Quick Take
- Narration: Oliver Williams handles the dual POV structure with clean differentiation between Streeter’s cold precision and Remi’s nervous warmth, a performance that serves the book’s tonal contrast without overplaying either register.
- Themes: dark romance and the ethics of desire, violence as protection, identity and being seen by the right person
- Mood: Transgressive and heat-forward, more intense than festive despite the setting
- Verdict: Exactly what it promises, a very dark M/M holiday slasher romance with no interest in justifying itself, aimed squarely at readers who already know this subgenre.
There is a particular kind of audiobook that exists almost entirely for its intended audience and has no interest in persuading anyone else. Murder Under the Mistletoe is that kind of book, and I want to be honest about that upfront. I am not the primary audience for dark M/M slasher romance. I read it because it landed in this batch and because understanding what a subgenre does well requires engaging with a good example of it, and by its own standards, this book does several things well.
The setup is economical and unapologetic. Streeter, who has relocated to the small town of Devil’s Point for a fresh start after being, as one reviewer put it, “a bit stabby,” is working in a general store when a series of events involving a Mariah Carey song and a tourist he despises push him past his limit. He kills a room full of people. Remington, a young man being assaulted in that same room, survives because Streeter saves him. What follows is a snowstorm, an isolated cabin, and a relationship developing between a psychopath with a self-described “bloodlust” and a cinnamon roll who is trying to decide whether the man who committed mass murder on his behalf can also be the person who finally sees him clearly.
Our Take on Murder Under the Mistletoe
The dual POV structure is where the book earns its craft. RS McKenzie writes Streeter and Remington in genuinely distinct voices, Streeter’s sections are controlled and observational, with an internal logic that the reader is encouraged to follow without being encouraged to endorse. Remington’s sections carry a breathless quality that the book knows is partly self-deception: he is not unaware that Streeter is dangerous. He is choosing desire and the experience of being truly seen over self-preservation, and the book takes that choice seriously rather than dismissing it as naive.
The holiday trappings are there, the snowstorm, the isolation, the mistletoe of the title, but this is not a cozy book. The heat is substantial and the violence is real. One reviewer noted it is “very violent but incredibly steamy,” which is an accurate two-word summary. The multi-author Naughty List series context means this book exists alongside other dark holiday romances, and the content warnings that precede it should be taken seriously.
Why Listen to Murder Under the Mistletoe
Oliver Williams’ narration is a genuine asset. The dual POV format is a demanding narration task, the listener needs to track which character is speaking without the confusion that same-voice narration can create in close, fast-moving scenes. Williams makes the transitions clean and the characterizations consistent. Streeter sounds measured and slightly distant even in moments of intensity; Remi sounds perpetually on the verge of something, emotionally charged in a way that makes the character’s choices feel viscerally plausible. At under five hours, the pacing is propulsive and the narration matches it.
The fast-burn description in the synopsis is accurate. This is not a book that withholds its central relationship for slow-build tension. The compression is intentional and genre-appropriate, readers of dark romance know what they are there for, and McKenzie does not make them wait.
What to Watch For in Murder Under the Mistletoe
The most honest criticism in the reviews comes from a reader who wanted more depth in the relationship dynamic and found the heat scenes so dominant that the emotional development felt thin. At under five hours, the book simply does not have room to do both things at full scale. The trade-off leans decisively toward heat. If that balance does not suit your preferences in dark romance, this particular entry in the series is not going to rebalance for you.
It is also worth knowing that the book exists within a multi-author series and assumes some familiarity with the dark romance genre’s conventions. The over-the-top nature of Streeter’s violence is played straight within the story’s internal logic, this is not a book that winks at its own absurdity, and readers who engage with it on those terms will find it considerably more immersive than those who approach it skeptically.
Who Should Listen to Murder Under the Mistletoe
The audience for this book is narrow by design and well-served by what McKenzie delivers. If you read dark M/M romance and want a holiday-set slasher entry with strong heat and a genuinely unsettling love interest, this is a well-executed version of exactly that. If you are new to the subgenre and curious about it, this is not the gentlest starting point, but it is a clean example of what the form can do when the author knows it well. Everyone else should trust their instincts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How explicit is the content, and are there content warnings beyond the violence?
The book is described in reviews as having significant heat, one reviewer rated it four out of five chili peppers, and the violence is graphic rather than implied. Content warnings in circulation for this title include explicit sexual content, graphic violence, dubious consent dynamics in a dark romance context, and mass murder depicted from the perpetrator’s POV. The publisher recommends checking trigger warnings before starting.
Do I need to read other books in The Naughty List series before this one?
No. Each book in the multi-author Naughty List series is a standalone dark holiday romance. Murder Under the Mistletoe introduces its own characters and setting independently, and no prior installment knowledge is required to follow the story.
Is this book primarily romantic or primarily a thriller?
It sits firmly in the dark romance category rather than thriller. The mystery of whether Streeter will harm Remington creates some tension, but the primary engine is the romantic and erotic relationship developing between them. Readers approaching it as a crime or suspense story will find the genre emphasis misaligned.
How does Oliver Williams handle the transition between the two POV narrators?
Williams creates clear tonal and pacing differences between Streeter and Remington without resorting to exaggerated vocal differences. Chapter breaks signal the POV shifts, and his characterization of each voice is consistent enough that listeners orient quickly after the first few transitions.
