Overall Rating:
- Quality Rating: 3 Coffees – Hmm, interesting. Have another sip.
- Popularity Rating: 3P – Would take some convincing, but worth it.
Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Secret Santa
- Author: Andrew Shaffer
- Genre: Horror
- Subgenre(s):
- Dark Comedy
- Historical Fiction/1980s
- Holiday
- Paranormal
- Satire
- Pages: 215
- Publisher: Quirk Books
- Publication Date: 10 November 2020
- Format(s) Available:
- Audiobook
- eBook
- Paperback
- Available at:
- Price(s):
- Audiobook: $14.95 – $15.99
- eBook: $9.99
- Paperback: $13.99
Reader’s Annotation:
A young woman becomes embroiled in the supernatural at her newpublishing job just in time for the holidays.
A Summary:
Down on her luck, Lussi Meyer is eager to land a job at the prestigious senior editor position at the infamous Blackwood-Patterson Publishing- despite knowing that they have not published any big sellers in recent years. However, her interview with the CEO goes sideways as Mr. Blackwood considers her young, inexperienced, and her portfolio of work ridiculous as horror novels are trash and not worth his time. However, after she witnesses his unexpected heart attach, she is offered the position by new CEO, Digby Blackwood, on the caveat that she must find the next “Stephen King.” With horror being the hottest genre, how hard can it be?
However, just like her interview, her road to becoming the senior editor is paved with mean-spirited pranks and hazing from her new coworkers, who clearly think she and her new ideas do not belong at Blackwood-Patterson. Yet after a strange and unexpected Christmas office party, Lussi receives a strange yet familiar gift that leaves her puzzled. Soon after, everything kicks into high-gear and her new coworkers meet horribly tragic ends. With the help of her former author Fabien Nightingale, Lussi attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding her new job and the mysterious man who founded the company…and it all comes back to her strange Secret Santa.
My Evaluation:
I remembered picking this up at my local Barnes and Noble, instantly intrigued by the cover art. I instantly thought I would be reading an office-themed Christmas horror novel with Gremlin overtones. However, what I read was so much more twisted and darker than I could imagine. The phrase “Watch your words” and “be careful what you wish for” can be readily applied to this novel. Lussi starts this job, semi-innocent and bright eyed, but slowly gets pulled into the mystery surrounding Blackwood-Patterson and the evil that lurks in the shadows. I definitely got 1980s horror movie vibes from this novel. While I would not consider this novel to be overly laugh out loud funny, it is certainly dark and twisted and the perfect holiday horror read. I must confess I did speed-read so I will likely be reading this over again at my own pace but it is the perfect pastiche to 1980s horror and office humor. I can see why this has been seen as The Office meets The Shining. Brilliant and twisted.
Links for Author Website and Interviews:
- Author Website(s) and Social Media:
- Interviews:
- PRH Library – Meet the Author: Andrew Shaffer, author of Secret Santa (YouTube)
- WOCA The Source Radio – Interview with Andrew Shaffer (YouTube)
- Good Neighbor Books – Interview with Andrew Shaffer (YouTube)
- Ghostbusters Wiki – Fandom: Interview with Andrew Shaffer
- The Companion – Interview with Andrew Shaffer, New York Times Best Selling Author
Appeal Factors (Spoilers):
- Pacing: At 215 pages, this novel packs a wallop. While it seems a bit slow in the beginning but steadily picks up. The chapters are short, with filler information and minimal but impactful dialogue.
- Frame: While this is set as a holiday novel, there are horror/occult elements involved as a young woman enters a building in the hopes of getting a job, only to become entangled with a toxic work force and a malevolent spirit in search of a new master. I at first thought this would be a laugh out loud funny but dark novel, but the novel left me on the edge of my seat and wondering what happened next, who was hazing Lussi, and what the little Perchten doll had to do with everything. The novel left you feeling but fascinated and horrified.
- Storyline: The story is inspired in part by a Christmas office party but the influence of German folklore and the occult is prevalent throughout the novel. While we only have one moment in the past with Mr. Blackwood as a young man during World War II, the novel moves forward to the 1980s and ends in the late 2010’s. I at first wondered what the prologue was leading us to, but the author kept his cards close, making the story very suspenseful. It was easy to follow, as the story was very much event driven.
- Characterization: The characters were well-written, though the story is mainly told from the perspective of Mr. Blackwood, then Lussi (the Outsider/Final Girl) as she soon becomes entangled with the Perchten and the hijinks of the office. We do not get to really know the characters that well, as the story is mostly told from the perspective of Lussi; however, we can get an idea of what her coworkers and superiors are like. The workers of Blackwood-Patterson doe not quite fit into any one category or trope, as the Raven and the Brides of Dracula (as Lussi refers to them) are the professional business women but with a black widow/acolyte edge while Stanley and Cal are the fun and slightly innocent guys who get caught in the crosshairs but work in the shadows to help Lussi. Lussi’s friend and former author, Fabian, is the down-on-his luck author waiting for a comeback who helps Lussi and nearly dies in the process while the character of Alan the janitor, who does foul deeds at the beheast of the Raven, does so because he has a family and seems to fit the gun for hire archetype. Whoever pays, he works for. And Agnes (the secretary/other woman) serves as the messenger to Lussi in her mission, only to die in the process. There is depth and it could have potentially been explored in a longer novel; however, the characters all serve their purpose and are either with Lussi or against and become fodder for the Perchten’s dark and malicious appetites.
Other Information:
- The author’s main influences are Stephen King, Chuck Palahniuk, John Waters, and Dr. Seuss, to name a few
- Originally from Iowa, he currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky, teaching at Lexington’s non-profit Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning and Louisville Literary Arts.
- Is a screenwriter for film and television.
- Currently has the option rights available for Secret Santa and other works.
Similar Titles and Authors:
- Krampus: The Yule Lord by BROM
- The Damned Season by Shani Struthers
- Twelve Days of Christmas Horror by Rick Wood
- Twentieth Anniversary Screening by Jeff Strand
- The Visitor by Sergio Gomez
On Basilisk Station Reviews:
- Space and Sorcery (WordPress) – Secret Santa Review
- The Tattooed Book Geek (WordPress) – Secret Santa Review
Awards and Booklists:
- Book Lists:
- Awards: N/A
Booktalking Ideas and Approach:
You loved watching Gremlins growing up and love reading but have never found a book with a similar tone. Do you prefer a quick read or something longer and suspenseful? Consider reading Andrew Shaffer’s Secret Santa for your holiday horror read. The story unwraps like a present, only to jump out like a dark and twisted surprise.
Book Discussion Questions and Ideas:
- When you first see the cover, what pops out at you? How did the cover make you feel?
- “Duluth kicked at a wooden box next to the man. “What is this? A Christmas present?” he said. The box was rectangular, about half the size of a rucksack. An iron padlock held the clasp together. Xavier gripped the axe. “Step aside.” Duluth moved away from the box. Xavier brought the axe down on the lock once, twice. On the third try, the iron split apart. He crouched and tossed the pieces aside. The lid lifted with ease. Xavier shined his flashlight into the box…and, though he didn’t yet know what he was looking at, he knew at once what it could do. Xavier felt something wash over him. Warm. Dark.” What were your thoughts on this scene and what did you think was in the box?
- What were your thoughts regarding Xavier Blackwood when you first met him? How did your views on him change throughout the novel?
- What were your initial thoughts on Lussi Meyer? How did they change over the course of the novel and could she have avoided the events of the novel if she had tried?
- As the saying goes, it is a man’s world but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl. Yet women are constantly seen as undervalued or dismissed- as is seen partially with Lussi’s interview with Mr. Blackwood during the 1980s. How did this scene make you feel and can it be applied to today’s work environment?
- How does the office hijinks and hazing compare to office culture of modern day America?
- We discover that the workers of Blackwood-Patterson are a cult. Were there any signs to this?
- Was there a point to the author’s focusing on a defunct publishing house? Was he trying to comment on the world of publishing in his novel? Explain.
- Why do you think the Perchten Blackwood has is so different than the one Lussi’s Oma had?
- When Agnes reveals what the Perchten is and how it serves its master, what was your reaction?
- Were you able to suspend disbelief regarding the more fantastic and folkloric elements of the novel? Explain.
- Lussi’s friend and favorite client is almost killed due to Digby’s shenanigans, while others were taken out by the Perchten. Do you think there may have been another way to overcome the deal she made with the Perchten?
- There was a bloody showdown between Lussi and Digby Blackwood, that ended with one person in the hospital and the other person run over. Yet Lussi lives and takes over Blackwood-Patterson, as well as the Perchten’s new master. Do you think Lussi would have been able to resist the pull of her creature?
- Which scene shocked you the most?
- Which death was the most memorable?
- How did the ending leave you feeling?
Reasons for Inclusion:
I really wanted to include a few holiday reads. While I did not intend to include only horror holiday novels, that is sort of how it worked out. Plus, I have always loved Quirk Books and seeing this, I had to read it and give it a try. I know someone out there will also enjoy this book.
Clues for the Future:
- Publishing world
- New girl
- Office party
- Gremlins
- Holiday horror
- Knick knacks
- “You reap what you sow”
- Toxic workplace
- 1980s
- Yuppies
- Greed
Noell's Readers Advisory Database (INFO 220) 