A Chilling Christmas Eve

by Susan Specht Oram

A promised inheritance. An estranged father. A wealthy grandmother and a gardener with ulterior motives.

On Christmas Eve, Francesca gets a call from her wealthy grandmother. Her father is dead. He promised to leave her an apartment building when he passed away and told her she’d be rich beyond her wildest dreams. But he didn’t have a will.

Her aloof grandmother will leave the estate to the gardener, who is by her side, helping her every day. But Francesca won’t let her dreams of wealth wither. She’s determined to claw back the money she deserves.

She files with her brother to California to intervene and convince their grandmother to divert the flow of money to family. Francesca and her brother are convinced they are the rightful heirs.

The greedy gardener doesn’t deserve to inherit the estate. Or does he?

Dive into a tale of deception, betrayal, secrets and lies.

Read A Chilling Christmas Eve, a mystery-thriller filled with murderous intentions!

“A thrilling book about greed and family dynamics”

“Brace yourself for a twist‑filled ride that turns holiday cheer into chilling intrigue.”

“Who gets the inheritance? 5 star fun story !”

“A Chilling Christmas Eve is a great, quick thriller packed with lies, deception, and long-buried secrets. Every chapter brings unexpected discoveries that kept me turning the pages. A tense, twisty read that delivers the perfect dose of holiday suspense.”

The book can be read as a standalone.

Genres: Christmas

140 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2025

About the author

Writing mysteries-thrillers and creative nonfiction. Author of SHORE LODGE, THE THIEVES, CABIN EIGHT, THE MOTHER's THREAT, SECRETS AT THE CAFE, UNDER JACKSON BRIDGE, MISSING MAN, BY MIDNIGHT, THE WINTER STORM, THE COLD NIGHT, AVALANCHE, THESE LIES, THE GAS STATION MOTEL, WEDDING NIGHTMARE, POISONED HOLLOW, A CHILLING CHRISTMAS EVE, THE WOODS NEXT DOOR, and STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (a memoir). I live in a windy part of the Pacific Northwest with my husband and rescue dog.
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Reviews

[Elizabeth]

Another great book by Susan Specht Oram. Siblings Troy and Francesa are stunned to learn that their estranged father has passed sway. They travel to their grandmother’s house to spend time with her. They are anxious because they were never close to her. They are also concerned about their inheritance.

While there they experience a range of emotions. They never had the opportunity to know their father well as he left when they were very young.

The family dynamics in this book are amazing. This book also teaches us a lesson about family relationships.

This book is a must read

Thank you Susan Specht Oram for the arc!

[Denise Little]

If you’re looking for a great, short, Christmas thriller, here it is!! I got into it right away and it held me until the end! Lots of betrayal, greed and secrets in this one! Pre order on Amazon now!

Release date December 3, 2025

[Jenny Rodriguez]

A Chilling Christmas Eve
By: Susan Spect Oram

If you like suspense/thrillers, you will definitely enjoy this short story from Susan Spect Oram. It’s a fast ready with multiple POV’s.

Spoiler Alert

Background:

The story begins with a family of 3 : mom, son, and daughter, celebrating Christmas. They quickly get a phone call from their estranged fraternal grandmother informing them that their father has died.

Plot:

The entire storyline centers on the estranged children trying to convince their fraternal grandmother to leave her inheritance to them instead of to the estates gardener.

Pros:
It’s a quick read and has varying points of view. It does keep you guessing until the end on how everything is going to unfold.

Cons:
Since it’s a short story, there is very little character development

Overall Rating:

5 Stars ⭐️
It’s a very quick read, it quickly sucks you in with the family dynamics and the plot twist is unexpected.

Tropes: Psychological Thriller, suspense, mystery, family drama

[Susan]

I enjoyed this short story. Once again, Susan Specht Oram focuses on family members, embroiled in issues. In this case, a brother and sister come together, following the death of their Dad. Their grandmother is the executor of the estate, and the children are looking to receive a healthy, much needed sum of money .
It’s Christmas, and the two siblings decide to visit Grandma, and discuss their father’s will, but find out that their father’s estate will revert back to Grandma! Enter a third party, the gardener, who also expects a piece of the inheritance.
be
This short story is a reminder that not all Christmas’s are happy and loving!

[Rachel Browning]

A Chilling Christmas Eve is a great, quick thriller packed with lies, deception, and long-buried secrets. Every chapter brings unexpected discoveries that kept me turning the pages. A tense, twisty read that delivers the perfect dose of holiday suspense.

[Judy Morris]

This was such a great story! I love Susan's books! All her books I have thoroughly enjoyed! Such a great author! This book was no different!

Thank you Susan for such a great read!

Read it in one day!

[Victoria Zeigler]

Most certainly not a thriller.

[Elaine]

A short sweet revenge story,
I didn't expect it to turn out like that.It was good.
The perfect in between book.
When you need a short story in between long books.This is it I really enjoyed it.

[Ali O]

A Chilling Christmas Eve by Susan Specht Oram
Narrated by Robin McAlpine
🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is a fun and entertaining mystery/thriller story! Lots of secrets, lies, betrayal, greed and twists!!
Franchesca and her brother, Troy, finds out their father has passed away and were promised his apartment buildings. However, without a will, things are not looking good for them. Their grandmother has other plans for her son’s money!

I listened to the audio and the narrator did a fantastic job!! It’s a quick and engaging read/listen!

This is book 3 in the Isolated Island Series. They can be read as standalone stories.
1.) Wedding Nightmare
2.) Poisoned Hollow
3.) A Chilling Christmas
4.) The Woods Next Door

**Definitely check out this exciting series!!**

[Emily C.]

If you’re craving a suspenseful, chilling thriller for your winter reading, Susan Specht Oram’s A CHILLING CHRISTMAS EVE is the perfect choice.

Wrap yourself in a warm blanket, because Oram has a knack for pulling readers in with startling revelations. Brace yourself for a twist‑filled ride that turns holiday cheer into chilling intrigue.

On Christmas Eve, the sudden death of their father forces Troy and Francesca into an unnerving bargain—one that threatens to shatter their festive spirit and plunge them into a disturbing web of secrets.

[Taylor Staton]

I didn’t connect with the characters at all, and the book just didn’t work for me. The storyline had potential but didn’t quite deliver, and the writing felt stiff and a bit odd. I considered DNFing it, but finished it since it was short.

[Carol Nauss]

I love all of Susan Specht Oram's books and this one does not disappoint. After Francesca and Troy's father unexpectedly dies, their first thought is about their inheritance. But with no new will, their grandmother is the sole heir. Her gardener has taken over the responsibility of caring for her and she wants him to inherent her estate leaving Francesca and Troy with nothing. A thrilling book about greed and family dynamics with a nice twist and satisfying ending.

[Rhonda Ofstad]

Christmas eve story

This is short story with very brief chapters. Interesting how each chapters with characters names etc. Thought it was pretty good

[Diane]

Not a thriller, imho

The writing was good. Only one real "ah, ha" moment I didn't see coming. I did enjoy the wrap up at the end.
Kinda "meh".

[Jennifer]

Lol!! It's so good.

[Marisa]

Has potential! Unfortunately it read like one of my gifted 4th graders wrote it. The fact that it was not a thriller as it was marketed, plus the very weak character development and overall storyline wasn’t really cohesive are what kept me from giving past one star. Keep writing!!!

[Dixie Lindsey]

Didn't see some of the twists coming