This wonderful new novella from Peter Swanson meets the needs of both Halloween and Christmas. Despite the holiday setting, THE CHRISTMAS GUEST involves much darker subject matter and is purely a psychological thriller from start to finish.

Ashley Smith, an American art student living in London, opens the tale as the primary figure. We experience the Christmas of her junior year through her recollections and her diary entries. Ashley was more than prepared to spend a quiet Christmas alone when she receives an invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman to come to Starvewood Hall and celebrate the day with her wealthy and extremely eccentric family. Ashley accepts and is glad she did, even though she didn’t think Emma liked her after she stole a potential boyfriend from Emma one evening at a local pub.

"THE CHRISTMAS GUEST never ceases to amaze, and the huge time and plot jumps from one section of the novella to the other is handled brilliantly by Swanson."

While at Starvewood Hall, Ashley explores the large estate and mingles with Emma’s immediate and extended family. She is especially taken by Emma’s wayward brother, Adam. Much to Emma’s dismay, it appears that Ashley has become smitten with him. However, this visit is not all fun and games. In addition to several trips to the village pub with Emma and Adam, Ashley has some frightening experiences. For instance, she notices a strange, bearded man watching her from the edge of the forest.

Swanson pulls off a complete shocker of a plot twist at the end of the novella’s first part. Ashley is murdered by an assailant who attacks her and Emma when they are walking home through the woods. The second part opens with Ashley gone. Or is she?

We see newspaper articles reporting on the brutal crime. It is at this point in the story that Swanson shows his genius as a plotter of unpredictable thrillers. We end up in New York City in 2019 with a character named Ashley Smith. This will perplex some and will have most wondering exactly what is going on and how much they should believe from those diary entries left by Ashley in 1989.

THE CHRISTMAS GUEST never ceases to amaze, and the huge time and plot jumps from one section of the novella to the other is handled brilliantly by Swanson. It will puzzle readers in the best of ways and will make them want to go back to the beginning and read this short, fascinating story all over again.