Preview
  • The Christmas Guest

  • A Novella
  • By: Peter Swanson
  • Narrated by: Esther Wane
  • Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (110 ratings)

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The Christmas Guest

By: Peter Swanson
Narrated by: Esther Wane
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Publisher's summary

“Delicious…I defy you to stop reading The Christmas Guest once you begin.”—New York Times Book Review

New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson pens a spectacularly spine-chilling novella in which an American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family’s Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village’s grim history.

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma’s aloof and handsome brother.

But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she’d ever imagined?

Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.

©2023 Peter Swanson (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about The Christmas Guest

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Really Great

I love all of Peter Swanson's books. But this was a particularly juicy one. It's written in an old school style but with a little bit of the Peter Swanson vicious spin. Also a great narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved

I love a twisted Christmas story. Very fun and entertaining. It’s a quick one, but packs a lot in. Great performance.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Swanson does it again

I love his twists and his insight into the darkest onslaughts of the human psyche.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting Christmas Ghost Story

On the tradition of Christmas ghost stories, this is a haunting mystery with a satisfying twist!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Odd, unexpected short read, still some good Swanson in there

Not my favorite. Pretty out of left field for my favorite author. Definitely not his best. But still gotta love his writing style, the plot twists, and his characters. I was happy to read it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Decent story, annoying performance

If I’d wanted to listen to pages being turned—over and over—I could have read the physical book. The constant turning and shuffling took this listener out of what could have been an engaging story. Did no one at Audible vet this before offering to us?

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Only wished longer

Great short mystery! Actually it was amazing how this was all wrapped up yet the author achieved what he wanted, something to listen to or read in one sitting! It took me awhile to realize the paper turning I heard was part of the story, a diary being read.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Unmotivated twist undermines this semi-clever story

Not to spoil anything but a decision by the lead character that is at the heart of this mystery is completely unmotivated and unexplained. I can’t believe no one told the author to work a little harder on this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A cozy mystery

I’m not sure why there are so many reviews mentioning the “horrible” sound effects but I loved them! The page turning made it feel cozy like you were actually reading the diary yourself. The mystery is subtle but oh so good!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Meh just okay. Not worth a credit

I normally like Peter Swanson books but found this one fairly boring. The reveal/twist was different and surprisingly but not satisfactory and then the story just puttered.

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