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The Christmas Guest
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
51 posts | 59 read | 27 to read
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review
bthegood
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Ashley, an American student in London, is invited to spend Christmas with her friend Emma and her family in Cotswold England. Ashely develops a crush on Emma's brother Adam, who is suspected of murder. The story unfolds in first person for the present day, and by diary entries for the 1989 Christmas visit. Overall, a very good novella.
Put this on your TBR for #WinterGames
#BookSpinBingo
Make a great day everyone 🙂

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OriginalCyn620
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Really enjoyed this one! Lots packed into this novella - festiveness and twists!
#christmasinjuly
#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! I always have trouble putting down a Swanson book. 😂 4mo
41 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Octoberwoman
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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I‘m posting one book a day from my massive collection. No description, no reason for why I want to read it (some I‘ve had so long I don‘t even remember why!). Feel free to join in!

#ABookADay2024

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Sharpeipup
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Finally found some reading time!

Gissy 📖🙌 9mo
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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janeycanuck
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Mehso-so

While the story was engaging, the over-production of the audio made this less than enjoyable. The sound of the pages turning was distracting and I didn't find the narrator had a particularly good American accent.

But, it got me in the Christmas spirit as we drove to my in-laws for the holiday 😛

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erzascarletbookgasm
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

My library hold just came in 😆. This will be perfect for a cozy festive read.. from the English country house, village pub to Christmas meals, it‘s a great holiday read, with a murder (or more) thrown in! It‘s a quick, engrossing and fun read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ruthiella I‘m hanging on to this for next year. Hoping to do #CloakandDaggerChristmas again! 10mo
71 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Purpleness
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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… And a lovely afternoon at Munro‘s. I definitely went in just for a calendar, but Christmas books were on sale, and who could resist that forest stories book? Not me, apparently. #bookhaul

mabell These all look great! 10mo
62 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Graciouswarriorprincess
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Books 10-13 of the year.

13/100 for 2024 @goodreads challenge.

38 likes1 stack add
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bookandbedandtea
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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My favorite read in December was festive yet murdery.

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LiteraryinPA
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Two Swanson books in one day? My library hold on this tiny novella just came in today, so I decided to read it now while it was still December. This was a clever little holiday mystery. I‘m always going to prefer a full-length novel, because there‘s more time to develop characters and all that, but this was a solid read. Now I think it‘s time to read something in a different genre!

ElizaMarie That kitty is so big! I love it! 10mo
RaeLovesToRead I liked this one too! And I love your festive chonk 🥰🐈 10mo
LiteraryinPA @RaeLovesToRead @ElizaMarie I feel like I should say that I didn‘t catch her at a flattering angle? 😋 But she‘s the best! 10mo
RaeLovesToRead Nope! Shows off her floofs in all their floofy glory! 🥰🥰 10mo
LiteraryinPA This is my final book of 2023: number 113! 10mo
71 likes5 comments
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TEArificbooks
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Quick novella thriller with a few twists. This is another one by this author I liked. #wintergames #teamevergreen @Clwojick

1825 pts

JenReadsAlot I did too! 10mo
janeycanuck We listened to this on the drive to my in-laws for Christmas. The narrator had such a bad American accent but the story was great! 10mo
41 likes2 comments
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AmandaBlaze
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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HeatherBookNerd
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

A quick Christmas Murder novella to finish in one cozy sitting. A perfect mini whodunnit.

36 likes1 stack add
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Bookzombie
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Mehso-so

Yeah, I didn‘t love this one. I can‘t exactly put my finger on why as it has all of the elements I enjoy. I had it mostly figured out, but that doesn‘t bother me usually. I would have ended it differently, but it‘s not that either. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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JamieArc
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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A very happy Jolabokaflod to you all! I hope you‘re all having a peaceful evening!

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Nessavamusic
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

A solid Christmas/Winter thriller novella. A young American girl going to school in England gets invited to a classmates estate home for the holidays and bad things happen. There is an excellent twist and a good mystery for such a short book. 4⭐️
#WinterGames #WGWordSearch 20
#AtoZBingo #bookspinbingo - 2 bingos!
Team #SnowAngels
@emilymdxn @kwmg40 @texreader @5feet.of.fury @sblbooks @msradiosilence @cogsofencouragement

Dreowone Beautifull cover 11mo
Nessavamusic @Dreowone it really is! 11mo
Emilymdxn That is gorgeous! 11mo
41 likes1 stack add3 comments
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KathyWheeler
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

For a short time, I thought Peter Swanson had stepped out of his comfort zone and had written a Christmas romance, but in chapter 3, we start to understand that‘s not the case. He‘s well within his psycho protagonist genre. My husband and I listened to this on our errands around town. I listened to the much more Hallmarky The Wishing Bridge (Viola Shipman) on my #audiowalk.

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bookandbedandtea
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I'm not always a fan of novellas but this was the perfect length. Ashley, an orphaned American college student with nowhere to go for Christmas, is invited by Emma to her family's manor house. Ashley soon finds that Emma's parents are horrid, her local pub is charming, and her brother's a dreamboat. But a local girl was murdered a few months ago and there's a creepy figure in the woods. Is romance in the air or something more sinister?

batsy I really enjoyed this, too! 11mo
bookandbedandtea @batsy I loved that it defied all my expectations 😁 11mo
39 likes2 comments
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kimmypete1
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Fun little Christmas mystery novella.

20 likes1 stack add
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TheEllieMo
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this novella; snow, murder, intrigue and a bit of ghostliness, perfect for this time of year!

29 likes2 stack adds
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JenReadsAlot
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this! #wintergames

32 likes1 stack add
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ClairesReads
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Jessica Knoll recommended this on Instagram and she‘s not wrong- it‘s a great read. An atmospheric, well-paced Christmas novella. I often find novellas tricky- like short stories that are too long, or novels that aren‘t long enough, but this was just the right length. A great, quick read for a festive week.

Centique Merry Christmas Claire! I hope youve had a good day and you have some holiday time to read some good books 🎄🎅📚 11mo
ClairesReads @Centique thank you and Merry Xmas to you too. Hope you‘re enjoying this summer spell for good reading time x 10mo
29 likes2 comments
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MidnightBookGirl
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this Christmas mystery thriller- which is a good thing because I have 3 book clubs at the bookstore who are reading this book, so I'll have to discuss it 3 times this month!
#WinterGames #GangstaWrappers @Bookwormjillk @Clwojick @StayCurious
#WGWordSearch 1300pts

Bookwormjillk I liked this one too💙❄️💙❄️ 11mo
bthegood 🥳🎁 11mo
38 likes2 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

This "festive" novella was delicious, creepy, Christmas noir.

I loved it.

Ashley is delighted to be invited to Emma's country manor in the Cotswolds for Xmas. She soon sets her sights on Emma's charming brother... but something is a bit off...

Concise, gothic, unsettling, and (by the end) unhinged. I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

JenReadsAlot I'm planning on reading this soon! 11mo
LiteraryinPA I‘m on the hold list for this at the library! 11mo
RaeLovesToRead @JenReadsAlot @LiteraryinLawrence Hope you enjoy it too! 😊💕 11mo
batsy Nice review! I felt the same. 11mo
64 likes4 comments
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BookwormAHN
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

A nice little Christmas Gothic mystery. Although I could of used a little less of Ashley attempting to hook up with her friend's brother.
#GhostsOfXmas #WinterGames
#WinterGamesDailyPhotoChallenge #Snow #Rushathon @Andrew65 @GHABI4ROSES @DieAReader #Adventathon @BookmarkTavern #AToZ @Texreader

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 11mo
BookmarkTavern Love this cover! 11mo
44 likes2 comments
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candc320
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I don‘t know about anyone else but I‘ve found a number of murdery Christmas stories to read this year 😆. This one was quick and vicious. I will say I much preferred the first half to the second. Either way the story as a whole was good but a little too quick (I would have preferred more). I guess that can be a problem with novellas! 🌟🌟🌟🌟 #wintergames #SantasBookshELVES

24 likes1 stack add
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AudiobookingWithLeah
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

4.25⭐
The story is mostly told from diary excerpts, which are made to sound tinny to set them apart from the non-diary parts of the story. It would have been better to have the same audio quality for the entire book. Other than that, this was surprisingly good for such a short story.

If regular Christmas stories just don‘t cut it for you and you think maybe you need a little murder thrown into the mix. This is your story.

25 likes2 stack adds
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EclecticBookLover
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Reading another 2023 holiday release. Nevermind the holiday books I own that have been on my TBR for years 👀

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jlhammar
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Pickpick

#CloakandDaggerChristmas Prompt: All I Want For Christmas is You - read a mystery set during the holiday season

If you enjoy tales of the gothic, dark and unsettling variety, this novella is a treat. Grab yourself a nice cuppa and read in one go. ☕️

Ruthiella This is the third 👍 I‘ve seen this month for this title. I‘ve read and enjoyed other books by Swanson before, so it‘s on my list! 11mo
60 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Bookwormjillk
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

This was a cross between Stephen King and Northanger Abbey. It was short and perfect for reading or listening to all at once. The less you know going in the better.

50 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Rachiiebookdragon
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
Mehso-so

This is an ok novella.

3.75/5

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Mpcacher
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this novella, but did not love the ending. Suffice to say, without adding any spoilers, it lacked the necessary 'comeuppance' I need to feel justice was truly served. In spite that that slight let down, it was still a fun and easy read that ensconced one in the British countryside over Christmas. 3.5/5 stars!

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twinkletoes74
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Ti's the season to be wary.
This book has a brilliant twist , Read it in one sitting. I highly recommend it.

13 likes1 stack add
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AmandaBlaze
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this novel by Swanson. I had not read his books before, so I have nothing to compare it. I like the first part better as it was epistolary. The second half was good, but I identified more with Ashley than Emma. Word Search = 850.
#Adventathon @BookmarkTavern
#Rushathon @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
#Candyland @Catsandbooks
#CloakandDagger @Ruthiella
#WinterCosy @PuddleJumper
#AtoZ @Texreader
#BookSpin @TheAromaofBooks
#PromptMaze

Ruthiella I‘m definitely going to put this on my list for next year (if I can wait that long!)😃 11mo
AmandaBlaze @Ruthiella For 89 pages of text, it was quite good. 11mo
See All 6 Comments
Catsandbooks 🍭❄️❤️ 11mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 11mo
BookmarkTavern Yay! 🎉🎉🎉 11mo
35 likes6 comments
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ShelleyBooksie
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Pickpick

Although it takes place over Christmas, this is not a Christmas themed book. The story took an interesting turn about 3/4 of the way through. A real page turner!

BiblioLitten Our city library does not have it unfortunately! It looks interesting. 11mo
42 likes1 stack add1 comment
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batsy
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

My #CloakAndDaggerChristmas is off to a nice start. I read this for the first prompt, "Do they know it's Christmas". It's a dark and satisfying novella that meshes the Gothic with the contemporary to good effect, and strikes the right tone for both murder and Christmas festivities, somehow! Lol. It's best to go in without knowing anything, and it can be polished off in one sitting, which is what I recommend. 'Tis the season! ?? @Ruthiella

batsy Kind of like A Christmas Carol meets 1980s Northanger Abbey with a dash of The Secret History, in a way? 11mo
Ruthiella Looks good! I‘ve read a couple other books from Swanson in the past. 👍 11mo
jlhammar Glad to see this is a pick since it is in my December stack. Looking forward to it! 11mo
See All 10 Comments
batsy @Ruthiella I have The Kind Worth Killing waiting for me on my shelves. And I'm keen to read Eight Perfect Murders but only after I've read all of the books referenced... 😅 11mo
batsy @jlhammar I hope you like it! 11mo
RealLifeReading Ooh looks fun and such a striking cover! 11mo
RealLifeReading Bahaha I just looked it up on Libby via the Singapore library and the cover there is such a bland and boring one that I had to go make sure it was the same book 🤦🏻‍♀️ 11mo
batsy @RealLifeReading Oh no! Haha yes this particular cover is so striking. 11mo
merelybookish Yay for murder at Christmas! 😀 And the cover is great. 11mo
batsy @merelybookish It's a fab cover for a Christmas murder tale 😆 11mo
84 likes1 stack add10 comments
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brittanyreads
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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#2023readingbracket
One month to go! Who will come out on top!!? 🏆

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MidnightBookGirl
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Ho ho ho, #GangstaWrappers and all my fellow #Wintergames gamers! Here's some of my December TBR (yes, just some- but most of them are audio and I can get through some audiobooks). I still have to pull together my physical books, but that will have to wait and I wasn't go to pass up an opportunity to score points for my team! It's a lot of holiday reads, but lots of mystery thrown in, so I'll be slaying with my sleighing!

bthegood Looks fantastic 🎁 11mo
Traci1 I've got several of those on my tbr list too. 11mo
JessieKB This looks great!!! I may have to borrow some💚🎄❤️🎁 11mo
39 likes1 stack add3 comments
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MysticFaerie
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

4⭐️/5⭐️

10 likes1 stack add
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brittanyreads
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

4.75 ⭐
I read this in a couple hours and really enjoyed it!
Cozy English manor house ✔️
All the Christmas vibes ✔️
Creepy and mysterious murder ✔️
Less than 100pgs ✔️
🪨🎅🏻

AudiobookingWithLeah I just finished it this morning. It was about 3 hours on Audio. I liked it, it was really good for how short it was. 11mo
brittanyreads I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it as well! @AudiobookingWithLeah 11mo
48 likes2 comments
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brittanyreads
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Christmas reading time 🎄

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Jemgirl2014
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
Mehso-so

Meh. It was just okay. It didn‘t meet my high expectations. Great beginning but I hated how it ended. It is so dull and flat. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

I haven‘t been hoodwinked so successfully since I was a teenager reading Agatha Christie novels well past my bedtime.

Hats off to you Peter Swanson, I thought I was in for a silly little Christmas cozy but then I got to part 2 of this little book 🫨

Lizpixie Will there be an #AussieSecretSanta this year Sharni?? 12mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Lizpixie, I‘ve been wondering if people have the headspace for it 🙃 feels like it‘s been a rough year for everyone 12mo
Lizpixie It‘s been tough but I think we all look forward to giving gifts at Xmas, especially books! Ask around & get a feel for everyone, no obligation if you want & go from there!🎅🏻 12mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Lizpixie, might be a smaller swap - but we‘ll see 12mo
50 likes5 stack adds4 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Be so real with me : is Peter Swanson a writer of comedies?

Alfoster Is this one billed as a comedy?? Most of his that I‘ve read aren‘t and are chilling and dark! 12mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Alfoster, it‘s definitely crime - it was just briefly in a silly goofy mood. I haven‘t read Peter Swanson before but this was pretty good… 12mo
34 likes1 stack add2 comments
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thegirlwiththelibrarybag
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Fine and normal

Born.A.Reader This is on my TBR for Christmas. How do you like it so far? 12mo
thegirlwiththelibrarybag @Born.A.Reader, I just finished - hooked me completely, recommended! (edited) 12mo
28 likes2 comments
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Lizpixie
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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The 1st book from my recent #BookMail is this Xmas thriller set in the Cotswolds, England. Ashley Smith, an American studying in London, is invited to spend the holidays with her classmates family in their manor house. Recording it in her diary, she takes a shine to her friends twin brother Adam, but is there something strange about the old house? What are the motives of the Chapman family? And what holiday horrors are in store.

33 likes1 stack add
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Read4life
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Pickpick

Release Date: 10/17/23

This Christmas novella was a pick for me. Swanson said his love for holiday thrillers and a desire to write a ‘single sitting‘ read that he imagines one reading on Christmas Eve led to this story.
The story takes place Christmas 1989 in an English village & concludes 30 years later in Manhattan.
#ARC #BookSpin #BookSpinBingo #RushAThon

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 1y
TheAromaofBooks I have really enjoyed several of Swanson's books, so I'm looking forward to this one!! 1y
Andrew65 Sounds excellent, well done 👏👏👏 1y
54 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Read4life
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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Read4life
The Christmas Guest | Peter Swanson
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jlhammar Oooh, I hadn't heard about this one yet! Definitely getting for my December reading! 1y
Read4life @jlhammar It will be out in October! 1y
37 likes1 stack add2 comments