Hail Santa!

4 stars

This was a fun dark and just gruesome enough holiday horror. It wasn’t quite as funny as I kind of assumed it would be (you know what they say about assuming…).
However, I found myself enjoying it anyway. It was a well developed unique tale that I can see myself re-reading each holiday season.

Hail Santa! by John McNee.
With a failing economy and dwindling population, the once-flourishing mining community of St. Nicholas in northern Canada is on the road to ruin.
That was until the arrival of the Bingzhen Group, a Chinese-American conglomerate with ambitious plans to buy the town and transform it into the most popular ski resort and holiday destination in North America.
With the deal done and Christmas approaching, the community is buzzing with excitement about the future and the influx of new residents, like Binzhen envoy Ling Wong, Scottish schoolteacher Shona Fleming, new school custodian Curtis Tate and a small army of contractors. What none of them realize is that St. Nicholas was never theirs to sell.
There is something else here which has long laid claim to the land. Something which has long held the town in its thrall and does not intend to give it up without a fight. Something strange and inhuman. Something cruel and powerful and very, very, hungry.
The children call him Santa Claus.
I really enjoyed this book. Gory and dark. Loved it. 5*.

Excellent new horror novel! Loved the characters and complex world building. Perfectly horrific villian & terrifying children sidekicks. An absolutely wild ride from start to finish! Looking forward to reading more tales from the author.