The Christmas Guest : A classic country house murder for the festive season

A TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTHFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author’TIS THE SEASON TO BE WARY’I just devoured this seasonal treat from Peter Swanson in a single sitting.’ MARK EDWARDS’The perfect novella. . . I was not prepared for the shocking revelation.’ 5* reader review’All the Christmas cheer & nostalgia wrapped in a gothic murder mystery. I loved it!’ 5* reader review’Filled with lots of twists. . . the perfect one sitting read.’ 5* reader review’A perfect small jewel of a story.’ 5* reader review’I GASPED at several of the reveals. Christmas magic mixed with a quaint murder mystery.’ 5* reader reviewWhen 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?Praise for Peter Swanson:’Fiendishly good.’ Observer’One of the world’s best crime writers.’ MARK EDWARDS’Superb, elegant crime writing with more than a nod to the genre’s past.’ Daily Mail