New out December 1, 2025
The Kill Clause
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Our view
“The Kill Clause” is a twisty seasonal short story that puts the reader inside a hired killer’s head. Lisa Unger’s Paige backs away from a contract when she finds the target’s young daughter in the house, and her own past soon closes in. For some readers, the reversals and the moral questions are the main pleasure. A good pick for anyone who likes holiday reading with a dark edge.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
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.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.2 across 25 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 14% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Rankings average of 7.8. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.2 | 25 | 100% |
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