GENRE: Horror • November 10, 2020 - Paperback/eBook
(UK pub date PB/eBook: November 17, 2020)
PAPERBACK ISBN 978-1683692058 • AUDIOBOOK OUT FEB 9, 2021
Quirk Books (Dist. by Penguin Random House) and Blackstone Audio
The Office meets Stephen
King, dressed up in holiday tinsel, in this fun, festive, and
frightening horror-comedy set during the horror publishing boom of the
’80s, by New York Times best-selling satirist 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.
AMAZON and KINDLE | APPLE BOOKS
B&N and NOOK | BOOKSHOP.ORG
GOOGLE PLAY | INDIGO | KOBO
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE | WATERSTONES
What I thought about Secret Santa
The synopsis does a good job of giving the main points, so I'm not going to give away any further details because that's most of the fun with horror -- it's all about the reveal of the story. It's those moments when you jump a little as you are reading the story make it a five star read. Secret Santa did that to me a few times -- it made me want to scream at Lussi in a few different places -- what are you doing girl? Get out of there!
There's a folk tale associated with this story that made things interesting and a lesson if you are into that sort of thing. The cultural references to the 1980's also brought some relief to the more sinister activities in the story and put a smile on my face.
The story is complete but on the shorter side, so it's something you can devour in an afternoon or two. It's easy to get involved in the story and keep turning those pages to see what was going to happen (and who would be left standing!). Secret Santa also validated my aversion toward the whole secret santa activity, in general. I mean really, has anyone ever been happy with their Secret Santa gift? This story gives whole new meaning to that holiday ritual.
I liked this. The cover is amazing and made me want to read it. The story kept me reading and it didn't drag things out. It had just the right amount of horror, suspense and humor. Can't ask for anymore more.
An ARC was provided by the publisher. This is my honest review.
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