Andrew Shaffer

IN A NUTSHELL
An entertaining Christmas horror story, heavy on eighties horror nostalgia and publishing industry insider jokes. The humour worked and somehow helped to amplify the horror.

For once, the publisher's summary got it right. This really was a "fun, festive, and frightening horror-comedy set during the horror publishing boom of the 80s". Well, except maybe for the frightening bit. There's a lot more satire than horror.

I enjoyed listening to 'Secret Santa'. It felt fresh and lively show more from the beginning. It manages to be cliché-free and original while still poking fun at 80s horror (in a 'we love it really' kind of way. I loved that the book started in typical 80s fashion with two American soldiers in Germany at the end of World War II, finding a supernatural relic in the hands of a dead SS officer. I'm sure I've seen that movie.

I liked the mix of 80s nostalgia (at least for those of us who remember the 80s) and publishing industry snark that generated most of the humour. I relished the slowly emerging sense of threat that our nice but sometimes naive heroine was mostly unaware of until it was way too late.

The plot was one of escalating horror, with the relic making some very bad things happen to people along the way. There were a couple of nice twists at the end (although they were the kind that made me smile rather than reach for my defibrillator).

If you're looking for a festive horror comedy and you like 80s horror, you'll have fun with 'Secret Santa'.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Andi Arndt. Her narration made the book even more fun. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V7noynlshE show less

The Office meets Stephen King is pretty accurate way to describe this book. When Lussi Meyer interviews for a publishing position she never dreamed she would be tasked with finding the next Stephen King and battling an ancient evil in order to save the company and herself.

This was a fun, quick read full of dark humor and blood. Shaffer, a well known satirist, blends old school, B-movie gore and sharp send-ups of office politics and the publishing industry. Fans of classic slasher novels show more will highly enjoy this book. show less

This book is advertised as Stephen King meets the office.....It was more like Gremlins meets the office....and I loved it!! Set in the 80s, there are several cult classic mentions. Where many tend to over do the 80s, Shaffer captured the feel of this era perfectly...very nostalgic. Lussi, the main female protagonist, is immediately likable and relatable. Shaffer managed horror, humor, perfect pacing, and just enough character development in this slim book. A decent amount of background on show more the beast is fit in as well. My one gripe would be the lack of any real Christmas vibe. I love holiday horror and purchased this book for that reason. However, I completely forgot to care about this while reading, it was so good! show less

The Christmas tinged scares of "Secret Santa" are a fun, pulpy thrill that any fan of the 1980s horror boom will enjoy.

When Lussi Meyer goes in for an interview at the prestigious Blackstone-Patterson publishing company, she certainly doesn't expect for the interview to go south so quickly - or to end in the death of the head of the publishing house mid-interview. Somehow, she still talks herself into a job as a Senior Editor in charge of turning the sinking ship around. Lussi expected the show more transition wouldn't go smoothly, but she couldn't possibly anticipate just how rocky the new position would prove to be. What starts as a likely case of mild hazing soon escalates when people start getting injured - then killed.

"Secret Santa" is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the hey-day of horror publishing. Clearly inspired by many of the greats - and frequently referencing them - the novel has the familiar feel of the horror novels so many of us grew up with, but still feels refreshing and new. Lussi is a well informed, genre savvy character who still manages to be relatable and as fallible as a horror protagonist needs to be. This is a quick, enjoyable read that will make a horror fan's holiday season a bit more fun. show less