This started out fine. It’s mysterious and somewhat spooky, but still fun and it got better with more of the story behind it. Then about 1/3 through it turned occult in some way, and I’m not into occult unless it’s light and very well done in some way.  It’s not that, but the book was not a complete loss,  it definitely has its own very compelling style and substance. And the plot moves slowly, building the tension. 

When Christmas Comes 
by Andrew Klavan 
2021 / (254 pages)
Read by Adam Barr, 5h 54m
Rating  7.5-B/ mystery/romance 

The story itself has very little Christmasy anything, there’s a bit but that could have been an afterthought although I suppose it could have been used to emphasize the loneliness of all the major characters.

Cameron Winter, a discharged Afghanistan war vet and current local English professor, gets a message from Victoria, his prior lover and now lawyer. She wants him to look into the murder of Jennifer Dean, a newcomer to town and the librarian at the school. Travis Blake had been involved with Jennifer until she suddenly disappeared, he killed her (?). And Travis had a lot of other baggage from his prior life.  

The story is sad, melancholic really, and complex so the pace is slow, as I suppose it should be. It’s not a thriller but there’s a super twist at the end which I had no idea was coming. I doubt I’ll be reading the next two in the series.