The Candy Cane Man
Every December 24th, the town of Morningvale is forced to confront its darkest secret. A girl vanishes, only to be found dead in the town square—a twisted holiday ritual. Everyone knows the killer: The Candy Cane Man. But this year, he's made a fatal mistake. He chose the wrong girl.
- Casey - New girl in town
- Jonathan Crawford - Morningvale Mayor
- Casey's parents
- Casey gets a Christmas card signed by The Candy Cane Man - the first sign that he is coming for her.
- Later that day Casey gets a phone call playing Christmas music - the second sign.
- Casey goes home and finds a pile of candy canes on her bed - the third and final sign.
- A few days later Casey goes to sleep while home alone.
- Music downstairs wakes her up and she goes to see a man in all black holding a sharpened candy cane.
- Casey tells him to come and get her then runs out the back door.
- Casey leads him through the woods and to a pit she dug.
- The Candy Cane Man falls into the pit, and Casey starts to fill it in. When she stops hearing his breathing, she checks and sees that he’s gone.
- Casey runs to the town square where she hears people shouting.
- Casey overhears the truth: the town sacrifices a girl to the Candy Cane Man every Christmas Eve in exchange for prosperity, wealth, and safety.
- Casey runs home, grabs a candy cane lawn spike from her yard and heads back to the town square.
- Casey faces the mob, and when an old woman lunges at her, she drives the candy cane spike through the woman’s mouth and out the back of her skull.
- Casey kills another mob member and the remaining ones start to run away.
- Casey walks to town hall to confront the Candy Cane Man.
- Casey finds him in Mayor Crawford’s office - Mayor Crawford is the Candy Cane Man.
- Krampus is there too - he's the one to whom Mayor Crawford delivers the sacrifice each Christmas Eve.
- Mayor Crawford chose Casey as this year’s sacrifice because she lacks Christmas spirit and has a history of trouble in her old town.
- Casey’s parents were behind it too - they were unhappy with Casey’s out of control behavior.
- Casey runs and avoids capture until the clock hits 12:01.
- It’s past midnight, and Krampus hasn’t gotten his sacrifice. He pulls out a red sack - inside are the fires of hell and the screams of the damned.
- Krampus throws everyone in town - except Casey - into the sack.
This book had a great premise for a quick Christmas horror story. It's super short, but it sets a really effective, creepy mood right away.
As I was reading, I found the twist to be completely unsuspected, which I loved. It wasn't just shocking; the ending was also very satisfying and felt like a perfect conclusion to the setup. If you're looking for a fast horror read with a strong tie to Christmas, I definitely recommend this one.
- Murder
- Kidnapping
- Stalking
- Violence
Publisher: Independently Published
ASIN: B0BN5D1CS5
Publication Date: December 24, 2022
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
