This review is written with thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read and review Afraid Of The Christmas Lights. 

Blurb:

IT WOULDN’T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A LITTLE CRIME…

A Christmas dinner takes a murderous turn, a friendship group loses the festive spirit, and a young girl goes to extreme measures to keep a beloved dog.

Afraid Of The Christmas Lights is a collection of gripping, sometimes funny, and always festive short stories from a group of bestselling crime writers.

From the hilarious to the macabre, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a Christmas convert or a bit of a Grinch. From a detective tracking down missing Christmas geese, to a cat lady who goes on a date in order to keep Santa Paws well fed, this anthology is the perfect gift to cosy up with this year.

Review:

I read Afraid Of The Light earlier this year and really enjoyed the different stories, so I was interested to see how a group of crime writers would put a festive spin on their work. There are contributions from authors I know well and love, others who are well known but new to me and others whose submission to this anthology is their first published work. I am now encouraged to read the longer work of authors with whom I was previously unfamiliar.

In some of the stories, we were reintroduced to characters from previous novels and I enjoyed the opportunity to spend just a little bit more time with them.

As with all anthologies, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others. Despite the common theme, each story is very different and strikes a different tone: some are sad, some have some dark humour in them and some are more lighthearted. I felt this mix works well and it means the anthology has something for all types of crime reader.

A few of the stories are set in the present day and therefore make reference to the Coronavirus pandemic. I think the authors who chose to do this did so well, acknowledging it but not making it a central part of the story.

The proceeds from Afraid Of The Christmas Lights will be donated to charities for people affected by domestic violence. The amazing work of these charities feels even more important at a time when domestic abuse is increasing as a result of lockdown, and I hope this book can raise significant funds for them.

Afraid Of The Christmas Lights is available from Amazon.