Okay, so the premise is somewhat original: twelve short stories interwoven, all with titles based on the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song. Plus, Stuart MacBride writing. What could go wrong?

The writing, as expected, is top-notch. I liked how the stories tied together. But this whole anthology left me feeling... grimy. There's nothing at all redeemable or uplifting about the entire venture. There is not one single likeable character; everyone is "bad", out for their own gain at the expense of the people around them. The only thing "Christmas-y" about it is that it's set around Christmas time.

Not at all what I was expecting, and I was really disappointed with this one. Not recommended. ( )

The Twelve Days of Winter by Stuart MacBride consists of twelve short stories that are skillfully connected by the various characters and the actions that they undertake. If you haven’t read MacBride before you could be taken aback by the twisted black humor and violence of the various situations that his characters find themselves in but those who have read him, will find themselves on familiar ground. From a lab technician who learns she may have Aids when she finds it’s her lover on the autopsy table to a politician about to be exposed as a child molester these stories tell of desperate people caught up in unthinkable situations.

Although all these stories are set during the festive season and are based on the familiar Twelve Days of Christmas, these are far from uplifting tales. MacBride places his stories in the grimy streets of a large Scottish city and gives each story it’s own shade of bleakness. I would caution anyone who abhors over the top violence to steer away from this book.

Personally I enjoyed these clever stories that illustrate that the holiday season can, for some people, be the worst time of the year. I should mention that I listened to the audio version as read by Ian Hanmore whose strong Scottish accent made these stories come alive. ( )