I have been working to complete all my 2025 Reading Challenges.
Lisa Unger has been my go-to “U” author to complete the Alphabet Soup Author Edition Challenge, so I was happy to grab this new release.
Note- This is not a cozy mystery.
The Kill Clause: A Short Story
Domestic Thriller
Explicit Language
Publisher : Amazon Original Stories
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : December 1, 2025
Print length : 70 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1662526954
ASIN : B0DNKHWQ31
Audiobook ASIN B0FWMYZTMC
A hired killer finds herself caught between her conscience and her contract over the holidays in this riveting short thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.
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.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
What does a hit woman do for the holidays? Her job, of course! She has done it several times, got in, did the job, got out, and moved on. Until the target of this hit was not alone as planned. It was an easy break-in, but she wasn’t expecting to kill a child.
Knowing the boss won’t be happy, she texts: Job incomplete. Unforeseen Complications. Will redo tomorrow. When she returns the next day, the child is still there . . . and so is someone else . . . This isn’t good . . . now she doesn’t know who she can trust . . .
Will she be alive on Christmas? Or has The Kill Clause been enacted?
At only 70 pages, Ms. Unger packs this story with tension and suspense. I was invested in Paige’s life from the start and spent about two hours on the edge of my seat. Being set during Christmastime adds a little emotion, but this is a dark story with plenty of thrilling action. The fact that I was invested in the life of an assassin should tell you a lot about the author’s imagination and writing style. This could have been a full-length novel, but the author did an excellent job compacting it into a riveting short story.
I don’t want to tell you too much because reading this without much introduction will make it even more enjoyable. There is a need for a little suspension of reality as you start, but soon you will have escaped right into the story. Caution: There is some explicit language and adult themes, as is common with books in this genre. Also, be prepared, once you start reading, you won’t want to stop.
The Kill Clause is a compelling short story with teeth: well-plotted, fast-paced, and action-filled, with great characters. It will pull the reader in for a wild ride.
*This book was a November 2025 Amazon First Read. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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About the author
Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty-three novels, including her upcoming release SERVED HIM RIGHT (March, 2026). With books published in thirty-three languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense.
Unger’s critically acclaimed novels have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, and many others. She has been nominated for, or won, numerous awards, including the Strand Critics, Audie, Hammett, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations in the same year, an honor held by only a few author,s including Agatha Christie. Her short fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Mystery and Suspense, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. Lisa is the current co-President of the International Thriller Writers organization. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family. You can find out more about Lisa Unger on her Website HERE.
Find all of Lisa’s Books HERE.
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