Snowball

Dark memories return to haunt a group of strangers stranded in a deadly blizzard in this chilling Christmas-themed horror novel from Bastianelli (Loonies). After a snowplow driver is murdered by something hiding in the vents of his plow on Christmas Eve, it leaves a pileup of strangers stuck in their cars on the highway in the middle of a terrible storm. They seek shelter in one couple’s RV, passing the time sharing grisly stories of their worst winters. As the night progresses, figures from their stories begin appearing in the storm—among them ghosts, animated snowmen, and Krampus, the horned Christmas goat demon from European folklore—and the motorists realize that they have more to fear than just the blizzard as nightmares of Christmases past come back for revenge. The vivid, terrifying imagery of each of the character’s story makes up for a confusing resolution to the frame plot. Readers will be riveted by this genuinely scary holiday phantasmagoria. (Jan.)