A Holiday Thriller Short Story
By: Daniel Hurst
ASIN: B0BR66MT8F
Publication Date: 12/28/2022
Format: e-book
My Rating: 5 Stars
Would you share your New Year's resolution with a stranger?
When Carrie and Andy attend a high-class New Year's Eve Party, they're looking forward to closing out the year in style. But then they meet Martin and Michaela, a couple who haven't just come out for champagne and fireworks. They have a New Year's resolution, and it's very unusual.
After sharing their own resolutions, Carrie and Andy receive a shocking but tempting offer, one that leaves them unsure of how to proceed. But whatever they decide to do, one thing is certain - this will be a New Year's Eve they will never forget.
A fast-paced short story full of twists and turns from the author of popular psychological thrillers Til Death Do Us Part, We Used To Live Here & The Couple In The Cabin.
My Review
Daniel Hurst returns following, The Couple in the Cabin (5 stars-top books of 2022 list) with a deliciously wicked twisty holiday thriller short story, THE NEW YEAR'S PARTY—just in time for the occasion—where a new year's resolution has never been more fun and deadly!
Carrie and Andy look forward to a special treat for themselves this New Year's Eve. A time for reflection and looking ahead, making resolutions.
Both are in their fifties, Andy is a mechanic, and Carrie is a receptionist at a primary school, so money is tight. They are a working-class couple with little money for things like New Year's Eve parties. They could use the money for many other things; however, they decided to splurge this year.
A five-star —The Highbridge Hotel in the Lancashire countryside—tickets are $300 each for a four-course meal, complimentary drinks all night, fireworks show at midnight, and, best of all, a stay in one of the rooms at this grand hotel.
Their friends Sally and Graham told them about it, and they enjoyed it, but this year they cannot make it.
At the event, they meet two other couples (upper to middle class) seated next to them— Martin (lawyer) and Michaela (dentist) in their forties. The other couple, Kath and Phil, are both in their sixties with great careers.
Martin and Michaela ask the couples what their New Year's resolutions are, and that is when it starts to get CRAZY.
Carrie says she wants to go to New York for holiday. She has never been. Andy says he wants a Ferrari. Something realistically they will never get.
However, Martin and Michaela tell them their New Year's resolution, which shocks everyone. A proposal. A trade. If they help fulfill their wants, their wish will be granted in return. Meet in Room 2B.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
Next is a twisty game of cat-and-mouse that will leave you smiling, and then, with Daniel Hurst's signature twists, just when you think the book is over—then bam, another jab at the end that will put another giant smile on your face. Unpredictable surprising revelations,
Never assume anything—Lies, deceit, and betrayal are deadly. REVENGE is sweet.
Told from the POV of Carrie, and then near the end, we get a chapter from Andy, Michaela, and, lastly— the Epilogue, Martin.
What goes on behind closed doors in marriages? For fans of Robyn Harding's The Swap and author Freida McFadden.
What a fun book for the holidays!
I loved this one. Everyone has an agenda and is playing a game. An unpredictable, fun, page-turning domestic suspense delight!
I adore holiday short stories and enjoy Hurst's newsletters (as how I found out about this book). Please sign up, as there are always goodies in store and free books. I am enjoying this author's books, have read his newer books, and am making my way through his backlist. He seems so appreciative of his readers.
Check out Daniel's new book, The Doctor’s Wife, coming Jan 31, 2023. I just finished it, and also a twisty, fun cat-and-mouse game between two couples.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Dec 28, 2022
My Rating: 5 🌟 STARS
About the Author
Daniel Hurst was born in the northwest of England, a part of the world famous for its comedians, pasties and terrible weather.
He has been employed in several glamorous roles in his lifetime, including bartending, shelf stacking and procurement administration, all while based in some of the most exotic places on the planet, like Bolton, Preston and South London.
Since following his lifelong passion for writing in 2020, he has amassed a loyal and devoted set of readers, and regularly has several books in the top 100 of the Psychological Thriller Charts on Amazon. His title The Passenger became the #1 selling psychological thriller in the UK in October 2021. WEBSITE
