Published By: Thomas & Mercer
Pages: 187
Released On: 20/10/2026
When Emma joins her new boyfriend Michael for a ‘Friendmas’ in the Alps, she’s quickly thrust into an exclusive world of privilege, partying, and politics. Emma can’t ski and is out of place among the close-knit group, but she’s determined to win them over.
Without the usual headache of extended family members, Brussels sprouts, and unwanted gifts, the group turn back the clock and unwind with wild abandon. As a storm gathers outside, the friends begin to retrace their past, prodding at memories and feelings that have long been buried.
When the house wakes on Christmas morning, they find one of their party dead. Thanks to the storm, no one can leave, and they can’t call the police either. As the snow piles up, the evidence of the night before begins to disappear, and with it goes the ability to distinguish friend from foe.
As the group turn on her, Emma must find a way out before the killer finds her.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I love Claire’s books, I love thrillers, and I love Christmas so surely this can only be great.
I didn’t find a single character likeable – but I think that’s a good thing because it felt like the aim. Our main character of Emma is probably the most likeable because she felt more normal, more relatable but even she seemed like she was hiding something.
I normally get my whodunnit predictions wrong but I couldn’t even come up with one here, as they could all feasibly have done it and they all felt very slimy.
I don’t mind short books, and normally I’m complaining about books being too long, but IMO thrillers need to be a decent page length so you have the time to get fully stuck in and layer all the clues etc. But at less than 200 pages, I wonder if it was missing just a bit more depth and exploration. It was still very good but I can’t help but think it could have been better.
It’s set over three days which helps add to the intense, claustrophobic feeling.
I mean, it’s not very Christmassy so if that’s what you’re after, I’d go somewhere else. But it is tense and OTT (but in a good way), vastly unlikeable characters, and the addition of the isolated chalet stuck in a storm really added heft to it. I’d just have liked it to have been longer so we could have really explored these characters more.
Books By Your Bedside 