The story begins with a seemingly benevolent act: a family, reeling from a recent tragedy, takes in a stranger who has been involved in a serious car accident near their secluded country home during a brutal winter storm. The stranger, who they call 'The Visitor,' is charming and grateful, quickly integrating himself into their daily lives. However, his presence introduces a quiet but persistent unease, and soon, the family finds their own carefully buried secrets beginning to surface, threatening to shatter their reality.

Walter’s greatest strength lies in his ability to build a palpable sense of dread. He keeps readers off-balance, constantly questioning the motives of every character. The narrative is taut and focused, relying on subtle shifts in dialogue and behavior to sow seeds of suspicion. Each family member’s perspective is explored, revealing their individual anxieties and vulnerabilities, which The Visitor seems to exploit with unnerving precision. This layered approach ensures that no one, neither character nor reader, is safe from suspicion.

While the plot moves at a deliberate pace, it never feels sluggish. Instead, this slow burn allows the psychological tension to mount with every passing chapter. The isolation of the setting, with the family trapped together by the snow, mirrors their emotional confinement, adding to the unsettling atmosphere. The payoff is a shocking, explosive climax that recontextualizes everything that has come before, leaving readers gasping for air.

The Winter Visitor is a compelling and unsettling read that will keep you guessing until the final pages. It is a fantastic choice for anyone who enjoys a character-driven psychological thriller that values atmosphere and creeping tension over cheap jump scares. This book proves that sometimes, the most terrifying monsters are not supernatural, but are the secrets we keep hidden in plain sight.

Picture the scene: An idyllic setting for Christmas, a beautiful castle in Scotland, gorgeous snowy views from the windows, sparkling decorations and rich food and drink aplenty....then throw in a sinister and ominous Christmas Crime (or two) for dramatic effect. I love these Christmas Chillers. That must be a new genre. I really enjoyed this book. It was like a mix of watching a soap opera and a Christmas Who Dunnit - who committed the crime? where did it happen? with what? and why? When I was reading this I thought it would make a fantastic show to see at the theatre.

This was like a gorgeous champagne Christmas Cocktail, all fizzy and effervescent on the surface but dark and stormy once you pealed back the layers and got to the crunch of the storylines.

I loved the characters, although I don't think I trusted any of them. I particularly loved Grandmother, Eileen. She was a fabulous character with some sparkling one lines, witty and I really laughed out loud and some of the things she said. Such as 'I'm not joking, George, I was being flippant. There's a difference.'

The story is told from multiple points of view and spanning a 20 year timeline, but then went back further to incidents that occurred longer ago in that beguiling setting.

We hear the stories of three brothers, Ken, George and Ralph as well as their Mother and Grandmother. And what stories they are! A package of intrigue, murder, seduction, mystery then unfolds. Taking us back to an eventful Christmas in 2005 and then to an even more eventful Christmas in 2025.

In amongst the dark and dramatic storylines there were some really funny moments to lighten the mood. Witty and humorous, lines delivered with such flair and flamboyancy. I loved it.

I'll never look at a Christmas ornament in the same way again!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Once past the initial chapters (which, in my opinion, were a bit slow), the narrative picked up speed. What followed was a dizzying array of twists and turns, each revelation delivering a jolt that left me with genuine narrative whiplash. Beyond the thrilling plot, the novel masterfully illuminated the intricate, often unsettling, dynamics of a family bound by the silent pact of shared secrets, no matter how profound or damaging.
I appreciated how each character, seemingly separated first, was meticulously woven into the fabric of the same sinister underlying truth, creating a sense of dread and inevitability. And as for the climax? The concluding pages landed with such shattering impact. They left my jaw quite literally dropped, reeling from the sheer audacity of it all. The author created quite the stir and I enjoyed it thoroughly!

This book had an intriguing premise—secrets tucked into every corner of the family dynamic. Everyone seemed to be hiding something, and at times it felt like peeling back layers of lies.

The grandmother stood out the most, though not in a good way—her abusive, power-wielding, controlling presence made her both disturbing and hard to read. The story itself was interesting and kept me turning pages, even if it didn’t have me racing to the end.

The conclusion leaned on the predictable side, and some details—like the mentions of the wives (especially Ralph’s wife)—didn’t feel essential to the plot.

Overall, it’s a solid read with family drama and plenty of secrets, and while it didn’t fully surprise me, it still offered an engaging look into a complicated family dynamic.

Review of ‘The Winter Visitor’ by B P Walter due to be published on 23 September 2025 by Bookouture.

George, an MP, receives a concerning answerphone message from his mother, Claire, leading him to summon his brothers Kenneth, a Hollywood actor and Ralph, GP and TV doctor to the family home, a castle in Scotland. They learn that their grandmother, Eileen, intends to disinherit them all from her will leaving them incredulous that she would do such a thing.

The storyline unfolds as past secrets come to light, with the timelines shifting between Christmas 2005 and Christmas 2025. Deception and lies make for a gripping read, with a final twist that you don’t see coming. A fast paced, recommended read.

It’s almost Christmas when Claire, mother to Kenneth, George and Ralph, leaves a message on George’s answerphone that puts life as the brothers know it in a spin. Though all successful men in their own right, the brothers have long held the belief that when anything happens to the matriarch of the family, Eileen, their grandmother, all her not inconsiderable worldly good, plus oodles of cash, will come to them and Claire. However, news reaches them that Eileen has very different plans.

As the brothers converge on the family home, a castle on the shore of a loch in Scotland, old secrets and lies start to emerge, and on Christmas Eve a dangerous visitor comes knocking, not unlike a visitor some twenty years earlier.

This was a riveting read from the off, very reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel, very much a whodunnit. All set in a remote Scottish castle, with privileged and desperately unlikeable characters. The tension builds apace and the characters all act as despicably as you would expect.

Some what repetitive at times, needs touch of editing, but all in all a very good read, the perfect winter murder mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture.

B.P. Walter’s The Winter Visitor is a masterclass in suspense, wrapped in the icy elegance of a snow-covered Scottish manor and laced with the kind of secrets that chill to the bone. This isn’t your typical cozy Christmas tale—it’s a dark, twisty thriller that grips from the first page and refuses to let go.

The Weyman family reunion is anything but merry. Beneath the festive façade—crackling fires, wrapped presents, carols on the radio—lies a decades-old secret shared by three brothers, each hiding behind a carefully constructed mask. When a mysterious stranger arrives with piercing blue eyes and a devastating accusation, the tension snaps like brittle ice. And by morning, he’s dead—murdered in a way as symbolic as it is brutal.

Walter’s storytelling is razor-sharp, with a narrative that unfolds like a locked-room mystery drenched in psychological drama. The claustrophobic setting, the storm that traps them, and the slow unravelling of truth create a haunting atmosphere that’s both cinematic and deeply unsettling.

Fans of Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell, and Alex Pine will find themselves right at home—though perhaps not entirely comfortable—in this tale of buried guilt, fractured family ties, and the chilling consequences of long-held lies. With each twist, Walter tightens the tension, leading to a finale that’s as shocking as it is satisfying.

The Winter Visitor is a perfect winter read for those who prefer their holiday stories with a side of murder, mystery, and emotional depth. Elegant, eerie, and utterly addictive.

With thanks to B P Walter, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another brilliant B. P. Walter book! I was gripped from the first page and raced to the finish.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

They say 3 people can keep a secret if 2 of them are dead. This book is full of secrets. Some secrets are dangerous and some people will kill for them.