It’s time for my ratings of the Chilling New Christmas Mysteries for 2025. Every year, I read and rate Christmas Mysteries. I have two posts this year: a post on Cozy New Christmas Mysteries for 2025, and this post, which has mysteries that are a little more thrilling and chilling!
My Rating of Chilling New Christmas Mysteries for 2025!
Table of Contents:
The Christmas Market Murder (Charity Shop Detective Agency #6) by Peter Boland
Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas by Natasha Bache
How to Slay at Christmas (Slay #3) by Sarah Bolland
The Kill Clause by Lisa Unger
The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail (Dog Sitter Detective #4) by Antony Johnston
Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell
My Favorites of 2025:
This reflects my own taste but I thought that if you want a standalone book, Murder Most Haunted was the best balance of chilling and Christmas-y.
If you’re willing to read a series book (or start a new series) I recommend The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail, which reminded me of a Thursday Murder Club book OR The Christmas Market Murder, which had festive vibes and a really solid plot!
My Rating System
I’ve rated these new Christmas Mysteries on:
- Holiday vibes: Do we have winter weather and holiday cheer?
- Suspense level: These Christmas mysteries are a bit more intense. If you want something more cozy, check out my list of Cozy New Christmas Mysteries for 2025!
- The mystery plot: how interesting, twisty, and puzzling was the mystery?
I’ll mention these if applicable:
- Series or Standalone? Do you love the idea of a series, or do you not want that commitment?
The Christmas Market Murder (Charity Shop Detective Agency #6) by Peter Bolan
- Yes, this seems like a cozy mystery. It’s set in Dorset and features a trio of women who run a charity shop called Dogs Need Nice Homes, that benefits animal adoptions.
- But their charming town is also being terrorized by the Southborne stalker, and there’s a death that’s a bit gruesome. So I moved this out of the cozy category. Especially for Christmas!
- Yes, this is a series, but I could follow along just fine.
- Publication date: October 14, 2025 by Joffe Books. Thanks to them for my advance review copy.
My Ratings of The Christmas Market Murder
I’d call The Christmas Market Murder more of a classic mystery. I also thought the plot was a lot more intricate and interesting than that of the average cozy mystery.
Holiday Vibes in The Christmas Market Murder
Besides that pesky stalker, Southborne is a very festive place to be for the holidays. The Christmas Market atmosphere is really fun!
Suspense Level in The Christmas Market Murder
Yes, this is a Christmas mystery, but it’s not the coziest!
Mystery Plot in the Christmas Market Murder
I thought this book was really well plotted, with lots of twists and turns in the story!
Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
- Set during Christmas and featuring a newly retired female police detective, Murder Most Haunted has a historical mysterybelement, a paranormal element and a very well-crafted mystery in the present.
- Murder Most Haunted has an inter-generational cast of characters which include the tour guide who runs Haunting Holiday Eccursions, a pop star (Rona RX, perhaps modeled on Charli XCX?) and a podcaster who covers paranormal mysteries.
- As far as I know, this is a standalone. But I’d read more about Midge!
- Publication date: October 7, 2025 by William Morrow Books. Thanks to them for my advance review copy.
My Ratings of Murder Most Haunted
I really enjoyed this Christmas mystery, which had a great premise, an interesting main character and a lot of surprises in store!
Holiday Vibes in The Christmas Market Murder
While its Christmas week setting is festive, Murder Most Haunted also takes place at Atherton Hall, which is allegedly haunted by the White Lady, a murderous ghost who cursed the Atherton family. So this is definitely a chilling Christmas story.
Suspense Level in Murder Most Haunted
Trapped at a haunted mansion that’s cut off from the world, with the tour group dropping like flies? I’d say that’s pretty suspenseful!
Plot in Murder Most Haunted
Very clever and surprising. I did not guess the murderer and there weren’t even that many suspects!
12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas by Natasha Bache
- I wasn’t sure if 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas was gong to skew comic or creepy, and I am here to say that it’s more chilling than cozy.
- Olivia, Ben and their two children are spending one last Christmas with his family in Shropshire before they move to Australia
- Ben’s family is pretty toxic, so it’s no the MOST tragic thing when they start dying one by one
- There’s also a mystery killer’s POV
- Who did it? I had picked out two suspects and it was one of them
- I felt this one fell apart a little at the end, but if you like authors like Benjamin Stevenson, whose thrilling Christmas mystery I reviewed last year, you should try this.
- Publication date: October 9, 2025 by One More Chapter/Harper Collins. Thanks to them for the advance reader copy.
My Ratings of 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas
I do love a good “And Then There Were None” premise, and this reminded me a little bit of Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, in which a loathsome family stranded by a snowstorm as they celebrate Christmas is targeted one by one.
Holiday Vibes in 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas
If you are a bit of a Grinch over the holidays, getting annoyed with carols on repeat and bad gifts, this is for you. For the rest of us, it’s not really high in holiday spirit.
Suspense Level in 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas
I find the And Then There Were None plots pretty suspenseful.
Plot in 12 Ways to Kill Your Family at Christmas
There were some good twists and turns in this plot!
How to Slay At Christmas (How to Slay #3) by Sarah Bonner
- A woman signs on as Mrs. Santa every year and then punishes those who have been naughty
- Jessica is an unusual character: a Christmas fanatic who uses her cover as a kindly Mrs. Santa to commit an annual murder spree. Of course, the victims deserve it!
- There’s a Christmas market, adorable puppies, and even an unlikely romance.
- Release date: August 7, 2025 by Boldwood Books. Thanks to them for the advance copy.
My Ratings of How to Slay at Christmas
I’m honestly getting a little weary of the female serial killer books, so I wasn’t thrilled that this was the premise. If you love books like Too Old for This by Samantha Downing, this one’s for you!
Christmas Vibes in How to Slay at Christmas
There were plenty of Christmas vibes in this book. I’m loving all the Christmas market books (this one, plus The Christmas Murder Market Mystery in this post and Death at the Christmas Village Fair in my cozy post! But, there was also a serial killer….
Suspense in How to Slay at Christmas
There was a comedic element and the main character, while dark, was also strangely compelling.
Plot in How to Slay at Christmas
All Jessica’s plotting and scheming was pretty entertaining.
The Kill Clause by Lisa Unger
- A 70 page short story/novella about a hit woman trying to get a job done over the holidays
- I really enjoyed Lisa Unger’s 2023 novella, Christmas Presents
- Even though the Kill Clause had a clever premise (the hit woman’s contract has a kill clause!) I was not as chilled and thrilled by this story, which felt too rushed.
- I think The Kill Clause should have been longer or cut back, because it all happened faster than kids tearing through their presents on Christmas morning.
- Thanks to Amazon First Reads for the advance copy. This Amazon Original comes out on December 1, 2025.
My Ratings of The Kill Clause
Like I said above, I think this would have been a great premise for a longer (125-150 page) novella but everything felt so crammed in: Paige’s backstory, her complicated love life, her employment history, and her ill-fated Christmas hit.
Holiday Vibes in the Kill Clause
The story did the best it could in 70 pages!
Suspense Level in The Kill Clause
The fast pace did help the suspense, so there’s that…
Plot in The Kill Clause
There was a plot but it was compressed too much for me.
The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail (Dog Sitter 4) by Antony Johnston
- I had fully expected The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tale to go in my list of Cozy Christmas Mysteries, but once I read the book, I think it belongs more in the chilling department!
- This is a closed circle/locked room classic holiday mystery
- This is book four in a series, and I had not read prior books, but I enjoyed the book enough that I recommend that you start with book one.
- The series features Guinevere “Ginny” Tuffel, a struggling actress in midlife who loves dogs (in this book she is fostering a dog for a local rescue.)
- The book had a Thursday Murder Club feel that I really enjoyed and a mystery that was well-crafted and kept me guessing!
- Publication date: November 20, 2025 by Allison and Busby. Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy!
My Ratings of The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail
With lower Christmas vibes but an interesting main character and a good plot, this is a perfect pick for those who don’t need all the cutesy Christmas trappings but just want a good story!
Holiday Vibes in The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail
There was a blizzard, but not too much else in the Christmas department…. as the book ends, Gwinny is planning a quiet holiday!
Suspense Level in The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail
This was a classic mystery with a good level of suspense and a closed circle premise, as all the characters are trapped by a snowstorm.
Plot in The Dog Sitter Detective’s Christmas Tail
A really well-plotted mystery with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing!
Sharp Force (Scarpetta 29) by Patricia Cornwell
- I have a full review of Sharp Force here. I’m a Patricia Cornwell fan from way back, but in my review, I express some disappointment that the series feels a little stale
- Kay Scarpetta, Bentley, Lucy and Marino are all back to solve a case that takes place around Christmas.
- Scarpetta and Bentley have to cancel a romantic holiday for this case!
- Publication date: October 7, 2025 by Grand Central Publishing. Thanks so much to them for my advance copy of this book!
My Ratings of Sharp Force
I was not expecting to get a Christmas mystery with this one, but I think that setting added to the story!
Holiday Vibes in Sharp Force
The vibes were high for a chilling Christmas mystery, with a storm and lots of Christmas cooking.
Suspense in Sharp Force
The suspense had its moments, but wasn’t as high as I remembered from prior books.
Plot in Sharp Force
The plot felt a bit “meh” to me and I wasn’t as invested as I hoped!
Be sure to check out all my other Christmas Mystery posts!
New Cozy Christmas Mystery Books for 2025
My Ratings of New Christmas Mystery Books for 2024
New Cozy Christmas Mysteries for 2024
