A good thriller to while away a few autumn evenings with. Pacy and well structured the story is engaging and Mark Edwards is a confident author.

Great Christmas novella. I hadn’t read any of the previous Magpie books but this works well as a standalone. I throughly enjoyed this story, it was quick paced and kept me guessing.

I shall be searching out the others in the series

A perfect quuck festive read that I devoured in a single sitting.Mark brings us another treat from the Magpie series, and this time, two seemingly separate stories are cleverly crossover and come together in a satisfying way.
Short snappy chapters mean there's plenty happening with red herrings,dark twists, and of course, the return of our favourite psychopath Lucy Newton.
I didn't see the ending coming at all,which made it even better!and hopefully, we'll catch up with certain characters again very soon.
A chilling but festive treat and a must-read for all Mark Edwards fans.
Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for the Arc.

Oh definitely buy this and give it as a Christmas gift to your friends who like a good mystery. It’s fast paced, twisty and turny. Only thing is you might not see your friends for a couple of days as they will be busy reading.
Thank you all for an advanced copy

The Christmas Magpies will make an excellent stocking filler. The story is of Noel and Dani, having moved into their first house together just before Christmas, who then start receiving unwanted weird Christmas gifts. We also read about the nearby prison, home to serial killer, Lucy Newton. As expected, the stories cross but both keep you guessing as they unravel.

Noel and Dani, recently married and finally able to buy their first house together, move into the new build on a small estate - presided over by Linda with her husband Alan - self appointed heads of the Residents Association. Coming up to Christmas all lights must be tasteful, no garish tinsel, etc., etc. Wrapped up in their new lives with their Maine Coone cat Mogwai, life is going to be perfect. Until Secret Santa sends the first gift, mince pies full of chilli. As other gifts arrive and their house is burgled, the uneasiness spreads and Noel suspects first one then another of their new neighbours. Favourite suspect is Justin, a prison officer at the women's prison housing the famous serial murderers Lucy. Joel's birthday is approaching, more gifts and messages, a play is organised at the prison and the tang of menace in the air is drifting like smoke. Here comes Christmas..........

The Christmas Magpie, is a good psychological thriller set at Christmas.

For Noel and Dani, their first Christmas in their dream home should be an exciting time with all the seasonal spirit and enjoying the friendly local community. But the festive fun quickly turns nasty when mysterious, unwelcome gifts appear on their doorstep. This is followed by a feeling of being watched, and this worsens when they realise their neighbours share an unsettling obsession with a notorious killer locked up in the nearby women’s prison.

This is a well written story, full of interesting characters and well paced, that had me not knowing which character to trust. A good quick read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A young couple move into their new home and are excited to start a new chapter in their life together. When strange things start to happen they want to find out who is trying to make their lives a misery.
This novella is part of the Magpie series but can be read as a standalone story.
It was fun to find out what happened to the character from previous books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fab festive thriller of a novella!

I adored The Magpie book and to have a festive sequel is a dream. Dani and Noel move into their first home together on a very friendly estate. All is well until they start getting secret santa parcels left for them…

The Dark Angel Lucy Newton, happens to be at the local women’s prison too…

A fast paced thriller that you will not be able to put down.

Festive lights, cosy plans… and a creeping sense of dread. The Christmas Magpie is a fast-paced, deliciously unsettling novella that blends holiday cheer with chilling suspense.

Noel and Dani are spending their first Christmas in their new home, determined to make it perfect – lavish presents, a sparkling tree, and a chance to join in with the friendly neighbourhood festivities. But perfection quickly starts to crack. Anonymous gifts appear on their doorstep, each one stranger – and more menacing – than the last. They have the unnerving feeling they are being watched. And their neighbours’ strange obsession with a nearby women’s prison – and its most infamous inmate – is beginning to make sense.

When tragedy strikes at a Christmas party, Noel and Dani are forced to dig into the truth about who is targeting them. But some answers, they soon realise, might be more dangerous than the questions.

Featuring Lucy Newton, the unforgettable psychopath from Edwards’ Magpie series, this story works brilliantly as a standalone. Whether you’re a returning fan or a new reader, the blend of festive atmosphere and creeping menace will keep you turning pages long into the night.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Absolutely brilliant, yet another fast paced spine chiller from Mark. If you’ve read the other books in The Magpie series then you definitely won’t want to miss reading The Christmas Magpie.
As expected it’s gripping as well as spine chillingly gripping from beginning to end. When you think you’ve figured out who is behind it all then think again.

A fun, festive short read. Fast paced and snappy chapters, this story raced by. A relatively new housing estate with a tight knit crescent is the setting with Dani and Noel being the newcomers.

This was a fun, quick thrilling novella as part of The Magpie’s Collection which I really enjoyed. If you liked the others in the series, you will enjoy this addition where Lucy makes an appearance again. Having said that, even if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series, I think you would enjoy this quick, snappy thriller. Noel and Dani move into a new home, but who is sending unwelcome gifts linked to some aspects of Dani’s beliefs and fears that only a few people know of? How does Lucy fit in? It was interesting to hear about Lucy’s experiences in prison and what she has been up to, as well as Dani and Noel’s trials that are occurring. I was left wanting to read more about Lucy, but that is a good thing!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I found the writing and plot to be quite underdeveloped—bordering on amateurish at times. The premise had promise, especially with its festive thriller angle, but the execution just didn’t land for me.

Thanks NetGalley and Penquin Random House for a Review Copy

Mark Edwards has firmly become one of my favourite authors, and The Christmas Magpies just proves why. I was so excited to receive this ARC and ended up binge-reading it in one sitting (starting it at 11pm probably wasn’t wise… but worth it!).

This festive psychological thriller is fast-paced, with short, punchy chapters and just the right amount of suspense. As always with Mark Edwards, the twist completely blindsided me, I never manage to guess them, and this was no exception.

Although it brings back Lucy Newton from The Magpies series, it reads perfectly as a standalone. If you’re after a quick, addictive, and slightly sinister holiday read, this is one to add to your Christmas TBR.

It's always good to revisit the Magpie series and this was a great Christmas novella. I love this kind of genre, creepy unsettling events happening within a domestic setting, where all the residents are suspects. Plenty of red herrings and surprises I would thoroughly recommend all of the books in the Magpie series.

The Magpies was my first ever book that I had read by Mark Edwards. I was totally hooked after that.
The Christmas Magpie is a novella.
Noel and Dani have just moved into a new house, but it's not long before there are creepy happenings. Gifts are being left on the doorstep, which completely freaks Dani out.
Lucy Newton is at the local prison, Franklin Grange. She has been receiving cards from Secret Santa. What could it mean?
I loved this. Short chapters and some humour, it's the perfect Christmas read.
Thanks to Michael Joseph and Penguin Random House for the invitation to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

Dani and Noel are excited to be moving into their new home just a few weeks before Christmas, The neighbours all seem welcoming even though Linda, the self appointed leader of the Residents Association, seems rather controlling and their neighbour opposite always appears to be watching them. Then they start receiving strange parcels from a Secret Santa and parcels they were expecting disappear from the doorstep. Some miles away Lucy Newton, a convicted murderer, is also receiving Christmas cards from a Secret Santa.. The young couple's house is burgled and all the Christmas presents stolen. Noel is determined to find out who is responsible for the parcels and burglary and he is suspicious of a couple of residents.Also just what is the connection between Dani and Noel and Lucy Newton?
I hadn't realised that there are other books in The Magpie series and that Lucy Newton is a character from one of them. However I don't think this really mattered as it was an enjoyable, easy read,. Might have to add the other books to my already long TBR list.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading an ARC of this book.

A lovely Christmas thriller that is an easy read but has the twists that you expect from a thriller. Thought the copy cat killer idea was good and think it's good how things were left with the original killer as potential for a sequel

A short seasonal story, I admit I hadn’t read or even realised that this was a take featuring a reoccurring character from previous books by the author- the fact I was able to read and enjoy without knowing this shows it can work as a stand alone for new readers
Less high concept than some of the author’s stand alines I’ve read this was more of a domestic crime: a young couple move into a new neighbourhood and start to fall victim of pranks, and escalating threats.. As they try to work out who from the community cast were introduced to might be behind it, a secondary seemingly unrelated tale of a Christmas show being put on at a local prison starts to intertwine with their story.
Fast and collect this might be the book you’re looking for if you find yourself with a few breaks between your Christmas preparations