Death the Halls

by Adam Blumer

Two strangers join the Henry family Christmas reunion. One wants Lauren for a ransom. The other wants her dead.

Lauren Henry looks forward to introducing her boyfriend, James, at the Christmas family reunion at Henry Haven, her parents’ Upper Michigan getaway. But two strangers surprise the family in a home invasion with deadly results. Kidnapped, she finds herself at the mercy of a man with a mysterious connection to her family’s past.

Meanwhile, impatient with the police investigation, James is concerned he may never see Lauren alive again. There’s one sure way to put his fears to rest: find her or die trying.

Note: This is a clean Christian suspense novella. It does not contain profanity, vulgarity, or sexual content. It does contain a suspense story with overt faith elements and mild violence.

Genres: Christmas

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2021

About the author

Adam Blumer fixes other people’s books to pay the bills. He writes his own to explore creepy lighthouses and crime scenes. He is the author of four clean Christian thrillers: Fatal Illusions, The Tenth Plague, Kill Order, and the upcoming Termination Zone. He also wrote the upcoming novella Death the Halls, to be released in a Christmas suspense collection in October. A print journalism major in college, he works full-time from home as a book editor after serving in editorial roles for more than twenty-five years. He lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with his wife, Kim, and his daughters, Laura and Julia. When he’s not working on his next thriller, he’s hiking in the woods or learning new chords on his guitar.

Reviews

[Bobby's Reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

When this book repeatedly said “God” and the “Lord”, I completely rolled my eyes. Also this was my mistake that it was a “clean Christian book” Would not recommend.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a promotional offer for this book to find a new author and I'm pleased I did. Adam Blumer will join the growing list of authors I follow. He had me from the first sentence and I couldn't put it down.
Lauren, her mom and grandma are caught in a home invasion with revenge as a motive. The reader is kept guessing as to what was going to happen, was she being told the truth, would her boyfriend James, be able to find her in time.
There could have been a few outcomes to this story and I'm glad I got the one deserved. Although one question I still have - what now?

[Deborah Prachaseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t think I ever read a book that got right into the action and suspense so quickly. Pretty much stayed in a state of suspense whole book. Surprise ending that was unforeseen and unexpected. Enjoyed the Michigan Upper Peninsula winter setting. At times, I thought some characters might behave differently but overall they stayed true to their characters as developed. Appreciated reading a Christian novel and having those perspectives interspersed.

[Joy Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time reading anything from this author, now I can't wait to read more. Even though this was a short novella, it packed a punch. Full of suspense right from the start. Lauren and her family gets attacked at the start , then she is kidnapped by two masked men. It's a race to find her before she dies. Who took her and why? The ending will shock you, grab your copy to find out what happens.

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book had me holding my breath for the next twist or turn all the way to the end. I couldn't lay it down and spent way to much of my day reading. :-) Mr. Blumer has once again given readers a thriller that has no inappropriate language or content. Proof that a good book does not need either. I can't wait for his next book!

[Doug Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Henry is kidnapped right before Christmas, with the kidnapper hoping to drain Lauren's bank account and extract a large ransom from her parents. But the kidnapper's partner, who has already killed Lauren's grandmother and injured her mother, would prefer to kill Lauren and leave no witnesses to his crimes. This novella is fast-moving and exciting.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful read with a holiday theme. Kept me reading to find what would happen. Appreciated that this book was free from bad language or graphic content while maintaining an intense storyline. Enjoyed the change of pace in my Christmas reading.

[April Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clean, Christian suspense with no foul language. A good bit of suspense. Twists and turns throughout the plot. Some heartache is in store for the Henry family this Christmas, but things set to rights in the end.

[Hunter Q Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting story.

This is a riveting story. It starts with a bang and does not let up. I was totally surprised by the ending.

[Sarah-Marie Rosin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Thriller

Short Christmas thriller, and a quick read. Cabin gets invaded right before Christmas. There's a kidnapping, and secrets come out. Enjoyable short suspense read.

[⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

my mistake for reading “clean christian thriller” as “clean christmas thriller”

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

[Ranee · Rating 4 out of 5]

No nonsense in this holiday thriller. Interesting ending

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ‘ripple effect’ is alive and well in this story. All actions have consequences.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick Christmas suspense novella. Not much detail but an entertaining read.......

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good suspenseful read from a new to me author. Looking forward to exploring more of his books.

[Jennie Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit dark for a Christmas tale... Probably just not really my style.