In one weekend, I read two Christmas novellas that quoted Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Perhaps it’s appropriate that stories of people haunted by the past would quote from that story. It isn’t until part 2 of Peter Swanson’s The Christmas Guest that the narrator reveals why they’re haunted. And, of course, that’s a spoiler, so you won’t find the answer here.

Diary entries reveal that an American college student in London is invited to Starvewood Hall in the Cotswolds for the holidays. Emma Chapman warns her guest that the manor is nothing special, that her parents are strange, and that women seem to fall for Emma’s twin brother, Adam. But, the American is dazzled by the idea of a posh Christmas in a manor house. She isn’t prepared for the isolation. She isn’t prepared for a romance with Adam. She also doesn’t expect to learn Adam was a suspect in a murder a year earlier, a girl who was attacked and found in the nearby woods.

The diary entries don’t reveal the twist in the story. To be honest, I didn’t find the twist surprising. Swanson claims to love Christmas, saying he wanted to write a Christmas ghost story. I can’t say that The Christmas Guest will be on my short list of stories worth rereading during the holiday season. I didn’t care for the loathsome characters, and I found the story ugly. Just my opinion. If you’re looking for something short for the holidays, this might suffice.

Peter Swanson’s website is https://www.peter-swanson.com/

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson. William Morrow, 2023. ISBN 9780063297456 (hardcover), 112p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley on NetGalley to review for a journal.