Big thanks to Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Christmas Party is a locked room mystery novella with a big splash of a thriller thread.
Christmas is a time for celebration with family and friends but for this group it’s an occasion for past mistakes, revenge, secrets and murder.
Six friends.
Three days of festivities.
A secluded house.
The ravaging storm.
No escape and no phone reception.
A twelve year dark anniversary.
Someone is about to kill.
Who is responsible……
At just over 140 pages, it packs a really entertaining reading punch.
Sometimes a short, snappy book with a conundrum to solve works and this one has it in spades.
A fast paced, eerie and engaging read.

A great read from this author about a group of friends coming together to spend Christmas together 12 years after a Christmas party went very wrong and left them all broken. As Gabby tries to arrange a reunion in the middle of know where everyone present knows she has set this up to find out the truth about what happened to her sister on that night and as a snow storm hits will the truth about that night finally come true. Some secrets are too dangerous to know. A really good read.

I LOVED this book. So why the 4 stars you might ask? The ending. It felt abrupt and unfinished and seemed to come out of nowhere. All of that action & craziness leading up the reveal and then done? No epilogue? An epilogue would have made this story!

Anyway, back to the good. I NEEDED to know what happened to Seffie. It could have been any one of them. They all had secrets and they were all lying about something. I LOVE a good locked in, stranded, no cell service, winter storm, locked with a murderer book! This checked all of the boxes. It was fast paced, creepy, and kept you guessing.

HIGHLY recommend this book. But a note to the author, add an epilogue PLEASE.

A gripping novella that will Keep you guessing and turning the pages all the way to the shocking ending. A great short read!

Very gripping. I always like this author for a good, intriguing read. Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Name :- The Christmas Party
Author :- Kathryn Croft
Genre :- Psychological Thriller
Kathryn Croft’s The Christmas Party delivers a deliciously tense, slow-burning psychological thriller wrapped in holiday nostalgia and buried secrets. The story unfolds across two timelines—then and now—centering on the unsolved disappearance of Seffie, a young girl who vanished during a carefree Christmas party twelve years ago.
Now, the six friends who were there that night are reunited at a secluded Scottish lake house. Snowed in with no way out, Gabby—the older sister of the missing girl—claims someone in the group knows exactly what happened. And she’s not letting anyone leave until the truth comes out.
Likes and Dislikes:-
Likes:-
1 Atmospheric setting: The remote, snow-covered lake house adds a chilling, claustrophobic mood that perfectly mirrors the rising tension among the characters.
2 Multiple layers of guilt and suspicion: Each character harbors secrets, making you question their innocence at every turn.
3 Cleverly structured plot: With flashbacks and present-day confrontations, the story slowly peels back each character’s version of the past.
Dislikes:-
None.
Overall, A haunting mystery set against the festive backdrop of snow and seasonal joy, The Christmas Party is a chilling reminder that the past never truly stays buried.
My Rating :- 5/5.

Review of ‘The Christmas Party’ by Kathryn Croft, due to be published on 3 October 2025 by Bookouture.

Gabby invites her old friends to a reunion Christmas party at her remote Scottish property. None of them have seen each other for twelve years - since the Christmas her younger sister Seffie disappeared without a trace.

Desperate to get to the truth of what happened, to achieve closure, Gabby spirals, accusing them all of lying to her about that night.

The story is told in the ‘Then’ and ‘Now’ and is a classic murder mystery, with the fingers of suspicion being pointed at every character, who all seemingly have something to hide about that fateful night. I had an idea of who I thought the culprit was, and enjoyed the lead up to the big reveal.

A great novella, with plenty of twists to the tale. A lovely quick read. Recommended.

This is a superb psychological thriller. It's a modern day twist on a classic closed door murder mystery story. The suspense and anticipation of what happened at Gabby's Christmas party twelve years ago slowly builds, adding to the tension between the six reunited friends. They are snowed in with no WiFi. Written in "now" and "then" chapters, I found it enthralling and full of drama. Oh! The anticipation and suspense knowing that the unexpected truth will reveal itself in a shocking way. Highly recommended.

Wow, what a book!! It was addictive, chilling and mind- blowing; a real page turner that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout each chapter!

I love this authors writing style, Kathryn Croft always leave you guessing and eagerly turning the pages! I love when she has a new book out as each one gets better every time!

The characters were well written I could empathise with Gabby. What an ending oh my goodness I was speechless didn’t see that coming at all! I’d highly highly recommend this book another cracking book by Kathryn Croft!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

I very painfully finished this one, it was just dull and boring...sorry. Disappointing really. I have read others by the author and enjoyed them.

The Christmas Party
By: Kathryn Croft
Pub Date: October 3, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture
Christmas should be a time of reflection and gratitude, however longtime friends are finding the past difficult to forget.
Twelve years ago six friends were partying at one of their homes, and Gabby’s little sister Seffie comes up missing. Of course everyone is a suspect.
Now, after all this time Gabby says she needs closure and invites these same friends to a remote Scottish lake house. A storm is brewing in more ways than one.
A snow storm, a remote home, secrets, revenge and more! This novella was just the ticket.

I didn't realize this was an audiobook I already listened to. I didn't care for this book at all. It is def not on par with her other books. Very flat.

I rarely read novellas, but this one looked too good to miss, with a festive ‘locked door’ mystery and secrets I got in to it.

The novel starts well with good pacing and interesting enough characters and the vibe of Christmas past returning. But that was as much as I could enjoy, silly phrasing, ridiculous holes in the plot and then the most abrupt ending I have read. It was truly shocking that I invested my time in this for it to be so very disappointing.
I know people tend to be a little dramatic and say the book made no sense often, but this book doesn’t have a clear, logical ending, middle or beginning, and I wish I had read it in that order.
I hope this is edited and maybe entirely reworked

Six people spend their first Christmas together in twelve years. Their hostess knows one of them has information on her ten year old sister's disappearance.

Trapped and nowhere to go, so the mystery has to be solved. Everyone is a suspect - but I actually sussed out the perpetrator.
I found this to be a formulaic psychological thriller, but it was entertaining nontheless.

3/5 stars from me.

Does Gabby want revenge! What happened in the past? Suspense…red herrings…family and friends…this talented author has written a page turner. Realistic characters kept the story moving quickly. What will happen next? Is one of friends guilty? Who? What? Will these questions be answered? Enjoy solving this mystery. Thanks Netgalley

This book is everyone's worst nightmare. Nobody wants their relatives to go missing. Christmas will never be the same again.