writing_inthemountains 's review for:

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

3.0

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When I picked up this novel, I was purely chasing Christmas vibes—snowy settings, cozy firesides, and a hint of romance to get me hyped for the season. What I didn’t expect was to be utterly captivated, staying up way past my bedtime and devouring 90% of the book in one sitting!

The story starts in 1989, with Ashley Smith, an American art student spending Christmas in a charming English village at the invitation of her friend Emma Chapman. Starvewood Hall, the Chapman family’s sprawling country estate, is a winter wonderland straight out of a dream.
The house, the snowy landscape, and the warm, firelit atmosphere pulled me in immediately. Add in Emma’s aloof (and handsome) brother Adam and the growing tension surrounding a recent murder in the village, and I was hooked.

But as Ashley explores her place in this story, the cozy Christmas vibes take a darker turn. Is she in a romance? A gothic mystery? Or something far more sinister? The tension escalates, especially with the arrival of a mysterious stranger haunting the nearby woods.

Part II, however, is where things really took me by surprise.
Set over thirty years later, the story revisits the events of that fateful Christmas week through a diary and the chilling echoes of the past in modern-day New York. I thought I had the killer figured out by the middle, but even then, the twists managed to shock me.

Looking back, I wish I’d saved this book for a perfect cozy reading setup—a lit candle, a steaming mug of hot chocolate—but even curled up in bed, it was absolutely spellbinding. The first part immerses you in a snow-covered, festive world, while the second delivers the chilling revelations that leave you reeling.

If you’re looking for a Christmas mystery that blends warmth, suspense, and just the right amount of gothic terror, this novel is a must-read. Trust me—you’ll want to clear your schedule for this one.