This is a festive tale with a difference when petty crook Emil Rice is caught stealing and sent before a judge who sends him to do a year in a mental hospital. Instead of just doing his time he has help trying to escape in the form of two elderly sisters. I totally enjoyed this book a little quirky and festive in a modern way.

Emil Rice is a petty criminal with a long list of offences to his record and here he is again just released and on probation. Foster his probation officer bets that within 24 hours Emil will be arrested yet again. Foster wins his bet and Emil finds himself before a judge again but this time he is given another chance – rather than be returned to prison he is placed in a mental health facility to work under the disciplinarian Dr Harold who will work him hard but is confident that Emil can redeem himself. Emil is scared of all the loonies and so begins his quest to escape yet again.

However two of the loonies, Edith and Gloria latch on to Emil. They are waiting for the third Magi and believe it is Emil because of the colour of his skin. They want him to lead them to ‘the Christ child’ in the City of David (Las Vegas). The Magi escape the facility and head for the light.

What a truly enchanting, entertaining story. It is funny but also full of pathos but in all honesty the best description is just ‘magical’. It really made my heart smile. Treat yourself, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

The Return of the Magi is a heartwarming Christmas story with a cast of unlikely characters. As the story unfolds, there is the potential for so many things to go wrong but, in the true spirit of Christmas, the kinder, more generous side of people comes to the fore and everything works out well. This is not too much of a plot reveal - from the outset, the reader knows that this is one of those stories that must have a happy ending. Most enjoyable and definitely worth reading. Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the ARC.

Not your typical Christmas story. A delightful tale of redemption, forgiveness and friendship. Definitely not the Monkeewrench gang, but well worth reading. A new holiday favorite.

This is a lovely heartwarming read, others have done great synopses so all I can say is that I highly recommend this book, with a cast of characters that make you laugh out loud, cringe and cheer on each and everyone of them.
P J Tracy's books have always entertained and this one is no different, uplifting and beautifully written.
My thanks to net galley and publisher Penguin UK-Michael Joseph, for opportunity to review this book.

Emil is a petty thief, in and out of foster homes as a child and in and out of prison as an adult....definitely the despair of his probation officer! When he is due to be sent to prison again just before Christmas the judge decides the he would benefit from a sort of rehab - instead of prison he would work for a year in a mental health facility.

Emil once there is a bit freaked by the place and the patients and two old ladies in particular take a shine to him - they are convinced that his is the third magi and they need to go on a quest to find the baby Jesus!

A great quirky book....not something that I would normally read but I really enjoyed it because it was so different

This is a different sort of feel good Christmas story, a welcome change to the usual romantic fluff that appears on the Christmas shelf. You can't help but feel empathy for the life long con artist and habitual thief, Emil. The inhabitants of the hospital facility are sympathetically drawn. By the end of the book I thought it would make a fantastic Christmas movie.

A lovely little Christmas Tale. Heartwarming and enchanting.

Emil Rice is a thief, a chancer - his hands just naturally find themselves inside unsuspecting victims pockets and wallets, but beneath it all there's a good heart, a heart that can still demonstrate love for others.

Emil is about to spend yet another Christmas behind bars, but the judge decides to give him one more chance and sends him to a mental health unit to carry out a year's community service. Initially Emil thinks this will be easy peasy, but on meeting the patients he feels spooked by their behaviour and shamefully calls them nut jobs and loonies. Two elderly sisters in particular scare him to death, and what's worse (for him) they seem to have taken a shine to him. Little does he know, but he is the chosen one, the one that the sisters have been waiting for their whole lives, and he will become a prime player in their lifetime plan.

This is a modern re-telling of the Christmas Story, with all the right ingredients - it's moving, funny, thought provoking, and best of all it finishes on a note of love and hope, and what could be better at this magical time of the year.

* Thank you to Penguin, Michael Joseph for inviting me to read this magical tale. I have given an honest review in exchange*

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book - not what I was expecting at all. Emil has pent most of his life either in foster homes or in prison but when he violates his parole just before Christmas the judge decides that rather than send him back to prison he can take part in a scheme to rehabilitate offenders. Emil is sent to a secure facility for adults with mental health issues and is immediately befriended by elderly sisters who think he is the third wise man and that they need to escape to find the child. Rather sweet and heartwarming an untraditional Christmas story.

If you love a quirky, funny inspiring book to read, then this is for you, it’s a delightful book which focuses on Emil, a petty crook who can not stop re offending, he is so prolific his probation officer and the local cops have bets on him on how long it will take him to reoffend ( usually not long) after his latest arrest his probation officer just hopes they will lock him up,again, long enough for him to have retired before he is released, unfortunately for him Emil goes up,against a judge who wants to treat him differently as prison really isn’t working for him so he sentences him to a year at a local mental institution set in the middle of no where. Once there we meet lots of different characters including the two elderly ladies who are convinced that Emil is the missing Magi and that he can help them find the baby Jesus. This is a great story and very different from the usual book from PJ Tracy. It’s a heartwarming tale that will,stay with you for a long time.

A beautiful Christmas story.
Emil Rice does have a heart, but he lost it years ago when he got down on his luck and turned to a life of crime to survive.
He meets his match in Henry Foster who is a probation officer and is desperate to get Emil permanently off the streets of Vegas to save the people of the town.
Emil ends up doing probation in a psychiatric facility and comes to love it and two elderly ladies who swear they are two of the three wise- men and Emil is the third.
They embark on a journey or escape to find the "Holy Baby" who has been born, and in their travels, find much more than that. Henry Foster also has found not only Emil, but something that is nothing short of a miracle.
This is a holiday book you won't want to miss!

A very enjoyable read, showing there's good in everyone. Emil finally finds his role in life surprising himself as well as the law enforcement agencies. The residents of the "facility" are shown in a true to life way, with humour cleverly included to lighten the story.

Emil Rice's heart is in the right place - it's just his hands that always seem to end up in someone else's wallet. Emil is faced with another Christmas in prison, but then he is offered a way out - community service.- at a mental health facility.

I totally loved this book. It is a truly heartwarming Christmas story. In the mental health facility, Emil meets two sisters who believe that they are two of the three kings and that Emil is the third. So now all three can go and follow the star to find baby Jesus. This is a modern day take on the biblical story. I loved all the characters in this story with just the right amount of humour thrown into the mix. I'm so glad the publishers suggested this book to me as I would otherwise missed this delightful read. If I were you, I'd either add this book to my Christmas list or grab myself a copy as its on sale now.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author P. J. Tracy for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful festive read which is heartwarming as it says on the cover. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is a light read with wonderful humourous characters and even a little bah humbug from one. Emil is a small time criminal who is a compulsive thief, in and out prison, when he gets sent for community service in a secure care home for the mentally ill. Two elderly sisters believe they are two of the three wise men and that Emil is the third. He finds himself embroiled in their quest to follow the star to find the Holy child. What follows during this journey is unexpected, as is the end, but almost innocently magical. I just loved it.

Return of the Magi: A heartwarming Christmas story
P.J. Tracy
My Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Return of the Magi is a Christmas redemption story with good humour.

Return of the Magi was suggested to me via NetGalley. I have to say this is not my usual read, which I think is reflected in my rating (It is a 5-star book). I prefer a little romance with my stories, but this book doesn't need it. With this said, Return of the Magi has a lot to offer. It's the first book I've read by P. J. Tracy, and the dry humour will suit a lot of readers.

Emil has lost his way in life, and even though he is straight out of prison, he looks to be heading back in the same direction. He needs a Christmas miracle if he wants to learn the errors of his way. Oh, boy, does he get one!

Foster is Emil's probation officer and rather cynical. He is in need of some Christmas love, to cheer up
the holidays. Foster doesn't have much faith in Emil. He knows his type. They never learn and it isn't long until he catches him up to his old tricks. He broke the law, and the law won, only with a twist. Emil has two options. He can go back to prison, or take option B. He doesn't know what he has gotten himself into until it's too late. He takes the second option and finds himself with live-in community service at a mental health facility. The patients are quirky, and the building isn't much of an upgrade from prison. He may have thought he was the mastermind of this story, but two elderly ladies are about to show him the ropes.

There are a few side stories to this book, and some good Christmas spirit. It's quirky and funny. For the right audience, you are going to love this book.

*4 stars out of 5. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Kindle Edition Only 99p!
Published November 15th, 2017 by Penguin

A lovely, unusual Christmas tale with a genuinely unexpected ending.

A lovely modern tale of Christmas. I loved this novella, especially the characters. Made me smile more than once.

This was a delightful story, dig deep enough and you will find the good things in the world. Some really great characters that came to life through the story. It was a really apt book for this time of the year and should be what Christmas is all about. I couldn't put it down before the conclusion although I became very emotional towards the end. Great read.

You know what? This truly was a heartwarming Christmas story. It even melted my icy cold heart.

At first I admit to being a bit put off by the biblical references (not my thing) but the characters were obviously lovingly crafted and the story well thought out. It's a short story that packs a punch. Just what I needed to read right now.