“‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE WARY

When Ashley Smith – a bright-eyed but lonely American studying in London – is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate’s family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll.

And for Ashley – who records it all in her diary – there’s the added romantic potential of her friend’s twin brother, Adam, who she thinks could be her wildest dream come true.

But is there something strange about the old house, both stately and rundown? What could the motives of the mysterious Chapman family be? And what holiday horrors might be lying in wait?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson. The Christmas Guest is published by Faber & Faber today (that’s Thursday 28th September 2023) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Christmas Guest but that has in no way influenced my review.

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 chose to read and review a free eARC of The Christmas Guest. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Christmas Guest was published in the UK by Faber & Faber on 28th September 2023 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Peter Swanson is the author of nine novels including The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, and Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine.

A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his wife and cat.