Synopsis
A chilling standalone winter thriller, set in the world of the million-copy bestselling The Magpies - pre-order the paperback now as the perfect Christmas gift, or a deliciously dark treat for the holidays.
'Dark, twisted, chilling and utterly unputdownable' CLAIRE DOUGLAS
It’s Noel and Dani’s first Christmas in their new home and they want everything to be perfect - lavish presents, a beautiful tree and outdoor decorations to join in with the festivities in this welcoming community.
But they quickly wonder if this street is as perfect as it appears.
First, there are the unwelcome presents left anonymously on their doorstep.
Then they are sure someone is watching them...
And why are the neighbours all obsessed with a notorious killer who is housed at the nearby women’s prison?
After tragedy strikes at a Christmas party, Noel and Dani try to find out who is targeting them – but, in this case, it might be safer not to know . . .
READER REVIEWS
'Mark Edwards is a joy to read. I flew through this book and couldn't put it down.' ***** READER REVIEW
'If you want a quick, cosy mystery, then this is the book for you.' ***** READER REVIEW
'Fast paced with lots of twists and turns, eeriness thrown into the mix - what a great thriller this is.' ***** READER REVIEW
'This is a five star read along with all his others!' ***** READER REVIEW
'I absolutely loved this!' ***** READER REVIEW
'I absolutely loved this book & would highly recommend.' ***** READER REVIEW
'This was such a great, fun but creepy, festive read. Perfect for curling up with on a cold December evening!' **** READER REVIEW
'If you’re after a quick, gripping read with a festive backdrop and a clever, chilling twist, I’d highly recommend this one.' ***** READER REVIEW
'A chilling but festive treat and a must-read for all Mark Edwards fans.' ***** READER REVIEW
'The Christmas Magpies will make an excellent stocking filler!' ***** READER REVIEW
PRAISE FOR MARK EDWARDS
'I loved this brilliant, edgy, character driven thriller with a passion.' LISA JEWELL
'A fast-paced thriller, full of twists upon twists and tension you could cut with a knife. Hugely enjoyable.' ALEX MICHAELIDES
''Gripped doesn't even come close!' MARIAN KEYES
'I kept wanting to tear my eyes away but had to keep reading' IAN RANKIN
'Twisting and terrifying, the kind of haunting, pacy, spine-chiller that Mark Edwards is the absolute master of.' CHRIS WHITAKER
'I was hooked by this clever, fast paced and addictive thriller... I loved it' CLAIRE DOUGLAS
'Fast-paced and twisted: it’s another Mark Edwards sensation' CLARE MACKINTOSH
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9781405983013
- Number of pages: 256
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 35 mm
- Weight: 500g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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A great festive read
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home, and Christmas is fast approaching. All the neighbours, with the exception of miserable Justin living opp... READ MORE
Not a Jolly Christmas
Thanks to Mark and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Christmas Magpie before publication date.
With creepy Secret Santas and threatening messages, t... READ MORE
Enjoyable Festive Read
Review of ‘The Christmas Magpie’ by Mark Edwards, due to be published on 13 November 2025 by Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House.
Two storylines - that... READ MORE
An easy to read festive thriller
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home and are looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Until, that is, odd things start to happen such a... READ MORE
A festive treat
What a fabulous edge of your seat read. I could not put this book down with twists and turns galore and suspect neighbours! All set around the festive time... READ MORE
Get it on your Holiday Season TBR Now
Mark Edwards has firmly become one of my favourite authors, and The Christmas Magpies just proves why. I was so excited to receive this ARC and ended up bi... READ MORE
Brilliant!
Festive chills and thrills. I finished this book in less than 48 hours. I was hooked from the first few pages. An excellent mix of characters that were ver... READ MORE
The Magpie series returns...
Noel and Dani are due to have their first Christmas in their new home, they can't wait to settle in and start enjoying the holiday cheer. But.... someone h... READ MORE
Light, easy read
The Christmas Magpie is a very light, easy read. It's handy to spend 5 minutes on then return to your chores without a great wrench.
A young couple on ... READ MORE
A creepy festive treat
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC.
This is a sequel to the Magpies trilogy in which care home serial killer L... READ MORE
A Festive Treat...
Having already read Mark Edwards incredible book 'The Magpies'.....this was an easy choice for me as a dark festive tale to keep me engrossed. I read it in... READ MORE
A must read
I was so excited to hear that The Magpies were getting a new edition to the family, one of my favourite series and The Magpies is always my go to recommend... READ MORE
Perfect Christmas thriller
If anyone wants to curl up on for a couple of hours on a cosy winter’s night then look no further than this. A one sitting read, fast paced and a wild ride... READ MORE
The Christmas Magpie
For full enjoyment of Lucy's latest shenanigans I would recommend starting this series from the beginning and reading in order. If you do intend to read th... READ MORE
An easy to read festive thriller
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home and are looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Until, that is, odd things start to happen such a... READ MORE
Chilling Christmas read
Dani and Noel have moved to a new house and meet their new neighbours for the first time when putting up their Christmas lights. Then bizarre and scary 'se... READ MORE
Atmospheric, chilling, and clever
Christmas? Check. Cozy? Not so much. This novella had me in a chokehold from page one and didn’t let go until the final jaw-dropping twist. Mark Edwards is... READ MORE
Dream home - or nightmare?
A young couple move into their first home just before Christmas and are looking forward to having their best Christmas ever. The neighbours all seem frien... READ MORE
Brilliant
I’ve read all the Magpie books and this followed on brilliantly. I loved it and after reading there will hopefully be more??
Very Enjoyable
Young couple Noel and Dani have recently moved into their new home, just in time for the start of the Christmas season. Welcomed by Linda, the leader of t... READ MORE
The Christmas Magpie by Mark Edwards
The Christmas Magpie by Mark Edwards is a very entertaining Christmas story. It is Noel and Dani’s first Christmas in their new home and they are really lo... READ MORE
A great stocking filler!
I was sent a copy of The Christmas Magpie by Mark Edwards to read and review by NetGalley. This was a nice slightly creepy mystery/thriller set on a subur... READ MORE
A great Christmas mystery!
Dani and Noel are spending their first Christmas in their new home , when strange things begin to happen .
There are gifts left on their doorstep such as ... READ MORE
A gentle Christmas mystery
A light, festive read, with a promising build-up and likeable main characters, but to me it all fell a bit flat. I didn’t suspect the culprit, but I wasn’t... READ MORE
A festive gripping mystery
A well written Christmas mystery. Noel and Dani move into a new home, in what appears to be a lovely and welcoming street. However, not all is as it seems,... READ MORE
A Christmas Cracker
A perfect quuck festive read that I devoured in a single sitting.Mark brings us another treat from the Magpie series, and this time, two seemingly separate... READ MORE
Chilling short story!
Noel and Dani are looking forward to spending their first Christmas in their new home in Nightingale Crescent that they moved into three weeks ago but some... READ MORE
An easy to read festive thriller
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home and are looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Until, that is, odd things start to happen such a... READ MORE
An easy to read festive thriller
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home and are looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Until, that is, odd things start to happen such a... READ MORE
An easy to read festive thriller
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home and are looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Until, that is, odd things start to happen such a... READ MORE
An easy to read festive thriller
Noel and Dani have just moved into their new home and are looking forward to the upcoming festive season. Until, that is, odd things start to happen such a... READ MORE
festive novella
I haven't read any of the other Magpie books, but this festive novella seemed to work well as a stand alone story with a good number of red herrings in th... READ MORE
Creepy Christmas Cheer
Creepy Christmas Cheer
Mark Edwards proves once again that no one does suburban unease quite like him. The Christmas Magpie turns tinsel and mince pies ... READ MORE
Tinsel and terror
If you’re craving a festive thriller that laces holiday cheer with a sinister edge, The Christmas Magpie is a chilling delight. Fast-paced and brimming wit... READ MORE
An enjoyable pre-Christmas book
This is a short and easy read, a great twist and overall an enjoyable pre-Christmas book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return ... READ MORE
Mark Edwards Delivers Another Dark Gift
If you’ve followed Lucy’s story, this fourth instalment is a must-read. Dark, twisted, and deliciously unsettling—The Christmas Magpie is Mark Edwards at h... READ MORE
Festive thriller
Dani and Noel have just moved into a new home and are going to have their first Christmas together. Where they meet the chair of the residence association ... READ MORE
The Christmas Magpie.
A young couple move into their new home and are excited to start a new chapter in their life together.
When strange things start to happen they want to f... READ MORE
Another brilliant read by Mark Edwards
Another brilliant read from Mark Edwards! This story had me hooked from the start, constantly guessing who the mysterious Secret Santa could be. It kept me... READ MORE
Brilliant!
Young couple Noel and Dani are excited to spend their first Christmas in their new home. Looking forward to becoming part of the local community, they join... READ MORE
MARK EDWARDS DOES IT AGAIN!
I absolutely love Mark Edwards' books and The Christmas Magpie DID NOT DISAPPOINT for a second. Mark really knows how to write a neighbours-from-hell, stal... READ MORE
Excellent Seasonal Tale
Dani and Noel are excited to be moving into their new home just a few weeks before Christmas, The neighbours all seem welcoming even though Linda, the self... READ MORE
Far fetched
I thought this would be a good read, however I was very disappointed at the brevity of the story and the seemingly total lack of attention to detail. You ... READ MORE
A taster of the Magpies series
I'm not really a fan of the trend of Christmas novellas as part of an existing thriller series. They tend to have pretty flimsy plots because there isn't e... READ MORE
An excellent Christmas story
An enjoyable alternative to the usual romantic Christmas stories. I have always enjoyed Mark Edward’s’ books and this one was no exception. A quick but i... READ MORE
An enjoyable read
Noel & Dani have just moved into their new home. It is nearly Christmas and being huge Christmas fans (with a name like Noel I guess you have to be!) they ... READ MORE
Great read
This is anything but a lovely cozy Christmas story. Set at Christmastime Noel and Dani move into their new house in a small development and soon meet the... READ MORE
A lighter but still gripping member of the Magpie series
The Christmas Magpie by Mark Edwards is a mystery thriller and the fourth instalment in the Magpie series. It’s an easy, addictive read , one I flew throug... READ MORE
The Magpie is Back!
The Magpies #4
We are introduced to a young couple, Noel and Dani, who are moving into their new home before Christmas. But they things started to unrav... READ MORE
dark festive read
A first christmas in a new house for Noel and Danni but they're in for a surprise when they start getting creepy packages from a secret santa. Who could be... READ MORE
Thrilling
Noel and Dani getting ready for their first Christmas in their new home, then they start to get presents on their doorstep. This is a welcome addition to t... READ MORE
An easy to read, well written psychological mystery
This is the fourth book in Marks Magpie series, and the only one that I've read so far.
We join Noel and Dani as they move into their new house at the ... READ MORE
Another quality book by Mark Edwards
Noel and Dani have just moved in to their new home in run up to the festive season. At first, the neighbours seem lovely. That is, until they start to rece... READ MORE
Festive cheer
Noel and Dani getting ready for their first Christmas in their new home, then they start to get presents on their doorstep. This is a welcome addition to t... READ MORE
Christmas thriller
A very enjoyable thriller. Noel and Dani move into their new house just before Christmas, before long strange presents arrive on their doorstep, Noel imagi... READ MORE
A must read for The Magpie fans
The Magpies was my first ever book that I had read by Mark Edwards. I was totally hooked after that.
The Christmas Magpie is a novella.
Noel and Dani hav... READ MORE
Christmas book
Mark Edwards is a new author to me. I found this book interesting especially as it is in the lead up to Christmas.
Young couple, move into a new house a... READ MORE
Couple of hours to read
This is the second Mark Edwards book I have read this year. With a couple of hours to read this fast moving thriller puts you in the mood for Christmas on ... READ MORE
Tense thriller
A tense Christmas thriller that was quick to read. I liked the main characters and enjoyed the exploration of the other residents on their new street. I al... READ MORE
thriller
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book to read and review on NetGalley
Mark Edwards delivers another spine-tingling thriller in T... READ MORE
Definitely not a Happy Christmas
A short but enjoyable book that makes the reader appreciate a quiet, family Christmas. Noel and Dani move into their new home during the festive season and... READ MORE
Four stars!
Festive lights, cosy plans… and a creeping sense of dread. The Christmas Magpie is a fast-paced, deliciously unsettling novella that blends holiday cheer w... READ MORE
What a festive thriller!
This is the first Mark Edward’s book I have read and I really enjoyed it. It definitely won’t be the last. Enjoyed the duel pov. Anything that is set aroun... READ MORE
Nice little festive thrill
The Christmas Magpie makes an appearance in this little festive edition where we meet Noel and Dani who are beginning their new life in a new home together... READ MORE
Brilliant
I've been a huge fan of Mark Edwards ever since I read the first Magpies book, fourteen years ago!This latest installment had me not being able to put it d... READ MORE