Young couple Noel and Dani have recently moved into their new home, just in time for the start of the Christmas season. Welcomed by Linda, the leader of the Residents Association, they are amused, if not a little intimidated, by her very brusque and forthright manner. Keen to keep on Linda’s good side and to get on with all their new neighbours in Nightingale Crescent, they soon join in with the festivities. When things start to go more than a little off kilter, the young couple have numerous theories and thoughts on who might be behind the malicious acts.

Just a few miles away in Franklin Grange open prison for women, resides the infamous and very dangerous Lucy Newton, a woman no one messes with. Living a relatively easy life despite being given a whole life sentence, Lucy, known as the Dark Angel due to her heinous crimes, is becoming increasingly bored. When asked to help adapt A Christmas Carol into a play for her fellow inmates to perform, she finds the answer of how to alleviate her boredom.

The latest book in The Magpies stories, this is a good little follow on to bring readers up to date with the awful Lucy Newton. Edwards has gained a lot of mileage out of this character, and I’m not sure he has finished yet, she’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Very enjoyable, a good one sitting read.

Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book to read and review on NetGalley

Mark Edwards delivers another spine-tingling thriller in The Christmas Magpie, blending festive cheer with chilling suspense. Set during Noel and Dani's first Christmas in their new home, the novel initially sparkles with domestic bliss—twinkling lights, gift-wrapped anticipation, and a tight-knit neighbourhood. But this idyllic façade quickly frays when disturbing gifts appear uninvited on their doorstep and unsettling gazes suggest they’re not quite as alone as they’d hoped.

The tension mounts with Edwards’ signature skill for psychological unease. As the couple discovers that their neighbours are fixated on a nearby women's prison housing a notorious killer, paranoia begins to swirl like snow in a blizzard. Then—true to Edwards’ gripping style—a tragedy at a holiday party turns their unease into terror.

Clocking in at 240 pages, this lean, fast-paced thriller doesn’t just keep you turning the pages; it practically dares you to stop. The festive setting makes the sinister events all the more jarring—Christmas has never felt so claustrophobic.

If you're a fan of tightly-wound tension, eerie small-town secrets, and holiday horror, The Christmas Magpie is a must-read stocking stuffer… just maybe keep the lights on.

This is the second book I’ve read by Mark Edwards and although it was quite a bit shorter, it was just as brilliant.

I did not see the ending coming at all.

It was a different kind of tale and was most entertaining, if a little disturbing at times.

Cleverly crafted and read in one sitting. Another bonus to it being shorter.

Would make a great Christmas stocking gift.

I definitely need to read more by this author!

This is a creepy thriller set just before Christmas. Noel and Dani have just moved into their first house together. Everything seems perfect. And someone is even sending them presents with love from secret Santa. But these presents are scary and gradually the tension ratchets up as the story flips between their house and the local women’s Open prison where the notorious multi murderer Lucy Newton is incarcerated.

To say more would spoil the plot. Just to say that there are plenty of suspects and that I managed to read this novel in one sitting because I just wanted to get to the end. The author, Mark Edwards, is a very good writer in this genre. I recommend this especially to read December.

I read an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publishers.