it down. I love this series and look forward to the next one. I highly recommend the Jayne Sinclair series.
February 4, 2019
Well written
This was a great story that was very well written! The author really researched the story line. The genealogical aspect of the story was very interesting.
This was a great story that was very well written! The author really researched the story line. The genealogical aspect of the story was very interesting.
October 12, 2018
The silent Christmas
A very touching and heartwarming story that leaves you with a bit of hope for mankind. Please keep up the great work!
A very touching and heartwarming story that leaves you with a bit of hope for mankind. Please keep up the great work!
February 2, 2019
Genealogical Mystery
I've enjoyed All of the books in this series. History and Mystery are my favorite kind of books and the genealogy is a.bonus.
I've enjoyed All of the books in this series. History and Mystery are my favorite kind of books and the genealogy is a.bonus.
June 26, 2019
The Christmas Truce, WWI
Not your average genealogical mystery, this story involves several objects, and the mystery of how they came to be in Private Tom Wright's possession. I loved the story - one more story by the author based on excellent research, and involving genealogical digging. The series is very satisfying. Highly recommended!!
Not your average genealogical mystery, this story involves several objects, and the mystery of how they came to be in Private Tom Wright's possession. I loved the story - one more story by the author based on excellent research, and involving genealogical digging. The series is very satisfying. Highly recommended!!
October 6, 2018
Great story and love the way the author weaves in historical facts with genealogy.
January 26, 2019
Intrestìng historical fàv
Lovèd the use of objects to add interest to the research and pointing out their valuè in family history research
Lovèd the use of objects to add interest to the research and pointing out their valuè in family history research
January 18, 2019
As Christmas approaches in 2017, David Wright approaches genealogist Jayne Sinclair to help him discover the meaning behind some artifacts inherited from his grandfather. But when Jayne's elderly stepfather ends up in hospital, she declines — until she thinks of David's son, Chris, who will also be spending Christmas in hospital. Together with David and his younger son, Martin, Jayne begins her investigation. Interspersed with the contemporary story are scenes from Tom Wright's life in the trenches in Belgium as Christmas approaches in 1914. How these two timelines converge creates a fascinating story that is hard to put down. Highly recommended.
January 11, 2019
Great
I had heard of that the Christmas day and what happened before and this Author did a wonderful job telling about it. I plan on reading all of this author's books because I enjoyed this one so much.
I had heard of that the Christmas day and what happened before and this Author did a wonderful job telling about it. I plan on reading all of this author's books because I enjoyed this one so much.
June 9, 2019
A Christmas truce in WWI is the historic event in this mystery
The author tells the story of a Christmas truce between solders on the British and German sides in 1914. Mr. Lee does a great job of using the genealogical research for a character to teach his readers about interesting historical events.
The author tells the story of a Christmas truce between solders on the British and German sides in 1914. Mr. Lee does a great job of using the genealogical research for a character to teach his readers about interesting historical events.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews