Secret Santa

Name: Secret Santa
Price: 15.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781683692058

✍️ Andrew Shaffer

Reader Score

4.5

(1 review)

$15.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A satirical horror novel about a cursed Secret Santa gift at a publishing house.

Lussi Meyer enters Blackwood-Patterson expecting a normal job. Instead, she faces hostility from coworkers. A mysterious gift changes everything. Accidents begin claiming colleagues one by one. Lussi links the deaths to the present. The narrative explores how office grudges can manifest physically. Shaffer critiques corporate culture through supernatural means. The story does not resolve quickly. It builds dread through each incident. The focus remains on the cause and effect of the cursed item. Readers interested in dark humor and horror will appreciate this blend. The book avoids simple scares for complex social commentary.

Key Themes

cursed gift workplace violence supernatural accidents

Literary Context

This 2020 release by Quirk Books targets the American market with a contemporary office setting. It draws on the Secret Santa tradition to explore modern workplace tensions and supernatural horror elements within a professional environment.

Difficulty

● Easy

Recommended For Fans Of

Charlie Kaufman's surreal screenplays · Tana French's Dublin Murder Park series · Stephen King's workplace horror · The Office (TV series)

🕯️

Supernatural

🏛 Quirk Books 📅 2020 📖 224 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781683692058

📝 Description: Secret Santa

Andrew Shaffer delivers a darkly comic horror novel centered on Lussi Meyer, who joins the prestigious Blackwood-Patterson publishing house. Her arrival coincides with mean-spirited pranks from colleagues. The narrative shifts when she receives a strange present during the company's annual Secret Santa gift exchange. This specific item appears to trigger a chain of horrific accidents targeting her coworkers. Shaffer is known for satirical fiction, and this work blends workplace dynamics with supernatural terror. The story focuses on Lussi’s suspicion that the gift is the cause of the violence. It examines office politics through a lens of deadly consequences. Readers who enjoy corporate satire mixed with horror will find this engaging. Those seeking traditional ghost stories without modern settings may prefer other titles. The plot relies on the mystery of the gift and its effects. Shaffer uses the Secret Santa tradition to create tension. The book is organized around these escalating incidents. It does not offer solutions but rather follows the chaos. The tone remains sharp and critical of workplace culture. Lussi’s perspective drives the narrative forward as she tries to understand the connection between the present and the deaths. The setting is confined to the publishing house environment.

💎 Our verdict on Secret Santa

“

🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Shaffer effectively merges workplace satire with supernatural horror, creating a tense atmosphere where office politics manifest as physical danger. The narrative succeeds in linking mundane corporate grudges to horrific outcomes, offering a sharp critique of publishing house culture. By focusing on the cause-and-effect relationship between the cursed gift and the escalating deaths, the book maintains a consistent tone of dread. It is best suited for readers who enjoy dark comedy mixed with psychological horror, rather than those seeking traditional ghost stories. The confined setting enhances the claustrophobic feel, while the satirical edge keeps the terror grounded in relatable social anxieties.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers seeking a unique blend of dark humor and supernatural terror will find this title particularly engaging. It appeals to those who appreciate sharp social commentary wrapped in genre fiction, offering a critique of corporate culture that feels both timely and timeless. The narrative structure, which builds dread through escalating incidents rather than immediate resolution, suits audiences who enjoy slow-burn tension and mystery. Fans of satirical fiction will appreciate how Shaffer weaponizes workplace dynamics to create genuine horror, transforming mundane office grudges into deadly consequences. This book is ideal for those who prefer complex social commentary over simple scares, providing a fresh perspective on the Secret Santa tradition through a lens of lethal irony.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.5

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Shaffer effectively merges workplace satire with supernatural horror, creating a tense atmosphere where office politics manifest as physical danger. The narrative succeeds in linking mundane corporate grudges to horrific outcomes, offering a sharp critique of publishing house culture. By focusing on the cause-and-effect relationship between the cursed gift and the escalating deaths, the book maintains a consistent tone of dread. It is best suited for readers who enjoy dark comedy mixed with psychological horror, rather than those seeking traditional ghost stories. The confined setting enhances the claustrophobic feel, while the satirical edge keeps the terror grounded in relatable social anxieties.