When the calendar turns to December, I am always looking for a good holiday read and even better if it’s a new release. Lisa Unger‘s The Kill Clause fit the bill, checking off multiple boxes, including new release, Christmas themed, and thrilling story. However, the story was a bit light on the holidays and too short to really grab my attention.
A hit woman’s work doesn’t stop for the holidays. As the advent calendar winds down, Paige slips into a palatial house, ignoring a blizzard of texts from her ex-husband. No surprise—Julian always gets maudlin this time of year. The real shock comes when the target is not alone. His young daughter is there too.
Risking the wrath of her organization, Paige retreats. There are some lines that, for personal reasons, she just won’t cross. But when she returns on Christmas Eve to finish the job, the girl is still there…along with someone even more startling. As the ghosts of her past gather—to haunt or to help, it’s unclear—Paige must confront old traumas and outwit her superiors to make it to Christmas morning alive.
Unger has dabbled in using the holiday theme in her books in the past, including Christmas Presents, but enters the game once again with The Kill Clause. Now, I understand that not an entire book needs to revolve around Christmas to be considered a holiday tale, but I was hoping for just a dash more in this short story. The argument from both sides of “is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” has yet to be settled, but I will say that Die Hard is more of a Christmas story than this book.
The title will draw you in and is a key role in the story, but was just hoping it was a bit more of a festive thriller. Think The Santa Clause featuring Tim Allen from the 1990s and how the title plays a part but it’s more of a Christmas role and not just simply a play on the words.
The Kill Clause features a few likable characters, including our protagonist, but isn’t long enough to truly full develop their story. Unger does use past and present storytelling to give us a bit more background, but would likely have been a bit more invested in a longer story featuring Paige and Julian. The romance and tension is high between these two and would love to see more with these characters.
The overall story of a contract killer with a conscious is a great plot and the story taking place around Christmas is always a bonus. I was just hoping for a bit more. I was a fan of Christmas Presents, so the thought of more from Unger around the holidays was likely me just setting the bar as high as possible. The story is well-written and a fun short tale to read this time of year, just not what I was expecting.
The Kill Clause by Lisa Unger is a fun and thrilling short tale with a touch of the holidays. While it doesn’t sit firmly in the Christmas story genre, it touches it enough to read around this time of year. With tension blended with heartfelt moments, The Kill Clause at least had me gripped from start to finish, especially with the amazing audiobook narration by Vivienne Leheny.
The Kill Clause is available via Amazon for your kindle or in audiobook format.
