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The Sleigh (A Nail Biting Supernatural Suspense Thriller): It's Christmas Eve. Pray he doesn't come down your chimney.
"Max Hawthorne has created the ultimate holiday monster, and it is a total badass!"
-D.A. Roberts, author of the bestselling Ragnarok Rising saga
"A gripping tale of horror and suspense in the vein of Kronos Rising . A knockout!"
-Thomas P. Hopp, author of Dinosaur Wars
The only Christmas cheer this year will be from those who live to see the dawn . . . For hardened NYPD homicide detectives Ilsa Dunbar and Andy Alvilda, Christmas represents a holiday of horrors.
Every December for the past decade, a cult of serial killers the press calls the Christmas Cannibals has chewed the Big Apple to its core. Creeping in under cover of darkness, they bypass the finest security systems and slaughter entire families, leaving wreckage and half-eaten corpses in their wake.
But as Dunbar and Alvilda’s investigation leads them from one horrifying crime scene to another, they begin to realize there is something dark and deadly lurking in the shadows. It is an ancient evil whose roots are wrapped around the most iconic Christmas figure of all.
And for those who meet its fiery gaze, the legend of Santa Claus will never be the same.
If you're a fan of must-read horror fiction books like Brom's the Yule Lord , gripping mythological thrillers like Felix Blackwell's Stolen Tongues , fast-paced occult fiction like Adam Nevill's Cunning Folk, or nail-biting Gothic horror like A.M. Shine's The Watchers , you're going to LOVE this terrifying extension to Hawthorne's Braddock brothers Kronos Rising series universe!
-D.A. Roberts, author of the bestselling Ragnarok Rising saga
"A gripping tale of horror and suspense in the vein of Kronos Rising . A knockout!"
-Thomas P. Hopp, author of Dinosaur Wars
The only Christmas cheer this year will be from those who live to see the dawn . . . For hardened NYPD homicide detectives Ilsa Dunbar and Andy Alvilda, Christmas represents a holiday of horrors.
Every December for the past decade, a cult of serial killers the press calls the Christmas Cannibals has chewed the Big Apple to its core. Creeping in under cover of darkness, they bypass the finest security systems and slaughter entire families, leaving wreckage and half-eaten corpses in their wake.
But as Dunbar and Alvilda’s investigation leads them from one horrifying crime scene to another, they begin to realize there is something dark and deadly lurking in the shadows. It is an ancient evil whose roots are wrapped around the most iconic Christmas figure of all.
And for those who meet its fiery gaze, the legend of Santa Claus will never be the same.
If you're a fan of must-read horror fiction books like Brom's the Yule Lord , gripping mythological thrillers like Felix Blackwell's Stolen Tongues , fast-paced occult fiction like Adam Nevill's Cunning Folk, or nail-biting Gothic horror like A.M. Shine's The Watchers , you're going to LOVE this terrifying extension to Hawthorne's Braddock brothers Kronos Rising series universe!
328 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2022
17 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Max Hawthorne
15 books86 followersMax Hawthorne is an American author. He grew up in Philadelphia, where he graduated with a BA from Central High School and a BFA from the University of the Arts. He is the author of Memoirs of a Gym Rat, an outrageous exposé of the health club industry, as well as the award-winning Kronos Rising novel series.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 23, 2023
The Prince of Paleo-fiction shines with a horror novel tied to the holiday season and with ties with the ritual of Christmas, with Santa.
After a blockbuster run with the Kronos stories which had a delayed epilogue novella with Kronos Rising - Purgatory last year (https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...) Max has switched from terror to horror.
The Sleigh is a supernatural horror thriller with a being who is partly a myth that that just cannot be killed and is relentless and unstoppable like a Terminator. The murders are grisly and filled with blood, gore and enough degradation to turn the stomach.
The main characters in the story the law enforcement folk are partly well written and partly caricature with bits of everything from corruption to diligence thrown in. The camaraderie between the main characters is good and leaves the reader begging for more. The diligence of the protagonists is supreme and we can see their efforts as well as their impotence in the face of the incomprehensible. The best arts are the easy dialogues and banter with humor coming up in every few line that pushes back the dark story.
The protagonists are interesting enough to warrant future stories and I would love Max to write some more stories featuring them.
The book is fast paced and follows a set pattern of murders but it is the supernatural elements and the myth entwined into the story that carries the story into a new level. The story at parts seems too pat but that's taken care by the pace which never falters. Ilsa and Andy make a good pair of officers with Andy is a bit of a mystery here.
Altogether a 4 star read and well recommended.
This is a book that will challenge peaceful sleep after completion even for hardcore readers of horror. I can vouch for it and I have read some of the very best.
After a blockbuster run with the Kronos stories which had a delayed epilogue novella with Kronos Rising - Purgatory last year (https://sanjibsblogreads.blogspot.com...) Max has switched from terror to horror.
The Sleigh is a supernatural horror thriller with a being who is partly a myth that that just cannot be killed and is relentless and unstoppable like a Terminator. The murders are grisly and filled with blood, gore and enough degradation to turn the stomach.
The main characters in the story the law enforcement folk are partly well written and partly caricature with bits of everything from corruption to diligence thrown in. The camaraderie between the main characters is good and leaves the reader begging for more. The diligence of the protagonists is supreme and we can see their efforts as well as their impotence in the face of the incomprehensible. The best arts are the easy dialogues and banter with humor coming up in every few line that pushes back the dark story.
The protagonists are interesting enough to warrant future stories and I would love Max to write some more stories featuring them.
The book is fast paced and follows a set pattern of murders but it is the supernatural elements and the myth entwined into the story that carries the story into a new level. The story at parts seems too pat but that's taken care by the pace which never falters. Ilsa and Andy make a good pair of officers with Andy is a bit of a mystery here.
Altogether a 4 star read and well recommended.
This is a book that will challenge peaceful sleep after completion even for hardcore readers of horror. I can vouch for it and I have read some of the very best.
December 12, 2022
This one was high up on my list of most anticipated reads for this year, and like every book Max has written it did not disappoint. The story is well paced and well written, something I have come to expect from a Max Hawthorne book. It is devilishly fun while having a sense of impending terror. While the Kronosaur in Kronos Rising was a force to be reckoned with, the Sleigh's big bad is something else altogether. A Supernatural holiday boogeyman that would make depictions of Krampus seem tame in comparison. I don't want to give away too much in this review,just know it's not only a new holiday but also horror classic. In Film Stanley Kubrick has given us so many classics including the Shining, Hawthorne is like the Kubrick of authors. In the Sleigh he has delivered his well made, fun, creepy horror classic!
8.5/10.0
8.5/10.0
January 15, 2023
Max Hawthorne is a masterful story teller. I discovered him during Covid and every tale is a monstrously exciting captivating ride. Along with Matthew Reilly, BA Paris and MW Craven they are the four authors who I believe every novel. This tale set around Santa Claus is another monster adventure and I also loved the little nods to his other books. Isla is a curvaceous heroine and Andy that Alpha Male, their adversory is simply gruesome. A stunning Christmas read and simply said I just can't wait to see what Max can deliver next.
July 29, 2023
Christmas with a twist
(Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk)
As a fan of Norse mythology and history, I love how it's woven into this tale. It's a new twist on Christmas and Max doesn't hold back. There are small nods to the Kronos Rising series and you need a sharp eye to see the best one yet (if you know, you know). And it would be awesome to see these two characters make a comeback in further books. Highly recommend to those who like Norse mythology and of course, Max's Kronos series.
(Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk)
As a fan of Norse mythology and history, I love how it's woven into this tale. It's a new twist on Christmas and Max doesn't hold back. There are small nods to the Kronos Rising series and you need a sharp eye to see the best one yet (if you know, you know). And it would be awesome to see these two characters make a comeback in further books. Highly recommend to those who like Norse mythology and of course, Max's Kronos series.
November 20, 2022
new Christmas story favorite
This book was a very well done combination of the Holidays, their mythology, and the horrors they entail. I like Xmas horror and this is a good example!
This book was a very well done combination of the Holidays, their mythology, and the horrors they entail. I like Xmas horror and this is a good example!
November 8, 2022
Great Read!
Max has done it again another great book! Well worth the read that flowed very well. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes the supernatural.
Max has done it again another great book! Well worth the read that flowed very well. Highly recommend this to anyone who likes the supernatural.
December 17, 2022
Excellent Christmas horror story a monster terrorizes New York leaving 2 cops to find the ancient monster.
November 7, 2023
I was blown away by the book starting with the opening line. I started to reading it as soon as I received my kindle notification at midnight. It had me hooked cover to cover and I literally couldn't put it down! .I’ve read all Hawthorne’s other novels and just like in his Kronos Rising series in The Sleigh he uses that unique ability he has to create a picture in the reader’s head and carry them along on an adventure word by word and paragraph by paragraph. It’s eerie and uncanny. He writes like a young Tom Clancy. I won’t want to do spoilers but put simply this is Hawthorne’s best effort to date. It is scary, suspenseful, and at times gory, with just enough humor to help you relax before things get intense again. Most of all it’s a no holds barred fright fest that left me holding my breath and sweating over what was going to happen next. Christmas is a tough nut to crack I think when it comes to horror. This does it and then some. Just don’t blame the author if you read The Sleigh before bed and end up sleeping with the lights on!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews