Any kind of parody requires a far better writer than Pat.
What he fails to grasp is that to write a good funny parody, you have to be basically a nerd over the subject you are parodying.
And this idea is a parody of A Christmas Carol, even if it was written as a serious and period accurate detective novel, it would still be a parody in the sense that it is an offbeat retelling.
If he could write an ultra violent tale in something close enough to be mistaken for Dickens on a laudanum and raw gin binge, then it would be an interesting read.
The fact that he has been trying to basically write a sub par Terry Pratchett novel is just layers of offensive.
It’s disrespectful to Dickens, disrespectful to the late Pratchett, it’s even disrespectful to the fucking muppets who at least put effort into their retelling.