Beneath the Book Club discussion: When Christmas Comes was a twisty holiday mystery with a surprising, yet satisfying end.
I liked it. I did.
But Andrew Klavan’s When Christmas Comes was slower than I anticipated or wanted in a mystery.
Klavan’s colorful writing plopped me right into the middle of Sweet Haven at Christmastime where a sleuthing English teacher worked to prove a condemned man innocent of killing his girlfriend.
The story begins with the arrest of Travis Blake, a broody, single father, accused of un-aliving Jennifer Dean, a popular young librarian with a mysterious past.
Enter Cameron Winter, that lonesome English professor haunted by the ghosts of his own Christmas past, who gets involved with the case when his former lover asks him to prove Blake innocent.
But that’s no easy feat.
Blake has confessed to the murder and there is evidence pointing directly to his guilt.
The stories within the story kept me guessing the entire time, especially when it was revealed that a very bad man had been hunting Jennifer prior to her “death.”
When Blake was convicted of her murder and sent to prison, I had lost hope for him and his daughter, and was gearing up for a sad, unsatisfying ending.
But then… a Christmas miracle and really big twist.
Turns out Jennifer wasn't murdered by Blake.
The story of her death and Blake’s false confession were a well-planned ruse to keep her safe from the bad actors of her past.
And for Winter? Well, when he discovered the plan, he was forced to make a decision to either keep the secret and allow Jennifer, Blake and his daughter to begin anew or spill the beans.
He didn’t spill any beans, which made me wish the book ended with his own happily-ever-after. I liked that guy.
When Christmas Comes was the first book I have read by Andrew Klavan and I enjoyed it enough to read more.
There were parts where I wished for a faster pace, but I give it a solid 8.
What did you think?
1. Would you recommend this book to someone? Why or why not?
2. What kind of reader would most enjoy this book?
3. Did you enjoy this author’s writing style?
4. Which character did you find the most intriguing?
5. What was the most satisfying or disappointing part of this story?
6. Rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10.
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