Silent Night

by Natasha Boydell

A BRAND NEW brilliantly gripping and unputdownable psychological thriller from BESTSELLER Natasha Boydell! Readers love Natasha Boydell’s

‘Wow! What a brilliant book!!... The suspense, the doubt, THE PLOT TWISTS!! I absolutely loved the characters, loved the story, loved everything about this book. This was my first by Natasha Boydell and now I am running to read more by her! 5 stars!!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book blew me away. I love books that grab you from the beginning and hold on so tightly that you cannot put the book down… The ending was explosive and was not predictable at all. I love, love, love this author and cannot wait for more.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Literally picked this book up in the morning and began to read it and before I knew it I was finishing it later that evening. It’s that addicting, honestly I found this so hard to put down. Every page that went past, I was frightened, I was dreading what was coming next. I could never have predicted the outcome. I’m still in shock, it’s crazy. The suspense oh my god!… This book is incredible… I would definitely say this has got to be one of my favourite books ever!!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Amazing… it’s an addictive read, it has it all the shocks and twists… A page turner of a book… Who do you believe and who do you trust? I so recommend this book – a twisty read!’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A gripping masterpiece that masterfully combines elements of mystery and suspense. Boydell’s narrative unfolds like a carefully crafted puzzle, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The sense of suspense is palpable, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. As the intricate plot weaves its web of intrigue, the anticipation builds, creating a thrilling reading experience.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2026

About the author

Natasha is an internationally bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her books have featured in the top 100 charts in the UK, Canada and Australia, and include the top 10 bestseller The Fortune Teller.

Natasha's novels are available around the world in ebook, paperback and audiobook and have been translated into several languages. She lives in North London with her husband, two daughters and two rescue cats.

Reviews

[Lady MacDeath 🌒🌕🌘]

One thing I know, after reading my third book from Natasha Boydell, is that she is a phenomenal storyteller, and with each book, she just keeps getting better and better, keeping the reader glued from the first until the last page. So many twists, which kept coming and coming, and this was so very gripping and addictive that I kept reading until the early hours, not wanting to stop.

I’m not going to tell you anything about the storyline, just that it’s based in a small, isolated, village in the Cotswolds, at Christmas, during a snowstorm, with a Christmas Eve Festival, and folkloric stories of a horned “man” snatching kids off the street.

This was everything I love in a psychological thriller…twists, Christmas, isolated village, snowstorm, weird, unfriendly neighbours, suspicious villagers, and with a good slice of folklore thrown in…I was in literary paradise! I went into this book completely blind, knowing it would be a good one, and I was not disappointed.

5 ⭐️

Thanks to Natasha Boydell, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley, for providing me with this free ARC, with which I leave a voluntary review.

Available: 2 August 2026

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle]

Her mother sends a letter that feels strange enough to break years of holiday silence, Ava drives into the snowy Cotswolds expecting an awkward reunion, and instead finds a dark cottage with nobody home. Naturally, the locals insist Christine has probably wandered off on a spontaneous trip. Yes, because women who write vaguely alarming letters and then disappear at Christmas are famously just taking little wellness breaks without mentioning them to anyone.

Ava knows something is wrong, but she also spends just enough time trying to be reasonable that I wanted to reach into the book and shake her coat. Babe, the house is empty, your mother asked for help, and every villager is answering basic questions like they have been briefed by legal counsel. We are past the point of politely waiting for clarification.

Then Rory appears, handsome antiques dealer, local source of information, and exactly the kind of man a thriller places nearby so you spend the next hundred pages wondering whether he is helpful, suspicious, romantically distracting, or all three. Ava is trying to find her missing mother, but the village keeps handing her quaint shops, meaningful looks, and people who somehow know less every time they speak.

Things get worse when Ava discovers Christine had been investigating the old disappearance of a little girl. Suddenly the missing mother situation is attached to a buried village secret, which is never comforting. Small towns love saying, “That was a long time ago,” as though time personally disinfected the crime scene.

And this village is creepy. Not horror-movie creepy where someone is obviously sharpening an axe in the window. Worse. Polite creepy. Curtains twitching. Conversations stopping. Everyone offering tea instead of answers. The snow keeps falling, the church bells keep ringing, and every beautiful cottage looks like it has been holding one specific grudge since 1987.

Once Ava realizes someone is outside the house, the whole Christmas-card fantasy goes straight into the bin. From there I kept changing my mind about who knew what, who was lying, and whether Christine had uncovered something dangerous or become part of it. Every time I thought I had the shape of the mystery, another secret slid out from underneath the tinsel.

The part that really landed for me was Ava coming home expecting, maybe, to repair something with her mother and instead being forced to confront how much of their relationship had gone unsaid. Estrangement does not erase love. It just gives regret more room to move around.

I stayed fully nosy until the end because the historical disappearance and Christine’s absence kept folding into each other in ways I did not see coming. The reveals kept arriving without making the whole thing feel ridiculous, and the ending actually gave me the satisfaction of answers instead of tossing one final vague clue onto the table and fleeing the premises.

This was snowy, tense, unsettling, and full of villagers who desperately needed to stop acting like missing women were a seasonal inconvenience. A very solid 4 stars, and possibly the least relaxing fictional Christmas visit I have attended this year.

Merry Mayhem Prize: For Turning One Picture-Perfect Cotswolds Christmas Into a Village-Wide Masterclass in Suspicious Eye Contact

And thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for snow, church bells, and a festive homecoming, then spent the night distrusting every antiques dealer, neighbor, and person who casually said, “I’m sure she’s fine.”

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer]

Silent Night by Natasha Boydell, Ava no longer enjoys the Christmas holidays ever since she stopped talking to her mom and sister due to her mom taking her sisters side when she cheated and eventually stole Ava‘s boyfriend David. although she misses mom Christine and sister Megan she has no plans to contact either one until she arrives home and finds a note from Christina saying she needs her help this is why Ava decides to go to White Hollow in Oxfordshur where her mom moved a couple of years before but when she reaches her mom‘s cottage her mom isn’t there. After hanging around and her mom not showing up Ava decides to stay in her cottage and wait for her but things are unsettling from the beginning from being woken up by footsteps to seeing someone in a mask outside the window this is just the beginning of the uneasy welcome she gets from White Hollow and the residence aren’t much more inviting with the exception of the antique dealer Rory. he’s not only handsome but knew her mom Christine who was a famous romance author but soon Ava’s worries or late to rest when the local policeman tells her that he knows for a fact her mom went on a cruise something that Ava thought wouldn’t be on her mom‘s want to do list but it has been a couple of years since she’s seen her so she believes it and lets it lie. It isn’t long however before she learns maybe she let her guard down too soon which she not only finds a transcript of a thriller her mom wrote about the town in the old wives tale and the call from her mom‘s editor who basically tells her your mom said she was being harassed and there’s no way she would go on a cruise throughout this whole book they’re really good red herrings that make you think one thing because this book does not end up in the place it started and OMG Ava gets to where she doesn’t even know if she can trust Rory will she find her mom or will she die trying? I usually really love this author’s books and although I did enjoy this one their parts at the end I have a lot to say about but if I did that I would give away the ending I still would recommend it as it’s worth the read. Itmade my heart palpitate more than once and for the most part it’s a very well done cohesive story I just have issues with the end that I cannot mention but this book does not look at the end anywhere like it did in the beginning. As I said there was some really great false flags one thing I can say is I thought the ending made how the villagers acted just seemed rude and out of the box. I mean everyone in town was that Kurt and unnecessarily rude to her just because you didn’t live there that’s crazy is that how real English people treat visitors I would hope not. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview,

[Louise Wilson]

As the snow falls, Ava finds herself wondering again why she's to visit her mother. They've not spent Christmas together in years, but her mother's latest letter made her feel worried. Perhaps it's time to bury the hatchet.... She's not told her that she's coming though. It'll be a nice surprise. But pulling up to the picture-perfect cottage, in the absurdly romantic Cotswolds village where her mother lives, something feels wrong. There are no lights on. And her mother is nowhere to be seen. Villagers seem to think she has taken an impromptu holiday, but Ava is sure something is wrong, especially when she finds out her mother had been looking into the historic disappearance of a little girl from the village.

This is a gripping and addictive book. It's Christmas, there's a snowstorm and a bit of folklore. I was hooked, I needed to know what had happened to Christine, Ana's mother. The twists just kept coming and I did not want this story to end.

Published 2nd August 2026

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #NatashaBoydell for my ARC of #SolentNigh in exchange for an honest review.

[Stevie]

This was my first read from Natasha Boydell, and it definitely did not disappoint!

While the story started a little slow for me, the suspense and emotional direction it took quickly had me captivated. Usually, when I read thrillers, I can easily see where the story is heading, but with this one, I genuinely had no idea what was coming. Once I reached about the halfway point, I had a really hard time putting it down!

The plot twists were incredibly surprising, and I can honestly say I never would have guessed the rather heartbreaking conclusion to the mystery. I loved how the story balanced suspense with so much emotion, making it more than just a typical thriller.

If you enjoy dark, twisty thrillers with an equal amount of suspense and emotion, I highly recommend giving this one by Natasha Boydell a try! I can’t wait to read more from her. 🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a DRC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and this review is being left voluntarily.

[Sue]

Ava goes to visit her mother whom she hasn't seen for years. She was invited, but arrives to find no one at home.

My first thought was how complacent Ava was to find that her mother had no plans for Christmas, and in the letter Ava received, her mother needed her help.

I did find this book hard to put down, I had to know what happened to Christine. The main thing is, the whole plot was not predictable. Surprise twist after surprise twist.

Another thing that perplexed me was that Christine was not into technology, but she owned and used a computer and WiFi.

It is very suspenseful, and the villagers were really creepy.

I loved the ending, a historical mystery solved. It seems that most of the events take place around Christmas..... well, I guess that is why the book is titled "Silent Night".

3.5/5 stars from me, rounded up to 4.

[KDRBCK]

Silent Night by Natasha Boydell is a full length, stand alone thriller, published by Boldwood Books.
I'm a fan of the author's writing and Silent Night is just exceptional, an outstanding psychological thriller full of suspense that ahd me on the edge of my seat.
Ava is estranged from her family. She's living in the UK when something happens to her. Something that it takes all her energy to survive.
Brilliantly written, I guessed til the very last page, 4.5 stars.

[Lynn Reads]

What a great read! I stayed up late to finish Silent Night. It starts a bit slow, but quickly picks up the pace. The writing is very good and the setting is brilliant - who doesn’t love a cozy English village? The plot was intriguing and had me on the edge of my seat!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this review copy.

[Alyssa Madsen]

3.5⭐️
Silent Night started off very slow, but once I got to the second half of the book is picked up. I really enjoyed the second half. I didnt want t9 put it down. The twists in this book were so unexpected and had me shocked. The ending made me want more. Thank you netgalley and Boldwood Books for the arc!!

[Patricia Alecock]

What a cracker of a book

This book kept me reading till the small hours of the morning. It grabbed me from page one. Wasn't expecting the conclusion to end the way it did. I love the style of Natasha's books, keeps you interested from start to finish and she brings all the characters to a vivid recognition. Can't wait to read more of her books.

[Joy Burniston]

The suspense!

loved the mystery, the characters, the atmosphere and the suspense of this book. It was a definite page turner with a few twists and turns along the way to the huge climax.

[Mariesa]

Outstanding

Wow how amazing was that, totally outstanding read by Natasha Boydell, im gobsmacked from one twist to another, couldn't put it down

[andrea paterson]

Brilliant read

Absolutely loved this book, had
to read it in one sitting. A fantastic read with a good twist.
Highly recommend