Best New Christmas Mysteries to Read

For the past few years, every holiday season brings New Christmas Murder Mysteries to Read from some famous thriller, horror, and suspense authors. Which are the Best Christmas Mysteries and Thrillers to Read for the Holidays? I am here to tell you! Also check out my new posts of Thrilling New Christmas Mystery Books to Read in 2024 AND New Cozy Christmas Mysteries to Read in 2024

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Best New Christmas Mysteries to Read in 2023

Table of Contents (click to get to the title you want!)

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

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Here are my favorite Christmas Thrillers of 2023, with my ratings for:

• Holiday spirit
• Suspense
• Thrilling plot

Two books won my FIVE CHOCOLATE SANTA award:

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

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The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson (2023)

• Setting of The Christmas Guest: Christmas in the Cotswolds
• Published on October 17, 2023 by William Morrow Books. 112 pages.Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.
• I read this book in October 2023.

You know Peter Swanson from The Kind Worth Killing, The Kind Worth Saving, Eight Perfect Murders, Every Vow You Break, and Nine Lives. Want to know my opinion of The Best Book by Peter Swanson?

Best choice for: readers who want a surprise at the bottom of their Christmas stocking.

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My Review of The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

The Christmas Guest is a frame story, beginning in modern day New York as a middle aged woman cleans her closet and finds an old diary. She is immediately drawn back to a Christmas she spent three decades ago in a small English village. She recollects that fateful holiday season, and then the story returns to New York for a final reveal…

The Christmas Guest, with its English manor house setting, had a lot of Christmas vibes and a sinister house party feel. If you’re a very avid thriller reader you will, like me, probably see the reveal coming, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.

The Christmas Guest wasn’t my absolute favorite of the Christmas Thrillers I read, but I did enjoy it. If you’re a huge Peter Swanson fan or have a bookstore gift card to spend, you might buy it. If not, try to grab a library copy.

My rating of The Christmas Guest: Christmas Spirit: 4/5; Creepiness: 4/5; Thrilling Plot: 3.5/5

Total Score for the Christmas Guest: 4 Chocolate Santas (rounded up for good cheer)

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The Christmas Appeal (Appeal 1.5) by Janice Hallett (2023)

• Setting of the Christmas Appeal: Lower Lockwood, UK (Hayward Heights and the Grange Estate)
• Published on October 24, 2023 by Atria Books. 208 pages. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.
• I read this book in October 2023.

You know Janice Hallett from The Appeal and The Twyford Code.

Best for: Anglophiles, and those who like humor in their mysteries.

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My Review of The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett

Confession: this is probably a cozy mystery, but since it’s set in the same story world as The Appeal, which I reviewed and enjoyed (my review of the Appeal is here and my Spoiler Post for the Appeal, which you might want to read to refresh your memory, is here) I decided I had to include it for other fans of The Appeal.

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Do you need to have read The Appeal to enjoy The Christmas Appeal?

Technically, no. It’s a new story. But many of the characters carry over, so I’d recommend it.

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I’m American and had to do a bit of a deep dive on the “panto.” If you’re familiar with this fun British tradition, give me the lowdown in comments. From what I can tell, pantomime is traditional in the UK, especially around the holidays. It’s a family-friendly costume play, usually based on a fairy tale, that includes songs, slapstick comedy, and gender-crossed actors.

The Fairway Players, the amateur theater troupe from The Appeal, are doing a “Jack and the Beanstalk” Christmas pantomime to raise money to fix the roof of the church where they perform. After the events of the Appeal (which you can read a summary of here), the leadership of the troupe has shifted, and some people are NOT happy.

These books are told in emails, texts, and other epistolary elements. There’s a lot of humor here, which I loved. I felt that the plot started strong but fell apart a little at the end.

My Ratings for The Christmas Appeal: Christmas Spirit 5/5; Creepiness 3/5; Plot 4/5.

Total Score for the Christmas Appeal: four chocolate Santas!

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My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon (2023)

• Setting of My Darling Girl: Vermont at Christmas
• Published on October 3, 2023 by Gallery/Scout. 320 pages. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.
• I read this book in September 2023.

Best for: Hallmark movie fans, those who enjoy paranormal suspense

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My Review of My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon

My full review of My Darling Girl is here, but in this post I will evaluate it as a Christmas Thriller.

I loved the Christmas aspect of this book, which came as a surprise. The story starts out like a Hallmark movie, complete with Alison, the required holiday-hating main character. There’s a cute kid (Alison’s young daughter is dancing in the Nutcracker). And a dog! SO Hallmark, right?

But then truly strange things start to happen, and the book’s creepiness builds to a shocking ending.

My Ratings for My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon: Christmas Spirit: 5/5; Creepiness 5/5; Plot 5/5.

Total Score for My Darling Girl: five chocolate Santas

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Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger (2023)

• Setting: a small town in the Northeast of the US
• Published on October 24, 2023 by Mysterious Press. 224 pages Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.
• I read this book in October 2023.

Best for: fans of podcasts and true crime, lovers of serial killer fiction, and those who like a touch of romance in their thrillers.

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Review of Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

I must confess to having tried a Lisa Unger book and being … underwhelmed. But Christmas Presents really impressed me.

Often novellas feel a little thin to me. This is a fully realized thriller, with a past and present storyline, holiday themes, and a cast of characters. I found the story truly suspenseful, even in a condensed number of pages.

Extra points for the podcast elements, which I’m always a fan of, for Maddie’s indie bookstore, The Next Chapter, and for the creepy Santa element. Well done, Lisa Unger!

My ratings for Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger: Christmas Spirit: 5/5; Creepiness 5/5; Plot 5/5.

Total Score for Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger: five chocolate Santas

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Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah (2023)

• Setting of Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night: Munby-on-Sea and St. Walstan’s Cottage Hospital England
• Published on October 24, 2023 by William Morrow
• I read this book in November 2023.

Review of Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah

I didn’t realize that acclaimed mystery writer Sophie Hannah was writing a series of “new Poirot” books. I have to confess that Poirot is not my favorite, but I was still excited to try this.

This classic Christmas mystery has a locked room plot set in a hospital. Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night was a fun read and its setting and premise reminded me a little bit of Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney. It’s a classic Christie-style mystery, without too much scare or gore.

My rating for Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night: Christmas Spirit 3/5, Creepiness 3/5, Plot 5/5.

Total score for Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night: 3.5 Chocolate Santas

Best for: Agatha Christie fans who love a classic locked room mystery.

Backlist Christmas Mysteries to Consider

Since this was my first year reviewing Christmas Mysteries, I decided to grab as many backlist titles as I could@

Christmas and Other Horrors anthology (2023)

• 410 pages, 17 original stories
• Published on October 24, 2023 by Titan Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing a

Review of Christmas and Other Horrors

I am still working my way through all these stories, which vary in length, setting, and level of horror.All are set during the general holiday season, though many do not directly reference Christmas. There’s a Hanukkah-themed story, a Festival one, plus many that reference the winter solstice.The stories are set all around the world, from Wales to Australia to Finland to Canada to Puerto Rico.

I really loved that after each story, the author included a paragraph that described their inspiration in writing the story. To me, those explanations were as enjoyable to read as the stories.

The Mistletoe Murder by P.D. James (2016)

• 176 pages (four separate short stories)
• Published on October 25, 2016 by Knopf
• I read this book in October 2023.
• Best for: people who enjoy short stories.

My Review of The Mistletoe Murder by P.D. James

There are four stories here and, as in any anthology, I liked some more than others. There were two that I thought better than the others and, strangely, it was the Adam Dalgliesh stories that I liked least.

But I thought this was a good compilation overall, especially if you are looking for short things to read in between your holiday preparations.

My Ratings for The Mistletoe Murder: Christmas Spirit 3/5; Creepiness 5/5; Thrilling Plot: 4/5.

Final Score for The Mistletoe Murder: four Chocolate Santas

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Review of Murder on the Christmas Express (2022)

• 272 pages
• Published by Poisoned Pen Press in 2022

Review of Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

Alexandra Benedict has written two Christmas-themed mysteries with some bonus games and puzzles incorporated within.

I tried The Christmas Murder Game and wasn’t a huge fan. But I really did enjoy Murder on the Christmas Express. It was a bit of a throwback to Murder on the Orient Express, but set in the UK.

The main character was a former police inspector who looks like Kate Bush, and the book incorporated anagrams of Kate Bush songs.

Some people on Goodreads did not like the combination of darker themes with holiday themes, so if you want a lighter book, stick with The Christmas Appeal!

My rating for Murder on the Christmas Express: Christmas Spirit 3/5, Creepiness 5/5, Plot 4/5.

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Coal in the Stocking of These Christmas Mysteries

I don’t mean to be a scrooge, but these Christmas mysteries were disappointing, like getting handed a gift card when you’re expecting a thoughtful and beautifully wrapped gift.

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The Christmas Scorpion by Lee Child (2018)

I failed to notice that this was a SINGLE story of 26 pages that was published in the Daily Mail in 2018. It was just too short. Jack Reacher ends up in a roadside diner during a storm.

In a hot minute he’s discovered and resolved an international incident in the time it takes the rest of us to use the restroom and wash our hands.

What year did Lee Child turn things over to his brother? Because this felt very phoned-in, like a boxed mac and cheese Christmas dinner. Bah, humbug!

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Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie (1938)

Many of Agatha’s Christie’s books stand the test of time, but this one started out with tired ethnic stereotypes, like a spicy señorita. While the premise, about a rich man who threatens to change his will and ends up dead, had promise, the plot was tedious. Sorry, but I’d rather watch Knives Out or read one of these books about conniving evil families!

Silent Night: A Spenser Holiday novel by Robert Parker and Helen Brann (2013)

I have mixed feelings about the Spenser books, which are pretty cookie-cutter once you’ve read a few. This was published posthumously with the help of Parker’s longtime agent. I just feel like the Spenser books represent a moment in time … which has passed.

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Will you read any of these? Have more suggestions of favorite Christmas Mysteries for my list? Talk to me in the comments!

Also check out these related posts:

Best New Christmas Mysteries to Read in 2024

New Cozy Christmas Mysteries for 2024!

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