Peter Swanson scored a hit with his previous Christmas tale of murder and mayhem, ‘The Christmas Guest’, and he’s laced his latest literary eggnog with just the right amount of the hard stuff. It concerns Nicholas Child, a struggling mystery writer, who is tasked with visiting Marco Tavares, a hugely successful author, at his large Cape Cod house. Nicholas’s job is to try to help Marco overcome his writer’s block. It’s the run-up to Christmas and the house gradually fills up with other people, most of whom have a reason to hate Marco. Needless to say, there’s a death—or two—and everyone is a suspect. It’s a slim volume but Swanson still manages to pack it with plenty of intrigue—paying homage to Golden Age mysteries while still finding room for plenty of fresh angles. A perfect stocking filler then, but one you’ll want to read for yourself first. RM

Faber