Join a book club that is reading Secret Santa!

Better Read Than Dead Book Club | Fargo

A bookclub for fans of all things spooky. We meet monthly and read anything from thrillers to true crime + more.
Slackers welcomed!

Secret Santa

The Office meets Stephen King, dressed up in holiday tinsel, in this fun, festive, and frightening horror-comedy set during the horror publishing boom of the '80s, by New York Times best-selling satirist Andrew Shaffer.

Out of work for months, Lussi Meyer is desperate to work anywhere in publishing. Prestigious Blackwood-Patterson isn't the perfect fit, but a bizarre set of circumstances leads to her hire and a firm mandate: Lussi must find the next horror superstar to compete with Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Peter Straub. It's the '80s, after all, and horror is the hottest genre.

But as soon as she arrives, Lussi finds herself the target of her co-workers' mean-spirited pranks. The hazing reaches its peak during the company's annual Secret Santa gift exchange, when Lussi receives a demonic-looking object that she recognizes but doesn't understand. Suddenly, her coworkers begin falling victim to a series of horrific accidents akin to a George Romero movie, and Lussi suspects that her gift is involved. With the help of her former author, the flamboyant Fabien Nightingale, Lussi must track down her anonymous Secret Santa and figure out the true meaning of the cursed object in her possession before it destroys the company--and her soul.

BUY THE BOOK

216 pages

Average rating: 7.48

25 RATINGS

|

3 REVIEWS

These clubs recently read this book...

Community Reviews

KBenoit
May 17, 2024
10/10 stars
That was spooky
Hartfullofbooks
May 07, 2023
9/10 stars
This book felt like a big warm hug for anyone that loves the classic, over the top, horror movies and novels from the 80s horror boom. Snarky 80 horror vibes the whole way! Lussi is out of work and looking for a new job in publishing when she gets hired during a catastrophic interview that does not go as planned but ends up in her favor. Her new job at Blackwood publishing, is full of dangers tricks, and beyond weird coworkers, all overshadowed by a sense of impending supernatural doom. I loved the references, the humor, the setting, and the spooky Christmas lore in this book! My one disappointment was that, while I do think it fits into the horror category, this book was not scary at all. It’s much too quirky and fun to be taken seriously, so there’s really no moment where you’re scared, which didn’t really bother me personally, but if you’re looking for a book that’s going to terrify you, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a fun, quirky horror book with Christmas vibes I’d recommend Secret Santa.
Jessiedarko
Mar 03, 2022
7/10 stars
Much better than the cover led me to believe, was a good mix of satire and actual horror that it made for an enjoyable read. Quick paced with a female lead that was authentic and witty.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.