Return of the Magi by P.J. Tracy a heart-warming five-star read that will put a smile on your face. If you like a good Christmas book you will love this book, if you like a funny read you will love this book. Even if you hate Christmas you will love this book, I’m the biggest Grinch ever and even I loved it. I was offered the book and though why not, it may out me in the mood Emil Rice was someone who I had a lot of time for as he kinda reminded me of an ex of mine, he was a bit of a chancer as well. It was such a great story I didn’t want to put it down, I will definitely be picking this author up again.

We are introduced to Milo when, as a young boy, he goes with his mum to share Christmas with his grandparents. Skip forward 15 or so years and Milo has taken up a life of crime. Failing to mend his ways he has been sent to a local home for people with mental health problems. Here he meets up with two sisters who think they are two of the Magi. When they see Milo they are convinced he is the third Magi. Now the fun starts as they escape to find the child they are searching for. There is a twist here but the story does have a happy ending. This is a short feel-good story which is not a challenge in any way and could be recommended to teenagers as well as adults.

I would like to thank Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Return Of The Magi’ by P J Tracy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Emil Rice is a petty criminal who’s very good at stealing but not very good at getting away. On his twenty-third time in court he goes in front of Judge Addison who after much consideration decides to sentence Emil to a year on his pet project, the Clark County Extended Care Facility, caring for the mentally ill. Two of the residents, sisters Edith and Gloria, befriend Emil thinking he’s the third of the Three Kings and want him to break out of the Facility with them in search of Baby Jesus in the City of David (otherwise known as Las Vegas!).
‘Return Of The Magi’ is a touching Christmas short story with the feel-good factor, as different to P J Tracy’s ‘Monkeewrench’ series as one can get. It’s been cleverly written with humour and warmth, the ideal novel to pick up and read during the Christmas season. It’s a lovely story which I thoroughly enjoyed and can wholeheartedly recommend.

I am not the biggest fan of Christmas (understatement) but I am a relatively new, big fan of the author so I thought, why not? Never know, it might just get me into the spirit and, if nothing else, it'll make a change from what I usually read. Well, blow me down! This book took my inner Grinch and stomped all over it as I was completely captivated not only the redemption story being told but the parallels to the Christmas story itself.
So, we start with a rather heartwarming tale where Emil, a young lad, gives up his blanket as the one in the nativity scene is somewhat lacking in warmth. Fast forward several years and our lad is now a man. It seems that he has somewhat strayed from the path of goodness as he has a rap sheet a mile long and has just been paroled from his latest stint inside. The parole office take bets on when he will re-offend and even they are surprised when it happens the same night when Emil is arrested for stealing from cars in a church car park during a Christmas service. Foster, Emil's parole officer, recommends he goes back to jail but the Judge has a pet community project and instead, sends Emil to work in a mental health facility; a live-in position for a year. Another sentence, another sweep-stake, this time betting on when he will escape the facility! It is here that our story splits. One thread follows Emil and his shenanigans in the facility, especially around the two old ladies who are convinced that he is the third wise man and he will lead them to the child. The other follows Foster as he himself prepares for Christmas alone until a surprise phone call from his estranged daughter turns his world upside down. These two threads meander along quite separately until Emil as predicted, does indeed escape the facility and our two main characters are drawn together once again, with rather interesting consequences.
It's a relatively short read and where we go is pretty obvious from the start, well it is a re-imagining of a very well known story after all, but it is the journey getting there that really makes this book special. It's funny, it's poignant, it's sad, and a whole host of other emotions but mostly, it's heartwarming and uplifting with a side order of hope. Even breaking through my thick skin with respect to this sort of thing. It's also extremely well written and contains some wonderful characters, some of whom are rather larger than life but at the same time not straying into the realm of caricature.
I know this is just a one off Christmas story but I left the book quite sad that my journey with Emil and Foster (and indeed some of the others) had come to an end. I don't know if the author has any plans to continue either of their stories - together or separately - or if they may be included in her other books even as a cameo role. What I am trying to say, probably badly, is that I don't think their stories are completely done and I for one would love to reconnect with either / both in the future.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I'm not normally one for Christmas stories I have to admit but a short story by P. J. Tracy (who writes the Monkeewrench series, which I love) was too good to pass by.

Unlike her other books, this one isn't set in Minnesota but in Las Vegas, where Emil - a not very good thief - is given the choice of returning to jail for two years after breaking the conditions of his probation, or, work for a year on a community programme.

He chooses the latter, only to find himself in what seems worse than prison - a psychiatric hospital, where he finds himself mopping the floors and helping the patients; he starts to look for a way to escape almost as soon as he arrives.

Help comes in the unlikely form of two elderly sisters who believe they are two of the three kings that go to find baby Jesus - Emil, they are convinced, is the third.  And it is their mission, now he has arrived, to go find the baby and fulfil their purpose in life.

If it all sounds a little sickly sweet, it isn't at all.  In fact, it's funny and clever and - as the tagline says - "heart-warming".  It's a story of love and redemption and how we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, that we all have chances in life to do the right thing and it's never to late too take those chances.  I thought it was great.
I loved the writing style (though I always do with P. J. Tracy), the story itself, and the characters.  Emil isn't a bad guy, despite his tendency to steal people's wallets, and the sisters (Gloria and Edith) are wonderful - charming and just the right amount of off-the-wall.  Then there is the grumpy probation worker, Foster, who needs to find his own form of redemption just as much as Emil.  It all works really well together to make for a great short story, perfect for the holiday season.  Loved it.

A truly lovely and heartwarming story, perfect for Christmas highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for a ARC of this book. This is alternative story of the three wise men and baby Jesus.
Petty thief and re offender Emil Rice is sentenced to work for a year's community service in the Clark County Extended Care Facility. It’s either that or go back to Prison to finish his sentence. He is not too pleased and he thinks that all the people in there are all loonies. He is especially cautious, when 2 residents and sisters and both schizophrenics Edith and Gloria meet saying they have a plan for him. With Emil finding difficulty to keep up with the sisters, go on a journey to find baby Jesus. Two wise woman and one man.
This is a lovely heart-warming, funny and moving Christmas story. I loved the characters especially Edith and Gloria, I actually felt a bit sorry for them as they have spent most of life in the facility. This story is also well written and you won’t want to stop until its finish.

This is a sort of bildungsroman. Emil the main character was a gentle child who gave his blanket to the doll ('the baby Jesus') in the nativity crib. But life was not gentle to him. After the death of his mother and grandparents he was placed into foster homes and had very bitter experiences. He left the system as a petty thief and for the coming years he is regularly in and out of prison. He looks a lost case when suddenly, before Chrsitmas he gets a second chance. He is sent to work for a year in a sort of caring home for mentally ill people. First he finds this situation and the place appalling. However, there seems to be a kind of natural rapport between himself and the patients. And it turns out he can be responsible and reliable despite of all appearances.
It is not only Emil who gets a second chance but Foster his 'arc enemy' a cynical probation officer too and unlikely as it seems they might even forge a sort of friendship with each other.
This is a funny and heartwarming book with very loveable and remarkable characters. I especially loved the two sisters in the mental care home.
A real Christmassy story. I can recommend to everyone.

Return of the Magi
By P.J. Tracy
Published by Penguin UK/Michael Joseph
15th November 2017

We first meet Emil Rice as a delightful, kind and very sweet little boy in the prologue, gently sharing his blanket with Baby Jesus at an outdoor Nativity scene.

This delightful family vignette is shattered when we fast-forward and meet Emil again as an adult. He is up before the court yet again in another episode of petty crime and he cannot manage to wriggle his way out of punishment this time. Even his long-suffering probation officer has given up and joined the "book" among his colleagues as to how soon Emil will be in trouble yet again...

But Emil is not sent to a correctional facility this time; he is sent to spend time working at a mental health care facility, much to his horror. He has no idea how to deal with the inmates, who have a variety of psychiatric problems , some more serious and complex than others.

Gradually, Emil begins to see them as individuals, to help them, to care for them and not actively fear them. He is still a petty crook, out to feather his own nest, but gradually we see glimpses of the sweet and loving Emil begin to reappear. Emil finds two sisters take a special shine to him, absolutely convinced that he and they have a major role to play in the Biblical tale of the Nativity, and when they engineer a jailbreak, he goes with them. His life will never be the same again....but neither will the lives of a whole group of people Emil and his companion Magi encounter.

This is an absolute gem of a Christmas read - and I loved every page.

A complete departure from her normal subject matter, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I've read a few reviews that compare it to A Wonderful Life and I think that the sentiment rings true.
Heartwarming and gently humoured, this novel is a great read that will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of Return of the Magi, a Christmas novella.

A judge sentences habitual thief Emil Rice to a year's community service in the Clark County Extended Care Facility. He's not too keen on working in the mental health sector and even less when two elderly patients hint that they have a plan for him.

What a lovely read and, for once, I agree with the blurb it's heartwarming. It's an exhilarating journey for Emil both physically and mentally as he tries to keep up with the elderly ladies, Gloria and Edith, both funny and touching in turn.

The authors have managed to combine an unusual plot with some humour and great characters. I admire their imagination in reworking a biblical story with a very modern twist and some unconvential characters. This is one of the best Christmas novels I have ever read for sheer verve and audacity.

I have no hesitation in recommending Return of the Magi as an excellent if short festive read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK-Michael Joseph for the ARC.

It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book from beginning to end, not wanting the story to finish.

This is a beguiling re-imagining of part of the Christmas Story set in modern America in the most unlikely Holy City-Las Vegas.

Emil Rice is a career thief, smart but dumb, quick witted and thoughtful. a rogue for all seasons and on parole for Christmas.

He is set to work in a mental health facility after being caught committing robbery in a church carpark, despite the opposition of his cynical parole officer Foster. There he meets the sisters, Edith and Gloria and there the journey of the Two Wise Women and the Wising-up Man begins.

This is a tale which is instructive in the best of ways. It is funny and moving, light-hearted yet deep.
It is so well-written and ends with hope…and with this reader just wishing for more.

Five brightly shining stars.

Do yourself the most amazing favour and read this superb festive and magical short story by PJ Tracy. It will make you laugh out loud as its deft comic touches and its wisdom will melt your heart. It begins with Emil Rice as a child being driven to his grandparents for the festive season, being driven by what we become aware of as his very sick mother. They stop to take in the local nativity scene which makes his day. The adult Emil is a hopeless and hapless thief who has just been released on probation. Foster is his probation officer, a die hard cynic who bets that before the night is out, Emil will reoffend and be arrested. Foster wins his bet, but is shocked when the judge does not jail Emil and instead places him in his pet community project to work in a mental health facility run by the ex-military Dr Harold, a hard disciplinarian, but a fair man.

Emil is frightened and stressed by the patients, referring to them openly as nutjobs and loonies. From the minute he arrives, Edith and Gloria, both high functioning elderly schizophrenics who have been at the facility since they were children, see him as the one, the person they had been waiting for, with a strong likeness to the black magi in a picture they have of the three magi. Whilst Emil tries to figure out a way to escape the highly secure facility, he is relentlessly stalked by Edith and Gloria who adore him and inform him of their quest to find the Christ child in the City of David. All Emil's plans to evade the two women fail, and to his surprise, he is being praised for how well he connects with the patients. Before he knows it, he falls in with Edith and Gloria's plans and the three escape. Whilst the police hunt for them, the three face an arduous journey to Vegas in search of the Christ Child where they come upon their contemporary version of the child.

An absolutely brilliant read, that I cannot recommend highly enough!! PJ Tracy is well known for the Monkeewrench crime series, this is a hilarious and touching homage to the biblical nativity story, given life and humanity in our troubled world. The character of Emil is not beyond the realms of change and his connection with Gloria and Edith is to be marvelled at. The man who thinks there is no way that ex-cons can change, Foster, the probation officer, finds light at the end of the tunnel when his estranged daughter, Annie, reconnects with him, and the spirit of the festive season grants him the possibility of participating in a Christmas miracle and reassess his opinion of Emil. I will reiterate what I said at the beginning, please read this, you will not regret it. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.