Yes! This is what is missing from the holiday reading landscape. I want more thriller novellas from talented mystery and thriller authors. I was drawn in immediately and loved the format of a diary. Having only the perspective of the older, written diary, and piecing the truth from Christmas past together was so much fun. The length was plenty to feel the eerie nature of the story and follow the breadcrumbs to the end. The twists were well done. Loved it!

This wasn't your typical Christmas romance or holiday story. It was more of a dark ghost story that took place at Christmas time. The majority of this novella is told through diary entries read by an unreliable narrator. A young woman is invited by a new friend, Emma, to spend Christmas at her family's manor in the English countryside. During her visit, she learns of a murder that took place in the area and which her friend's brother, a man she's become attracted to, was suspected of committing. The diary mentions the girl seeing a man wearing a mask in the woods by the house. Then Emma also sees this man. The diary ends when Emma asks her friend to go out to meet her brother and a friend at a local pub.

After the diary entries are finished, readers learn of the main twist in the story. I felt the ending could be interpreted in different ways. It was an interesting story but, unfortunately, not one I think would appeal to many readers for the holidays.

This was great for what it was, a fun lil novella. The characters weren’t fleshed out as one would hope, the story was fairly minimal and one dimensional, as is often the case with novellas. It felt like the bones of a story rather than a story, but I guess this is to be expected. It’s the perfect quick little read for the Holidays, won’t blow your mind but fun to read to get in the spirit of the Holidays:

I thoroughly enjoyed this little novella. Once I got to part two, I was quite surprised. I love everything this author writes.

This was fun! Typical Swanson mystery...dark. Not terribly complex but it was a novella. Fun setting and nice & Christmassy.

This is a fun and atmospheric novella centering mostly around an unsolved murder. Broken up into two parts, the first part of the novella is told through diary entries while the second part is set in the present. I really liked the structure of the novella and feel like it added to the mystery and twists of the story. It's challenging to talk too much about the plot given the length of the novella, but if you are looking for a short, somewhat seasonal mystery, this is a great option.

I've read other works from this author and while this is shorter than his other works, I think the length of this book is perfect. I am glad that Swanson kept this a novella rather than a full length novel and I think the plot is perfectly suited to the length of the book and would have felt like it was dragging on if it was any longer.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, short, and atmospheric novella. I definitely got the wintry vibes, but not so much the Christmas or holiday vibes the author so wanted to exude. And I’m glad this was a short one. Had it been a full-length novel I’m not sure I would’ve finished it. The author relied too much on telling and less on showing for my liking.

This was the first book I have read by Peter Swanson and I enjoyed it. I bought a couple more that I will be reading next. This was a short spooky tale that's perfect to read in one sitting during Christmas time! I always love a good novella and this one didn't disappoint. This book will keep you on your toes, I would recommend this book this holiday season.



Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

Grade: C

Nothing says Christmas like a murder at an English Estate, right? Well, maybe...if it is in the right hand. Unfortunately, these were not the right hands. I've read and enjoyed Peter Swanson in the past, so I came into this one with the expectation that it would at least be solid. Right from the start, I realized my expectations were too high.

The majority of the first half of this book is told in diary form, which isn't my favorite method, but I can usually handle it. However, Swanson missed the voice by a mile here. There is no way a 20-year-old woman would write this diary. I could believe a 12-year-old might, but only one that I would find annoying. I quickly became annoyed because the narrative voice was so discordant with the actual story.

The overall mystery is fine, although it is nothing to write home about. Once we get to the second half, the voice issues go away, but then, well, the book goes in a direction that it just hasn't earned. Instead of creating any tension, it led me to roll my eyes. Swanson is a better writer and story crafter than this, and I felt slightly insulted by what happened.

Will I read Peter Swanson in the future? Yes. However, I might go into any future books I read with more care going in. As for this one, I will chalk it up to an established writer trying something new that didn't work.

Thank you William Morrow and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t really know what to expect from this book, but was very surprised on how much I liked it. The story itself was full of a terrific setting and interesting characters. The storyline was great and the ending was shocking. Lots of twists and turns. Loved it!

Read this in one sitting tonight (right next to my Christmas tree) and I loved it! I’ve read six Peter Swanson novels now, but this was my first novella of his. It was classic Swanson, who is one of my absolute favorite mystery authors of all time.

Christmas thrillers? Yes, please!! Coming in at around 100 pages boy does it pack a punch. I love how jam packed all the suspense and thrills were. As the reader, you have an inclination of what might be happening but the revealing part is the best. Told in past and present time, Swanson includes diary readings of Ashley from 1989 and present timeline with Emma reminiscing about that one Christmas guest. Pretty early on, you get a good understanding what it means to be a Christmas guest to an elusive family.

I think more authors need to write these small Christmas novellas. The holiday season can get busy and what better way to read/listen for a quick fix.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Like always, I am behind in getting my review out before the book is published. I am currently finding myself behind on my Goodreads reading goal for the year, and as a result, I am reaching for as many short stories as possible that I can binge in an attempt to raise my numbers.

This was my first Peter Swanson book and while something about this didn't completely work for me, I do plan on picking up some of his others because I did enjoy the writing and quite a few do sound really interesting.

I don't know exactly what I didn't like about this. The first half of the story is told from the point of view of Ashley's diary. And it was PAINFUL to get through. I actually thought about DNF'ing this because I couldn't stand the whining and stereotypes and just where the story seemed to be going. With that being said though, the second half wasn't much better. The "twist" didn't feel like it made sense, the characters didn't feel developed enough for me to connect with or care about, and the logic behind the actions just didn't seem to make sense to me.

I also was looking for more "Christmas" vibes just because it seemed the perfect time, but if that's what you're looking for, fair warning, you aren't going to get that here. This isn't one of those cozy mysteries that are atmospheric or get you in the holiday spirit.

A gothic Christmas thriller that will be leaving you guessing until the very end! I have been a longtime fan of Peter Swanson's disturbed and eerie tales. I was thrilled to learn about this novella and was turning the pages like wildfire. Ghostly atmospheric with well developed characters, this tiny tale is anything but tiny. Recommended for lovers of psychological thrillers and admirers of the dark and twist.

I kept trying to read while I was sick and just couldn’t concentrate. Then I picked up this holiday thriller novella and it broke through the Covid fog and I could not put it down. I loved this short little book. Novellas can often leave me wanting more, but this modern day murderous tale that takes place at a British manor house over the holidays packs a compelling and sinister punch in its 104 pages.

This book is much darker than your usual Christmas holiday books and I’m sure that is why I loved it so much. Swanson always crafts intricate thrillers, but this time he has added gothic elements and even pays homage to Dickens in this wickedly creepy story. This was easily one of my favorite holiday reads of the season thus far and I highly recommend picking up a copy to read during these last couple of weeks of the year.

Thank you to @net and @william for an e-arc of this book.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. This was such a great story to read this time of year! A young girl thinks she's going to enjoy the English countryside with a friend for the holidays, little does she know she is caught in trap just because of how she looks and her personal circumstances. This was dark and atmospheric, but had a fulfilling ending.

This was definitely not the usual type of Christmas book! It started pretty normally with a Christmas in the present and a flashback through journal entries to 30 years before. The lonely American girl in London was invited by a classmate to spend Christmas in the English countryside. From there the story started to diverge from the charm to a variety of twists and turns. It is a novella, only 100 pages, so just right for a cozy night's read. I was not familiar with the author but will definitely be looking for more by him.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes:

It’s looking like I’m in more of a murder mystery now than a romance. Or maybe I’m in both. It’s all very exciting, plus a little bit creepy.

When you’re young you think there are so many possible roads, but when you’re my age, you’ve been on the same road for a long time, and there’s no getting off of it.


My Review:

Well, that was unexpectedly twisty! I fell right into this one from page one and never saw any of this coming. While it was a short read it felt just right. It was brilliantly paced and populated with a collection of disconcerting yet seductively captivating characters that kept me a bit tense, yet invested and tethered to my Kindle. Peter Swanson has mad skills.

I loved the cover of this book. It drew me into the story but this novella wasn’t what I expected. It got dark very quickly and it never lightened. The mystery is not exacting nor difficult to figure out. The logic behind it is a different story. The setting of a shabby manor house in The Cotswolds was well placed with a full compliment of very strange people. Who invites someone to their home to be ignored and insulted? And who is delighted to be in that position because they are finally part of a family? A young woman, who literally makes love to her diary, was slightly perverse but a needed device to tie the story front to back.

A quick, troubling Christmas murder mystery with nary a drop of eggnog, Carolers or good cheer in sight. My thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy.

This novella was a perfect Christmas read! I loved the mystery/seasonal ghost story and the fact I could read it over one or two sittings. The perfect book for the holiday season. Swanson never ceases to amaze me in the way he is able to spin a story with such great characters. Highly recommended!