Book Review - The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

Title: The Christmas Guest
Author: Peter Swanson
Genre: Mystery
Published: 2023
 
Description: An American student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family’s Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming Englisg village’s grim history.
  
Review: Ashley Smith is an American art student in London, who was planning to spend Christmas alone. But a last-minute invitation of fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hallo, the country residence of the Chapman family. Ashely is mesmetized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family and the charming village of Clevemoor. But also by Adam Chapman, Emma’s brother. But he’s being investigated by the police over the recent brutal murder of a girl from the village. And there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Over thirty years later, the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time.
 
Peter Swanson is a hit or miss author for me. “The Christmas Guest” is a novella with less than a hundred pages, that you can easily read in one sitting. I was invested in the mystery and the eventual plotting of it. But I also found the story a bit predictable and I did not enjoy the ending. Particularly one element at the end, that felt like a last-minute thought of the author.
 
It's a quick and easy read, if you’re in for a Christmas mystery. The holiday vibes were very present, did enjoy the setting as well. But again, not the most surprising story and that ending was just not that good.

Rating: 2,5/ 5