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Not Your Happy Christmas Stories

Dark Christmas Books for Horror and Mystery Fans

Interested in joining the Christmas craze but would rather be reading about murder?
You’re in the right place.

I struggle with your average Christmas book. Maybe it’s the romance, maybe it’s because they Always live happily ever, maybe I would just prefer to be uncovering dark secrets and hunting down bad guys..

Either way, today’s post is a collection of holiday books that aren’t so marry and bright for readers who would rather be solving a solving a crime than decking the halls.

Enjoy!

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Any purchases made through my links may earn me a small commission at no cost to you.) 

The Christmas Bell by L.A. Detwiler

Some Christmas ornaments should be left in the attic.
 

When Candace Mills, 26, heads home for the holidays to visit her mother and ailing grandmother, she’s expecting a peaceful, dull Christmas. She has no idea, though, that a single Christmas ornament is about to send her into a whirling chasm of evil.
 

It starts with the Christmas bell, scratched and worn in one of Grandma Anne’s boxes in the attic. Once they put it on the tree, Grandma Anne starts to say terrifying things and act strangely. Candace and her mother assume it’s her dementia talking—until they start to have dangerous encounters with a fiendish being.
 

As the secrets of Anne’s past involving her twin sister rise to the surface, the women face sinister horrors from a dark force looking for revenge. ‘
 

Will any of them be able to survive, or will they fall prey to the malevolent secret Grandma Anne is harboring from her past?

Lucky Girl by M. Rickert

Ro, a struggling writer, knows all too well the pain and solitude that holiday festivities can awaken. When she meets four people at the local diner—all of them strangers and as lonely as Ro is—she invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner. And when that party seems in danger of an early end, she suggests they each tell a ghost story. One that’s seasonally appropriate.

But Ro will come to learn that the horrors hidden in a Christmas tale—or one’s past—can never be tamed once unleashed.

The Secret Santa by Trish Harnetiaux

THIS YEAR, YOU’LL GET WHAT YOU DESERVE…
_____________________
You’re invited to a lavish Christmas party in an isolated mansion.
And your hosts will do anything to keep you from finding out their secrets…

When husband and wife Henry and Claudine organise their company’s Christmas party in a remote mansion, they expect it to be a night to remember.

But the festive mood quickly turns sour when a sinister gift is unwrapped in the Secret Santa gift exchange.

As heavy snow traps the guests inside the mountainside lodge, it quickly becomes clear that one of the party is out for revenge.

It’s no longer just about enduring the evening. It’s about making sure you get out alive.

Christmas Evil by Mark L’Estrange

It’s Christmas Eve: a time of wonder, magic, anticipation… and terror.

A father who will go to any lengths to feed his hungry children. An unsuspecting woman who inherits a house with a deadly secret. A murderous widow who shares a train carriage with Jack the Ripper. Two burglars who bite off more than they can chew during a late-night raid.

These and many more bedtime stories come hideously to life in Mark L’Estrange’s nineteen tales of terror, each set on the most festive night of the year. Will anyone survive until Christmas morning?

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

The annual Christmas Game is afoot at Endgame House, the Armitages’ grand family home. This year’s prize is to die for—deeds to the house itself—but Lily Armitage has no intention of returning. She hasn’t been back to Endgame since her mother died, twenty-one years ago, and she has no intention of claiming the house that haunts her dreams.

Until, that is, she receives a letter from her aunt promising that the game’s riddles will give her the keys not only to Endgame, but to its darkest secrets, including the identity of her mother’s murderer.

Now, Lily must compete with her estranged cousins for the twelve days of Christmas. The snow is thick, the phone lines are down, and no one is getting in or out. Lily will have to keep her wits about her, because not everyone is playing fair, and there’s no telling how many will die before the winner is declared.

Twelve Days by Paul Williams

Ten people. Twelve days. One killer. Cult members come together for what might be their last time—alive—in this gripping, claustrophobic crime thriller.

Ten people meet for a reunion at a remote castle, organised by a preacher who once held them in a Christian cult. One by one, the old friends are brutally murdered, and yet their killer remains hidden in their very midst.

Rafe attends the reunion at the castle for one reason only: to settle once and for all how he really feels about his childhood obsession, Suzanne. Rivalry reignites at the outset as the men who all loved and fought over Suzanne are brought together once more.

Is Suzanne the reason for these serial killings?

Is the murderer a jealous lover?

Or is she the femme fatale with a bloody agenda?

As tension mounts, Rafe must play this deadly game in order to identify and neutralise the hidden serial killer before he himself becomes the next victim . . .

Ghosts From Christmas Past by Mary Alford

Eight years ago. . . Charlotte Swenson was brutally attacked on Christmas. Left for dead, her parents murdered, Charlotte remains suspended in a lifeless state. No one expects her to awake from the coma.

For eight years. . . a killer has hidden in plain sight. Watching. Waiting. Never letting down his guard, because he knows Charlotte has information locked away in her sleeping mind that can put him away forever.

Eight years. . . Dylan Parker loved. Visited. Prayed. Struggled to come to terms with the realization that his Charlie might never wake up. Though he might not be able to help free her from the darkness that holds her hostage, he can do everything in his power to find her attacker and bring him to justice.

Dylan joined the Bitter Creek, Wyoming sheriff’s department. Spent every spare minute of his life searching for answers. When the former sheriff retired, Dylan took over the position.

Through eight long years. . . Dylan has searched for clues. Wondered why a killer who showed such brutality would simply stop. But Dylan has no way of knowing, the killer hasn’t stopped, he’s just waiting for his next victim. The one that didn’t die. Charlotte.

After eight years. . . Charlotte Swenson is about to fight her way out of the blackness into a world she doesn’t remember. It’s up to Dylan to help her unravel the past secrets of that Christmas long ago if they ever stand a chance at a future beyond so much death.

Welcome to Bitter Creek, Wyoming, where the breathtaking beauty of the mountains hides a much darker secret. And the men and women of the Bitter Creek Sheriff’s department will face unimaginable challenges as they fight to uncover the crimes that seek to destroy the tranquility of their community before it’s too late.

The Demon Rift by Marjorie Noble

It’s 2004. There are no smart phones, no Facebook, no Snapchat or Instagram. “The Mall” is the town square, a place to hang for mall rats and best friends, and a mecca for shoppers. Redhill Ohio has a new mall and many hope that it will revive the town’s dying economy. As Christmas approaches, it seems they may be right. Then the murders start–all of them a necessary prelude to the main event. On Christmas Eve there will be a battle and fate of the Universe determined.

For eons, it observed Earth’s smoldering beginning, then its parade of life and the rise of Man. It entered our dreams, whispering, cajoling, hissing its promises of glory and power. To cause a permanent rift in the barrier that separates our universes, it created a saboteur.

The child stepped into the light. Curious, the eyes . . . their color looked almost yellow. Perhaps it was the lamplight. One would think them hazel, then a sort of green with flecks of gold . . . Red pools swirled in the yellow eyes as the boy began to smile, his mouth widening into an impossible grin. Crispin had seen that grin once before, at Regents Park. There was a hyena at the London Zoo . . .

Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer

Out of work for months, Lussi Meyer is desperate to work anywhere in publishing. Prestigious Blackwood-Patterson isn’t the perfect fit, but a bizarre set of circumstances leads to her hire and a firm mandate: Lussi must find the next horror superstar to compete with Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Peter Straub. It’s the ’80s, after all, and horror is the hottest genre.

But as soon as she arrives, Lussi finds herself the target of her co-workers’ mean-spirited pranks. The hazing reaches its peak during the company’s annual Secret Santa gift exchange, when Lussi receives a demonic-looking object that she recognizes but doesn’t understand. Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie, and Lussi suspects that her gift is involved. With the help of her former author, the flamboyant Fabien Nightingale, Lussi must track down her anonymous Secret Santa and figure out the true meaning of the cursed object in her possession before it destroys the company—and her soul.

The Visitor by Sergio Gomez

On Christmas, during one of the worst snowstorms Indiana has ever seen, five strangers are forced to take shelter inside of a roadside diner. As the night progresses, the snowfall shows no signs of relenting, ice begins to build up on the roads, and the temperature seems to be dropping by the hour.

But the worst has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with the sixth visitor coming to the diner. The jolliest time of the year quickly turns bloody as the diners find themselves fighting for their lives.

This Christmas won’t just be white. It’ll be red, too.

The Christmas Holiday by Mikayla Davids

The perfect vacation or the perfect murder…

It’s Christmastime and thirty-two-year-old Alicia Silver is spending her first Christmas holiday with her handsome new husband Jack and his family in their remote lodge in the Irish mountains.

The Silver family are wealthy and beautiful, they seem to live a charmed existence and Alicia only hopes she can live up to their high expectations for her marriage.

The festivities are in full swing but Alicia quickly discovers that, behind their perfect image, the Silver family are hiding plenty of secrets…

The gorgeous husband
The jealous sister-in-law
The glamorous step-mother
The wealthy father-in-law

Before the vacation is over one of them will be dead.

But who would kill to protect their secret? And who will survive this Christmas holiday?

Horror Stories to Ruin Christmas: Serenity Falls Forever by P. F. McGrail

Why isn’t one murder enough?

The first day of Christmas was when the town started to fall apart.
The second day of Christmas was when people started to die.

By the thirteenth day of Christmas, it was too late to go back.

Or was it?

Twenty-six authors combined their talents to tell the horrifying story of Serenity Falls, Wisconsin. Piece by piece, the unsettling truth is revealed, culminating in a dark secret far bigger than any single writer’s imagination. Hope and despair are doled out in unequal measures as the town’s citizens struggle to discover the painful truth.

One day at a time.

Dying For Christmas by Tammy Cohen

Out Christmas shopping one December afternoon, Jessica Gould meets the charming Dominic Lacey and impulsively agrees to go home with him for a drink. What follows are Twelve Days of Christmas from hell, as Lacey holds Jessica captive, forcing her to wear his missing wife’s gowns and eat lavish holiday meals. Each day he gifts her with one item from his twisted past—his dead sister’s favorite toy, disturbing family photos, a box of teeth. As the days pass and the “gifts” become darker and darker, Jessica realizes that Lacey has a plan for her, and he never intends to let her go.

But Jessica has a secret of her own . . . a secret that may just mean she has a chance to make it out alive.

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine

As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb…

DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey.
 
But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realizes it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.
 
As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….
 
Can James stop the killer before they strike again?

Thank you so much for checking out this post, I hope you enjoyed it!
I’m still shocked that it’s Christmastime again but I guess time flies when you’re dealing with as much as we have this last year.
Let’s try to make it a good one, yeah?

Do you enjoy holiday reads?

Stay safe and be well, everyone, the crazy isn’t over yet!

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This Post Has 14 Comments

  1. D. Wallace Peach

    What a great post, Sheri. I too skip Christmas romances if I can possibly get away with it. They’re okay, but I know the end before I begin and often the conflict between characters is cliched. These are great alternatives. “Demon Rift” intrigued me so did “Horror Stories to Ruin Christmas.” What a great title. 😀 Thanks for the fun choices.

    1. Sheri Dye

      Yay! I’m not the only one! But I blame my aversion to Christmas stories on my gran. I adore the woman but she used to binge on holiday Hallmark movies all year and it wears a person down. 😵‍💫
      I hope you enjoy the books and have a very Merry Christmas!

      1. D. Wallace Peach

        Holidays romances “wear a person down.” Lol. Aren’t they supposed to do the opposite. You’re hilarious, but I so agree. Merry Christmas!

        1. Sheri Dye

          Are they? Most Christmas romances have a tendency to be tear jerkers and I’m not interested in crying for the holidays. And.. well.. if I must be something—I’ll happily be entertaining! 😋
          Stay safe and be well!

          1. D. Wallace Peach

            🙂 Ha ha. I love books that make me cry. It doesn’t happen often, but feeling a story deeply is a sign of a talented author. Hope you holidays are highly entertaining!

          2. Sheri Dye

            I agree that it takes talent/skill to draw out so much emotion from your readers, it’s one of the reasons Jodi Picoult is so popular, but I just don’t like to cry.
            And I appreciate the sentiment but.. did you have to say entertaining? The universe listens and my family is nuts. 😅
            I hope you have a nice, peaceful, enjoyable holiday!

          3. D. Wallace Peach

            Hehe. You too, my friend. Thanks for the smiles!

          4. Sheri Dye

            My pleasure!
            Have a safe and happy Christmas!

  2. Rosie Amber

    A good list for fans of the macabre. I do like that opening gif too!

    1. Sheri Dye

      Thank you! It’s always good to have options. 😋

  3. sandysbookaday

    I love your idea of Christmas reading Sheri! Merry Christmas. ❤📚🎄

    1. Sheri Dye

      Lol, thanks! I was just going to be reading about blood and death anyway.
      And a very Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!

  4. Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

    Thanks for reminding me of Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer! I’ve been curious about that one for a long time 😀

    1. Sheri Dye

      Glad to help! Let me know what you think if you get to it, yeah? I’m pretty curious myself.

Comments are closed.