A remarkably twisty tale with a surprisingly vicious villain (very sneaky and Machiavellian) and some feckless "innocents" and undeserving villains. This was a one-sitting read as I raced through breathlessly awaiting the unraveling of the puzzles.

(I also reviewed this under the title The Secret Santa.)

This book just didn’t hook me like I thought it would. Real estate is a pretty boring topic and spending half the book talking about trying to make a sale to a celebrity, was just boring. There was also no connection to one character. Passing the story around and waiting till halfway through the book to start the game - I just couldn’t stay connected. Thanks for the chance to read this.

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of White Elephant.

I was really excited when my request was approved.

The blurb was intriguing, though familiar in that Agatha Christie-way where there are plenty of potential suspects and no one can leave the premises due to a snowstorm.

Set against the lavish backdrop of Aspen, Colorado, we are introduced to Christine Calhoun, the aggressively ambitious real estate agent and co-partner of Calhoun+Calhoun.

Her partner and husband, Henry, is a highly renowned but modest architect, preferring to stay in the shadows as his wife revels in the glory of their partnership.

But, times are tough, real estate prices are down, people are moving away, and Claudine is not happy with this step down in their social and financial status.

As Christmas approaches, a pop star named Zara (think Taylor Swift) is getting over her latest heartbreak and interested in purchasing a second home in Colorado.

Claudine is delighted; selling Zara a home will put her and her husband back on the map and in the black once again.

And she has just the house in mind.

But, this is no ordinary house. It is the first house Henry built. And it was built on blood.

First, I really loved the idea of White Elephant, a rapacious version of Secret Santa concocted by the wily Claudine.

Second, the plot is spare, with little character development, but that is because the game itself is the focal point and the events leading up to that fatal night.

There is just enough exposition to explain the presence of everyone at the party; why Zara finds herself in Colorado in the middle of a snowstorm, the tension between Claudine and Henry, and the additional players of Steve and Jules, ratcheting the stress at the holiday party.

Third, Claudine was a character I enjoyed reading (and hating). I haven't disliked a character more since Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, and that's a good thing.

I respected Claudine's ambition and determination and delighted in hating her at the same time.

I was sad there wasn't more background on this devious woman just so I could understand how she came to be this way.

Henry is the ideal opposite to Claudine; he is creative, humble, and, a bit of a doormat, but guilt has pared him down to a shadow of who he once was, and he's finding it hard to live the life he and his wife have carved out for themselves.

There's not much else, not many details or exposition on the minor players so you don't relate or sympathize with anyone but I think that's the point. We're not supposed to care about anyone, just how the game is played.

I enjoyed the brief exposition by an unnamed narrator and how the novel ends on a positive, tender note, not what I expected but appreciated very much.

Despite all the tragedy and heartbreak of the earlier pages (and the past), love perseveres. Sometimes, we forget and need to be reminded of that.

This was a quick and fun read; a straight forward story with no dangling plot points, repetitive dialogue or overly long descriptions.

Highly recommend!