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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
All my reviews can be found at damppebbles.com
I am the biggest fan of Peter Swanson’s books. I’ve read and loved all of them with The Kind Worth Killing and Rules for Perfect Murders riding high on my ‘top books of all time’ list. So I was delighted to hear that Peter Swanson was going to be publishing a second book in 2023, hot on the heels of The Kind Worth Saving (which was published in March). What I wasn’t expecting was a Christmas murder mystery! I don’t read a lot of Christmas themed books because I don’t think, in the grand scheme of things, there are many crime-y ones to choose from. I could of course be wrong and just be a little bit blinkered. Because, well, Christmas and murder aren’t exactly compatible bedmates! Again, maybe just my opinion. Maybe I’m missing out on something. And if anyone was going to prove me wrong then I’m glad it was Peter Swanson. After all, there was no way on this earth I wasn’t going to read The Christmas Guest!
Thousands of miles away from home and with Christmas on the horizon, Art History student, Ashley Smith, decides to stay in London for the holidays rather than head back to the US. Which works out better than she ever expected when classmate, Emma Chapman, invites Ashley to stay with her and her family over the holiday period in their Cotswolds Manor House. Lonely Ashley accepts the invitation and daydreams of the picture perfect country house idyll whilst packing for her week-long stay with Emma and Emma’s handsome twin brother, Adam. But on arrival at Starvewood Hall, reality doesn’t quite meet Ashley’s daydreams. The house is a little run down, Emma’s parents are odd and unwelcoming, the locals of Clevemoor stare at Ashley as though they’ve seen a ghost, and Ashley still can’t quite understand why Emma, someone she doesn’t really know, has invited her to spend Christmas with her family….
The Christmas Guest is a spooky, gothic-esque mystery that I devoured in two short sittings. The first part of the book is told in diary format by Ashley Smith. I absolutely believed in the character 100% and I thought the author had Ashley’s voice spot on. She’s excited about life, about a new start in London with new friends and every opportunity at her feet. Then along comes Emma’s brother, Adam, who she falls desperately in love with. The diary sections were at times wonderfully giddy as Ashley is swept up in the moment and is living her very best life. The arrival of an ominous figure in the grounds of the house who both Ashley and Emma encounter does little to dampen her infectious (or maybe some would say, annoying) spirit. The diary entries approach Christmas day and then, they stop. The second part of the book follows an older woman living a quiet life in New York. As Christmas day approaches she looks back on her life and considers her regular Christmas day traditions. There’s a loneliness to the character that is almost palpable and there’s no ignoring the sense of apprehension the author creates.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Christmas Guest has as much content, as much storytelling in its 111 pages as a full length, 330+ page book. It’s a gripping, unsettling story with a devastating, dark twist that had me completely enraptured. The characters are a perfect mix. Ashley is bright and bubbly, Emma is distanced and secretive and Adam is full of himself! The book is beautifully paced and very compelling from start to finish. Swanson is the master of the murder mystery and as a Brit, I loved that this one was set in the Cotswolds, rather than Maine which is where the majority of Swanson’s books are set (I adore the author’s Maine settings, they’re such a big part of his books and Maine does get a small mention, but it was nice to see the Cotswolds through the author’s eyes). Will I be reading more murder mysteries with a Christmas theme? Only if Peter Swanson writes them! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Christmas Guest and remain a huge fan of this author. I just wish I’d had a comfy armchair to curl up in, in front of a roaring fire in a crumbling, old manor house. It would have been the perfect setting to read this creepy, chilling tale. Recommended.
I am the biggest fan of Peter Swanson’s books. I’ve read and loved all of them with The Kind Worth Killing and Rules for Perfect Murders riding high on my ‘top books of all time’ list. So I was delighted to hear that Peter Swanson was going to be publishing a second book in 2023, hot on the heels of The Kind Worth Saving (which was published in March). What I wasn’t expecting was a Christmas murder mystery! I don’t read a lot of Christmas themed books because I don’t think, in the grand scheme of things, there are many crime-y ones to choose from. I could of course be wrong and just be a little bit blinkered. Because, well, Christmas and murder aren’t exactly compatible bedmates! Again, maybe just my opinion. Maybe I’m missing out on something. And if anyone was going to prove me wrong then I’m glad it was Peter Swanson. After all, there was no way on this earth I wasn’t going to read The Christmas Guest!
Thousands of miles away from home and with Christmas on the horizon, Art History student, Ashley Smith, decides to stay in London for the holidays rather than head back to the US. Which works out better than she ever expected when classmate, Emma Chapman, invites Ashley to stay with her and her family over the holiday period in their Cotswolds Manor House. Lonely Ashley accepts the invitation and daydreams of the picture perfect country house idyll whilst packing for her week-long stay with Emma and Emma’s handsome twin brother, Adam. But on arrival at Starvewood Hall, reality doesn’t quite meet Ashley’s daydreams. The house is a little run down, Emma’s parents are odd and unwelcoming, the locals of Clevemoor stare at Ashley as though they’ve seen a ghost, and Ashley still can’t quite understand why Emma, someone she doesn’t really know, has invited her to spend Christmas with her family….
The Christmas Guest is a spooky, gothic-esque mystery that I devoured in two short sittings. The first part of the book is told in diary format by Ashley Smith. I absolutely believed in the character 100% and I thought the author had Ashley’s voice spot on. She’s excited about life, about a new start in London with new friends and every opportunity at her feet. Then along comes Emma’s brother, Adam, who she falls desperately in love with. The diary sections were at times wonderfully giddy as Ashley is swept up in the moment and is living her very best life. The arrival of an ominous figure in the grounds of the house who both Ashley and Emma encounter does little to dampen her infectious (or maybe some would say, annoying) spirit. The diary entries approach Christmas day and then, they stop. The second part of the book follows an older woman living a quiet life in New York. As Christmas day approaches she looks back on her life and considers her regular Christmas day traditions. There’s a loneliness to the character that is almost palpable and there’s no ignoring the sense of apprehension the author creates.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Christmas Guest has as much content, as much storytelling in its 111 pages as a full length, 330+ page book. It’s a gripping, unsettling story with a devastating, dark twist that had me completely enraptured. The characters are a perfect mix. Ashley is bright and bubbly, Emma is distanced and secretive and Adam is full of himself! The book is beautifully paced and very compelling from start to finish. Swanson is the master of the murder mystery and as a Brit, I loved that this one was set in the Cotswolds, rather than Maine which is where the majority of Swanson’s books are set (I adore the author’s Maine settings, they’re such a big part of his books and Maine does get a small mention, but it was nice to see the Cotswolds through the author’s eyes). Will I be reading more murder mysteries with a Christmas theme? Only if Peter Swanson writes them! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Christmas Guest and remain a huge fan of this author. I just wish I’d had a comfy armchair to curl up in, in front of a roaring fire in a crumbling, old manor house. It would have been the perfect setting to read this creepy, chilling tale. Recommended.
Really great! Definitely recommend especially since you can read/listen to it in one sitting. I wanted the atmosphere to have more dread than coziness. Regardless, it did its job damn well.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quick little Christmas mystery! Enjoyed the plot and the twists but didn’t love the delivery. The first fifty pages are a diary entries from decades earlier and to show that, it’s all in italics. From a graphic designer: don’t do that to people! Not easy on the eyes. I don’t know how else this could have been told but I didn’t love the diary device in general; the dialogue back and forth was clunky to read. I haven’t read something written a la journal in a while but now I’m wondering how that could be done better. But! Still an enjoyable seasonal read. Happy Christmas!
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fun little Christmas novella with some classic Peter Swanson twists and turns.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
1.5. This was pretty bad, but I'll round up because I did sort of like the first part, it had a bit of atmosphere. I keep giving Peter chance after chance after chance since I do think he is capable of writing a decent book, it's just that mostly he doesn't. There is a big twist in this, which did surprise me, but then it was straight downhill from there. He reveals it too soon, and then there is nothing left to do except to And leave you with a nasty overall feeling.
Spoiler
bring in a ghost. I mean really.
My first Christmas read of the year is a short one—just a 112-page novella by mystery writer Peter Swanson.
Orphaned American college student Ashely Smith is saved from spending another Christmas alone when her schoolmate Emma invites her to spend Christmas break with her at her idyllic country house in the Cotswolds. Emma also has a cute and charming brother who may or may not have killed a girl not long ago, but there’s also a weirdo running around the woods nearby, so it’s probably him who killed the girl, right? I enjoyed the fast pace of this little novella and the murder mystery twist on this Christmas read.
Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy of this book.
Orphaned American college student Ashely Smith is saved from spending another Christmas alone when her schoolmate Emma invites her to spend Christmas break with her at her idyllic country house in the Cotswolds. Emma also has a cute and charming brother who may or may not have killed a girl not long ago, but there’s also a weirdo running around the woods nearby, so it’s probably him who killed the girl, right? I enjoyed the fast pace of this little novella and the murder mystery twist on this Christmas read.
Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy of this book.