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kerasalwaysreading's review
4.0
This was a terrifyingly fun, festively thrilling anthology of holiday themed short stories from some great names in thriller writing.
My favorites were:
*** Breadwinner - Sophie Hannah, where a judge is ruling on what to give both parties in a divorce. That was a fun one and a very interesting take on what people bring to a marriage and what they lose when they leave said marriage.
*** An Unexpected Present - Phoebe Morgan, where a wife takes matters into her own hands when dealing with her abusive husband, then spends a wonderful Christmas Day with her children without him.
*** The Switch - James Delargy, where a woman who is going to the electric chair after killing her family has a strange confession at the last minute. This was really unique.
*** Secret Santa - Jo Furniss, where we follow a group of friends through the years at Christmas, but with a thrilling twist.
*** A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas - Robert Scragg, which was my FAVORITE, where a girl rescues a "lost" dog from an abusive owner, who keeps coming back for his dog... until she takes matters into her own hands to keep the sweet pup with her for good.
I received a digital copy of this book from Kate Rock Tours in exchange for a tour stop post on Instagram and review.
My favorites were:
*** Breadwinner - Sophie Hannah, where a judge is ruling on what to give both parties in a divorce. That was a fun one and a very interesting take on what people bring to a marriage and what they lose when they leave said marriage.
*** An Unexpected Present - Phoebe Morgan, where a wife takes matters into her own hands when dealing with her abusive husband, then spends a wonderful Christmas Day with her children without him.
*** The Switch - James Delargy, where a woman who is going to the electric chair after killing her family has a strange confession at the last minute. This was really unique.
*** Secret Santa - Jo Furniss, where we follow a group of friends through the years at Christmas, but with a thrilling twist.
*** A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas - Robert Scragg, which was my FAVORITE, where a girl rescues a "lost" dog from an abusive owner, who keeps coming back for his dog... until she takes matters into her own hands to keep the sweet pup with her for good.
I received a digital copy of this book from Kate Rock Tours in exchange for a tour stop post on Instagram and review.
pawstoodream's review
4.0
Christmas and crime a good combination. I loved these short stories.
Enjoyable read for Christmas time. Good authors and my god! what wild imagination they have to come up with these stories. Some are darn creepy but so much fun.
I highly recommend these Christmas short stories. Fast read too!
Enjoyable read for Christmas time. Good authors and my god! what wild imagination they have to come up with these stories. Some are darn creepy but so much fun.
I highly recommend these Christmas short stories. Fast read too!
alisonannk's review
5.0
An excellent collection of short stories written by a group of extremely talented crime writers. I LOVED the previous anthology "Afraid of the Lights" and this was just as good, if not better.
The collection also raises money for domestic abuse charities so I am considering it as Christmas gifts for a few family/friends. There's not one bad story and there are a real range of styles and plots. Even some humour too! Definitely something in here for everyone.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for access to this great book. I really hope there is another one in the works!
The collection also raises money for domestic abuse charities so I am considering it as Christmas gifts for a few family/friends. There's not one bad story and there are a real range of styles and plots. Even some humour too! Definitely something in here for everyone.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for access to this great book. I really hope there is another one in the works!
sandra64's review
5.0
I am not usually a great fan of anthologies or of crime fiction. But I do like Christmas fiction and this sounded a little different from the usual cosy Christmas fare I favour. Well, it’s certainly different! And I’m so glad I tried it.
There are a whole range of stories in this collection. From darkly chilling through black humour and off-the-wall quirky to bittersweet and poignant, they are linked of course by crime and by the time of year but also by the fine quality of writing throughout. Yes, I preferred some over others but I enjoyed and appreciated all of them. Also, they actually are short stories, perfect for when you have a few minutes to sit and be scared.
I’m grateful to the authors and to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed it so much I’ve bought my own copy. It’s excellent value and proceeds are donated to very worthy charities. I’m also planning to read the first collection published by this group (again with proceeds donated to charity). The only downside? I now have a whole bunch of new-to-me authors with novels out there that I also want to read!
There are a whole range of stories in this collection. From darkly chilling through black humour and off-the-wall quirky to bittersweet and poignant, they are linked of course by crime and by the time of year but also by the fine quality of writing throughout. Yes, I preferred some over others but I enjoyed and appreciated all of them. Also, they actually are short stories, perfect for when you have a few minutes to sit and be scared.
I’m grateful to the authors and to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed it so much I’ve bought my own copy. It’s excellent value and proceeds are donated to very worthy charities. I’m also planning to read the first collection published by this group (again with proceeds donated to charity). The only downside? I now have a whole bunch of new-to-me authors with novels out there that I also want to read!
stephlyon25's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
j_lbrbsblogs's review against another edition
4.0
3.5-4*
My thoughts: A wonderful set of short stories which you can dip into as and when or sit and read until the end. I read them in a couple of sessions. A pretty good standard throughout and some new-to-me authors I’ll be checking out for their lengthier offerings. The book supports two good causes which allows the reader a small opportunity to do some good whilst enjoying a terrific set of short stories to read.
My thoughts: A wonderful set of short stories which you can dip into as and when or sit and read until the end. I read them in a couple of sessions. A pretty good standard throughout and some new-to-me authors I’ll be checking out for their lengthier offerings. The book supports two good causes which allows the reader a small opportunity to do some good whilst enjoying a terrific set of short stories to read.
meggyroussel's review
4.0
When I say “Christmas” what do you think of?
I think of endless queues, terrible songs, and mandatory gatherings. Or at least, I used to. This year, however, I decided to plan my kind of Christmas, and it started with my favorite authors and their extraordinary flair creating the perfect anthology to match my ideas of what the end of the year can be like!
Earlier in the year, I reviewed Afraid of the Light, my very first anthology, and a real stable of the crime fiction genre to get or to offer. I said then how difficult I found to talk about an anthology, and I will say it again here!
Afraid of the Christmas Light is not a book to get only and ONLY when you hate Christmas. No, no. The twist here is that each participant took something out of Christmas and turned it into something different, something new. The magic turned red. Literally!
The assortment of stories is bound to make you feel. I went through it all: I got a bit scared, I got mad, I had “yikes” moments, but those short fiction pieces all have something in common: they are marvelously written.
I dipped in and out of Afraid of the Christmas Lights, enjoying one or two stories at a time, relishing in the twisted Christmas tales I was receiving from authors I admire. The anthology could not have come at a better time, as it confirmed my opinion that you can choose your Christmas…
Oh, this book was a lot of fun. No romance under the mistletoe, only bits of life (or death), literal or figurative, and always, always a special X factor from the authors.
Under the Mistletoe Last Night by Mark Billingham
Count on Mr Billingham for opening this anthology with a bloody present under the Christmas tree! I found it to be both traditional and original. Yep, I like the contradiction!
The Breadwinner by Sophie Hannah
A very special kind of gift! I was not expecting this but my verdict is: I loved it!
Bad Guy by Kate Simants
This story stirred the most disturbing feelings in me. It was raw and Kate just nailed it.
An Unexpected Present by Phoebe Morgan
Phoebe Morgan’s writing is recognizable, it’s striking and twisted, one of my favorites!
Just Kids by S.R. Masters
Disturbing by its mundane subject and the reality injected in the story, I couldn’t stop reading. How many times have you had to deal with kids? Let S.R. Masters give you a lesson!
Especially at Christmas by Adam Southward
My Pigs in Blankets! And so much more… I knew there was something off…
The Bedminster Bird Burglaries by T.E. Kinsey
Good old police work! Again, an unexpected story, but so tasty!
Fresh Meat by Elle Croft
I love Elle Croft, and this story just made me love her more, even if I’m more of a dog person than a cat person…
Heavenly Peace by Heather Critchlow
Oh, the family reunion, the smiles, the presents, the remarks, and the feast! The descriptions depicted something so familiar it was easy to create a movie of this story in my mind.
The Switch by James Delargy
My stomach churned and I got goosebumps. Damn switch! Such an excellent piece!
Secret Santa by Jo Furniss
I know that Jo Furniss’s brain is wired in a way that she creates atmospheric and twisted stories that stay with me, and she proved just how good she is with this one! Not sure I’ll play Secret Santa again…
A Dog is for Life, not just for Christmas by Robert Scragg
This story scared me. I am the kind of readers who ask for a trigger warning when animals are involved. I can’t read stories about cruelty on animals. I went in with a bit a fear… and finished it with a different kind of fear in mind!
Driving Home for Christmas by Rachael Blok
The title sounds so comforting, filled with the promise of a happy reunion… Rachael wrote an particular kind of reunion. I won’t forget it!
Smithereens by Dominic Nolan
Who knew being Santa could be dangerous? I really enjoyed this dark tale!
Missteps by N.J. Mackay
Ooooh, this one. I got so mad. Despite the lights and gifts, life is mean and unfair, or some people make it so, and my blood boiled. I remember thinking “I’ll give you Christmas! Ugh!” N.J. Mackay’s powerful story is a delightful punch in the stomach!
The Vigilante by Clare Empson
My heart broke. My reader’s heart bled. Oh Clare!!!
Hunted by Victoria Selman
You can always count of Victoria Selman to surprise you. I was totally immersed in the story, holding my breath, assuming… when I should have known better!!!
Bloody Christmas by Harriet Tyce
The joys of Christmas… magically transformed by an author who knows what she’s doing!
That’s it, I went through all the stories you’ll find in this anthology to give you a taste of what to expect. The flow of the full book is smooth and makes it really easy to jump from one movie to the other.
I couldn’t be happier to be able to support the work those eighteen authors have done here to support two important charities: ESDAS and Rights of Woman. I urge you to treat you to a copy of this excellent anthology that is the reader’s equivalent of the best box of Christmas chocolate!
I think of endless queues, terrible songs, and mandatory gatherings. Or at least, I used to. This year, however, I decided to plan my kind of Christmas, and it started with my favorite authors and their extraordinary flair creating the perfect anthology to match my ideas of what the end of the year can be like!
Earlier in the year, I reviewed Afraid of the Light, my very first anthology, and a real stable of the crime fiction genre to get or to offer. I said then how difficult I found to talk about an anthology, and I will say it again here!
Afraid of the Christmas Light is not a book to get only and ONLY when you hate Christmas. No, no. The twist here is that each participant took something out of Christmas and turned it into something different, something new. The magic turned red. Literally!
The assortment of stories is bound to make you feel. I went through it all: I got a bit scared, I got mad, I had “yikes” moments, but those short fiction pieces all have something in common: they are marvelously written.
I dipped in and out of Afraid of the Christmas Lights, enjoying one or two stories at a time, relishing in the twisted Christmas tales I was receiving from authors I admire. The anthology could not have come at a better time, as it confirmed my opinion that you can choose your Christmas…
Oh, this book was a lot of fun. No romance under the mistletoe, only bits of life (or death), literal or figurative, and always, always a special X factor from the authors.
Under the Mistletoe Last Night by Mark Billingham
Count on Mr Billingham for opening this anthology with a bloody present under the Christmas tree! I found it to be both traditional and original. Yep, I like the contradiction!
The Breadwinner by Sophie Hannah
A very special kind of gift! I was not expecting this but my verdict is: I loved it!
Bad Guy by Kate Simants
This story stirred the most disturbing feelings in me. It was raw and Kate just nailed it.
An Unexpected Present by Phoebe Morgan
Phoebe Morgan’s writing is recognizable, it’s striking and twisted, one of my favorites!
Just Kids by S.R. Masters
Disturbing by its mundane subject and the reality injected in the story, I couldn’t stop reading. How many times have you had to deal with kids? Let S.R. Masters give you a lesson!
Especially at Christmas by Adam Southward
My Pigs in Blankets! And so much more… I knew there was something off…
The Bedminster Bird Burglaries by T.E. Kinsey
Good old police work! Again, an unexpected story, but so tasty!
Fresh Meat by Elle Croft
I love Elle Croft, and this story just made me love her more, even if I’m more of a dog person than a cat person…
Heavenly Peace by Heather Critchlow
Oh, the family reunion, the smiles, the presents, the remarks, and the feast! The descriptions depicted something so familiar it was easy to create a movie of this story in my mind.
The Switch by James Delargy
My stomach churned and I got goosebumps. Damn switch! Such an excellent piece!
Secret Santa by Jo Furniss
I know that Jo Furniss’s brain is wired in a way that she creates atmospheric and twisted stories that stay with me, and she proved just how good she is with this one! Not sure I’ll play Secret Santa again…
A Dog is for Life, not just for Christmas by Robert Scragg
This story scared me. I am the kind of readers who ask for a trigger warning when animals are involved. I can’t read stories about cruelty on animals. I went in with a bit a fear… and finished it with a different kind of fear in mind!
Driving Home for Christmas by Rachael Blok
The title sounds so comforting, filled with the promise of a happy reunion… Rachael wrote an particular kind of reunion. I won’t forget it!
Smithereens by Dominic Nolan
Who knew being Santa could be dangerous? I really enjoyed this dark tale!
Missteps by N.J. Mackay
Ooooh, this one. I got so mad. Despite the lights and gifts, life is mean and unfair, or some people make it so, and my blood boiled. I remember thinking “I’ll give you Christmas! Ugh!” N.J. Mackay’s powerful story is a delightful punch in the stomach!
The Vigilante by Clare Empson
My heart broke. My reader’s heart bled. Oh Clare!!!
Hunted by Victoria Selman
You can always count of Victoria Selman to surprise you. I was totally immersed in the story, holding my breath, assuming… when I should have known better!!!
Bloody Christmas by Harriet Tyce
The joys of Christmas… magically transformed by an author who knows what she’s doing!
That’s it, I went through all the stories you’ll find in this anthology to give you a taste of what to expect. The flow of the full book is smooth and makes it really easy to jump from one movie to the other.
I couldn’t be happier to be able to support the work those eighteen authors have done here to support two important charities: ESDAS and Rights of Woman. I urge you to treat you to a copy of this excellent anthology that is the reader’s equivalent of the best box of Christmas chocolate!
nollreads's review
3.0
A mixed bag, some good some not so good. Was a fun one to pick up from time to time for a quick read over the holidays.
readingwithmrsleaf's review
4.0
A Christmas thriller? Yes please!
Today is my stop on the book tour with @katerockbooktours for Afraid of the Christmas Lights: An Anthology of Crime Stories. This book is a collection of gripping, festive short stories from a group of best selling crime writers. From funny to the macabre there’s something for everyone.
This book has been an entertaining one to read and has had me both laughing and cringing. It starts with a little boy hoping to sneak a peek at presents under the tree but instead finds Santa dead. From there you meet the most chilling cat lady to a very complex secret Santa and several other short stories in between. Each story is short but very well written. While most of my books this month are warm and cozy holiday reads I really enjoyed this alternative dark and twisty one.
Today is my stop on the book tour with @katerockbooktours for Afraid of the Christmas Lights: An Anthology of Crime Stories. This book is a collection of gripping, festive short stories from a group of best selling crime writers. From funny to the macabre there’s something for everyone.
This book has been an entertaining one to read and has had me both laughing and cringing. It starts with a little boy hoping to sneak a peek at presents under the tree but instead finds Santa dead. From there you meet the most chilling cat lady to a very complex secret Santa and several other short stories in between. Each story is short but very well written. While most of my books this month are warm and cozy holiday reads I really enjoyed this alternative dark and twisty one.
urbansapphire's review
5.0
This is a great little book to keep close to hand (or eye) during the lead up to/Christmas holidays, and all profits from Afraid Of The Christmas Lights will go to support two front-line charities*
I was part of an advance readers group on the Pigeonhole Book Club that got early access to this anthology of short stories from some great crime writers, including Elle Croft, Mark Billingham, Phoebe Morgan, Val McDermid and Victoria Selman. Not a huge fan of short stories usually, I feel that by their nature they don't really have enough time for plot or character development which can lead them to being quite predictable.
However recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic I have found it harder to concentrate while reading (disaster!) and these little stories actually really helped, both by being short enough to hold my concentration, and good enough to kindle my interest, all the while impressing me with the punch they each packed in a limited number of words. One or two, in particular 'The Vigilante' by Clare Empson left me feeling like I had read an entire book centred around the main character and a special appearance from Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne also managed to cheer up a grey November day.
Each of these little tales is very different in tone and style and one or two just didn't hit home for me, but, as they were so short, it didn't feel like I'd lost anything by spending the time to read them, as you might with a full novel - also, no pressure to add it to the dreaded 'did not finish' pile that all reviewers hate to consign a book to. The rest were various combinations of dark, scary, funny, chilling, sad, disturbing, sometimes predictable - sometimes not. All in all a really enjoyable mixed bag.
At just £1.99 on Kindle at the moment, if you're a fan of crime stories you should really buy this book. And of course, the profits all go to the following charities, so even more reason to give it a try!
ESDAS: Educates professionals, communities, victims and even perpetrators on the nature of domestic abuse. They offer practical measures, such as legal advice and transport, to enable survivors to find a safe place to live.
Rights of Women: Helps women understand their legal rights and access a range of support services to which they are entitled.
I was part of an advance readers group on the Pigeonhole Book Club that got early access to this anthology of short stories from some great crime writers, including Elle Croft, Mark Billingham, Phoebe Morgan, Val McDermid and Victoria Selman. Not a huge fan of short stories usually, I feel that by their nature they don't really have enough time for plot or character development which can lead them to being quite predictable.
However recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic I have found it harder to concentrate while reading (disaster!) and these little stories actually really helped, both by being short enough to hold my concentration, and good enough to kindle my interest, all the while impressing me with the punch they each packed in a limited number of words. One or two, in particular 'The Vigilante' by Clare Empson left me feeling like I had read an entire book centred around the main character and a special appearance from Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne also managed to cheer up a grey November day.
Each of these little tales is very different in tone and style and one or two just didn't hit home for me, but, as they were so short, it didn't feel like I'd lost anything by spending the time to read them, as you might with a full novel - also, no pressure to add it to the dreaded 'did not finish' pile that all reviewers hate to consign a book to. The rest were various combinations of dark, scary, funny, chilling, sad, disturbing, sometimes predictable - sometimes not. All in all a really enjoyable mixed bag.
At just £1.99 on Kindle at the moment, if you're a fan of crime stories you should really buy this book. And of course, the profits all go to the following charities, so even more reason to give it a try!
ESDAS: Educates professionals, communities, victims and even perpetrators on the nature of domestic abuse. They offer practical measures, such as legal advice and transport, to enable survivors to find a safe place to live.
Rights of Women: Helps women understand their legal rights and access a range of support services to which they are entitled.