The Christmas Guest is an unexpected and slightly diabolical (in the best ways) murderous holiday novella by Peter Swanson. When American college student Ashley is invited to spend Christmas at the Cotswold's with glamourous Emma she enthusiastically accepts. She has very little family left and was planning to spend Christmas in London alone. However, Emma's family is not the lovely English family she expected and Emma's brother, charming and attractive, is seemingly under investigation for a local girl's murder. Will this be the holiday of her dreams or a nightmare?

30 years later, we meet a woman who is also celebrating Christmas alone while going through a memory box and reading a diary that depicts that Christmas in Emma's manor 30 years earlier. What ensues, which readers will easily consume in one sitting, is a dark Christmas novella that will leave readers shivering.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book is a perfect one-sitting read, especially by the fire during the Christmas season. Although I don't typically read mysteries, this particular story truly grabbed me from start to finish.

The narrative follows Ashley, a college art student, who is invited by her friend Emma to spend Christmas at her family home in Cotswold. A recent murder in Cotswold has placed Emma’s brother under suspicion, adding a layer of suspense to the holiday visit. The first half of the book is written in the form of Ashley's diary, recounting her experiences during the holiday. In the second half, we get to hear Emma’s point of view, which adds depth and complexity to the story.

For such a short book, the characters are incredibly well-developed, making it easy to get attached to them. Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

"The Christmas Guest" by Peter Swanson is a deliciously dark holiday novella perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with a twist. Ashley Smith, with no family to spend the holidays with, eagerly accepts an invitation from her classmate Emma Chapman to spend Christmas at Starvewood Hall, an English manor brimming with holiday charm. However, the festive cheer soon gives way to sinister undertones as Ashley uncovers unsettling secrets—a figure lurking in the woods and an unsolved murder that haunts the Chapman family.

What I loved about this novella is how it packs so much suspense and atmosphere into just under a hundred pages. The story unfolds through a mix of past journal entries and present-day events, creating a layered mystery that keeps you guessing. Swanson’s ability to craft nasty characters and eyebrow-raising plots is on full display, making this a fun, one-sit read that’s perfect for curling up with after the Christmas festivities.

If you enjoy a good, quick mystery with holiday vibes and plenty of twists, "The Christmas Guest" is a great pick. It’s the kind of book you can easily devour in one sitting, leaving you both entertained and a little spooked by the end.

A short, atmospheric novella that was actually a lot of fun and a nice break from all the holiday romances I've been reading! Everything is unraveled through the entries of a diary that was written more than 30 years ago about a student who spent the holiday break with an interesting family which led to her disappearance.

If Saltburn had taken a much different turn!! This was a fun, fast and furious read!! I read this in one sitting and had a grand time. I would recommend this to anyone searching for a cozy yet violent mystery to read by the fire or maybe even on the beach!! Loved it. The perfect little morsel.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy!
The Christmas Guest" by Peter Swanson is a captivating novella that blends elements of suspense and mystery with the warmth of the holiday season. Swanson masterfully weaves a tale centered around a seemingly ordinary Christmas gathering that takes unexpected and suspenseful turns. The characters are well-developed, and the plot unfolds with twists that keep the reader engaged until the satisfying conclusion. Swanson's writing style is crisp and atmospheric, effectively setting the scene for both festive cheer and underlying tension.

I just loved this! Such an effective novella - I would have gladly read 300 more pages of this, though I am a Swanson fan. Great!

This novella was an excellent Christmas read! I loved this ghost story and the fact I could read it in one sitting. It's the perfect book for the holiday season. Swanson never ceases to amaze me in the way he can spin a story with such great characters. I highly recommend it!

The author set out to write a short story set during Christmas that could easily be read in one sitting, and he succeeded at every level. An English manor house, a murder, a ghost, dark figures, and guilty conscience, it all comes together for a satisfying story that cannot be put down.

Ashley accepts an invitation from her friend Emma to come home with her for the holidays. What starts out as a great decision turns wuickly. This is a page turning novella. THe story is awesome and is a fast read. IT keeps you guessing as well. I loved this story.

Many thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I enjoy Peter Swanson but this was just OK. I didn't think the writing quality was up to his usual standard and I'm really not a huge fan of thriller novellas. A quick and easy Christmas read.

Alright so never go with a 'friend' to their manor house on vacation, got it. This was a pretty decent little short story surrounding Christmastime and a mystery. The ARC I read was in two parts and I much preferred the diary writing as opposed to the 2nd part of the book.

I am behind in my reading since I'm just now getting to a Christmas tale. Or, perhaps, I am way ahead for Christmas 2024. Either way, getting to this story was a major win.

This tale is short; it's technically considered a novella and is only three hours long as an audiobook. For this story, Esther Wane does the narration and immediately became a favorite for me. Her narration brought this story into the room with me and made it feel like I was hearing this from Ashley herself.

The story follows a woman at Christmas; she doesn't travel for the holiday and instead spends the day digging through a spare bedroom to find items to toss out or donate. But she instead reads an old journal, and this is where we meet Ashley Smith.

The story is told primarily through Ashley's diary entries from Christmas 1989. This was especially clever because it allowed only fragments to be told, but still feel complete. Ashley comes to life with her diary entries; we see an enthusiastic young woman who is ecstatic over being invited to go home with another student for the Christmas holiday. Ashley has no family as her mother passed away a few years back, and she had originally planned to spend time alone in London. Throughout, Ashley is expecting a grand adventure. In her diary, she ponders if she'll have a holiday romance, or maybe a ghost story, or a gothic mystery.

It starts leaning towards romance when Ashley meets Adam, the brother of her friend, Emma. Ashley seems immediately smitten with Adam, and it appears he feels the same way. He even purchases her an expensive scarf when he realizes she doesn't have one. But as the romance is going on, other haunting events are happening. A strange man in the woods motioning at Ashley, and the murder of a girl months prior seem to haunt the town. Even more disturbing, several people think Ashley looks identical to the dead girl.

The ending of this story is insane. I was listening at work and as the rest of the story came out, my jaw was dropped wide open. The twists were completely unexpected and the truth that came out continued to become more and more horrifying. The author did an exceptional job of giving the reader a complete thriller, with only the length of a novella. I would highly recommend listening to/reading this one. So incredibly good!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book was short but PACKED with intrigue and mystery. This is my first book by Peter Swanson and definitely wont be my last. This book had me hooked from the beginning and had a twist I didn't see coming.

Here's to a very scary Christmas! Told in diary entries from the past and narrated during the present time, this novella packs a lot into it's short form. For your Christmas cheer: how about a little murder? I read this in one sitting and it was so entertaining.
The atmospheric setting added to the mystique and there was tons of suspense for such a short read.
I loved Swanson’s note - like a sneak peek inside his brain on why he wrote The Christmas Guest. I was impressed with the character development and would read more little books by Swanson.

I am usually not the biggest novella fan but this one worked for me! It was a great seasonal themed read (which I always love). It was a very intriguing and gripping story that kept your attention! I will be surely recommend this one to people as a thrilling holiday read!

Perfect one sitting Christmas read! Can’t wait to gift this next year! Typically we only get hallmark at Christmas - this is a welcome change!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Every Peter Swanson book I read is more disappointing than the last. At least this one was short.

I've never read a thriller novella before but I really enjoyed this one. It was short but still did a great job of telling the story in detail and giving you plenty of twists to keep you guessing. I also loved the Christmas English country house setting.

I read this book during the holidays and found it a delightful, quick read. The pacing is excellent and hooks you into the story immediately. It took twists and turns I wasn’t expecting and was spooky without being too scary or unsettling.