3-3.5* After moving from North London to Cumbria DI James Walker is settling in to what he feels will be a safer and quieter pace of life. Just what he and his wife need after crossing paths with a rather nasty criminal who made it clear he had unfinished business with James.

He is settling into his new posting in Kendal and their new home in Kirkby Abbey. It is the house, the family home his wife, Annie, had inherited from her mother. James’ family are coming up for Christmas and Annie’s uncle is also joining them. Annie is a little apprehensive as she and her uncle had not parted on very good terms at her mother’s funeral.

Still, she and James are looking forward to Christmas and family. Preparations are in full flow when her uncle turns up early and rather than staying with Annie and James he has booked himself into a local pub. Still, perhaps a good thing to reconnect with him and clear the air before the festivities begin.

James is settling into his new posting and trying to smooth some ruffled feathers his appointment has made. All in all it seems like it’s been a good move. Although he does miss the job in London it’s seems all is for the best in this move. That is until he returns home one evening to find an parcel addressed to him on the doorstep. Once inside he opens it only to find a bloody bird and a Christmas card inside. The message sends chills through James – 12 days, 12 murders!

It’s not long before a body turns up. Another card is received – this time by the local priest. Whilst wondering if it may be his old adversary from London he begins his investigation. Then another body and another card appear – this time by a local journalist. Not only that but the weather is getting worse and the forecast is not good. The village is accessed by one road it’s the only way in or out. So, unless the killer has gone without completing their mission which seems highly unlikely, James and his small team are set to be trapped in with the residents of Kirkby Abbey!

This is in the main a police procedural with an interesting variation on the ‘locked room’ or Agatha Christie style mystery as the reader gets drawn into working out ‘whodunnit’. We follow James as he is investigating in very difficult conditions – both geographically with part of the team back in Kendal and weather-wise – and as each of his suspects are ruled out will he be able to get the killer before anyone else is killed?

We also have an anonymous voice who surely is the killer which adds an interesting insight to what is happening – although I’m not sure it’ll help you work out who they are!

With plenty of red herrings, a wonderful December snow storm and some crazy killings and threats that get closer and closer to home for James this book combines two of my favourite things – crime fiction and snow! What can I say? It’s a terrific read and I certainly enjoyed it.

Book: Purchased (on order) | Invite from Publisher

Thanks to Ellie at Avon for the invite to read and providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in return for an honest opinion, all thoughts are my own.

A very good whodunit which kept me guessing right to the end and I didn't guess right! In the early stages it was a bit pedestrian and very much in the vein of Midsomer Murders but then as the plot progressed it was very gripping. I would definitely recommend it if you like your thrillers more gentle than gory.

My thanks to the Author and Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting idea - using the idea of the twelve days of Christmas as an idea behind a murder spree. A London policeman relocates to the Lake District, beautiful, peaceful (or is it). Suddenly, messages accompanied by Christmas cards appear, and then bodies ......... To say more, would be to reveal more. A good read for a winter's evening, preferably with snow.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for an ARC.

This is what I get for reading a Christmas book before Halloween.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like The Christmas Killer - I'm trying to read some seasonal books and thought a good new thriller in the Yuletide genre would be welcomed.
The book opens with a lot of backstory. Like, a lot. Cookie-cutter dialogue and characters feel uninspired. There's not even a murder, as suggested by the title, until 23 per cent into the book.
Detective James Walker reveives a dead bird wrapped as a gift at his front door. And a message: "Twelve days, twelve murders, twelve victims. And they all deserve what's coming to them". (Message repeated I think 15 times in the book, but I lost count.)
I guessed who the unsub was upon the character's first appearance.
So to sum up - I like Christmas. I like stories about killers. But not in this book's combination.
For release on Oct. 29, 2020.

(TW: infertility, abortion, drunk driving, adultery)

James Walker, a détective from London, and his wife, Annie, move to Kirkby Abbey from London, hoping to start a quieter lifestyle in the small town, the place where Annie grew up. But this little village is hiding some secrets. After receiving a threatening Christmas card at their house, a murder is committed, and Walker has to find the killer before they strike again.

First of all, thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Second, I feel like this was a solid three-star read. The writing style wasn’t for me. It felt like a cozy mystery with a little bit more murder a some extra cursing to make it seem more “tough”. I was expecting more of a “thriller” vibe (and more murder, given the Twelve Days of Christmas cards), too, but that’s my fault; I failed to notice it was a police procedural when I requested the book. The book felt really long, despite the quick chapters, and nothing really happened until about 15 chapters in.

The biggest problem I had with this book (MINOR SPOILER AHEAD) was the attitude toward Annie’s infertility. Whether it was intentional or not, the book seemed to frame it as only Annie’s “fault”, and that rubbed me the wrong way entirely.

That being said, something must have been good because I kept reading it. I did love the British setting, what I like to call the “scavenger hunt” theme (though this one didn’t quite fit, it was loosely based, at least at first, on “The Twelve Days of Christmas”), and, despite what I said earlier, the police procedural/mystery vibe. If you’re looking for a fairly “quick”, slightly cozy mystery to read during the winter, this one will probably be a good fit.

📖 Book Reviews 📖

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine
Publication date - 29th October 2020.

This book was okay, would class it as an easy read Christmas book, rather than a gripping thriller.

The storyline was good, but it just seemed a bit slow in parts, I did like the main characters and will give the 2nd book in the series a read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @avon_books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There have been hundreds of murder-mystery books set around Christmas; from Conan Doyle, through the golden age of Sayers, Christie, Heyer to the present, e.g. Patterson. So any new book should seek a new angle, a surprising twist. The killer in this story is of the serial variety, in the subset where there is an underlying pattern to the killings. Again, this is a popular format, although very rare before the 1930s and really only prominent from the 1970s, although the classic example is Agatha Christie’s 1939 novel ‘And Then There Were None’ (the original USA title – The original UK name is now anathema). This back history again imposes a need for a novel approach.
Unfortunately, this book does not stand comparison with such competition, nor even with many lesser works by less prominent authors. A police Inspector and his wife flee London for the depths of Cumbria under threat of vengeance by a violent criminal. Based in the small village where she had grown up their peaceful rural idyll is broken by a Christmas card showing the twelve days of Christmas and carrying a message that the sender intends to kill 12 people, one per day, who have committed offences for which they have not been punished. The village will become snow bound, of course, but the killer manages to sneak around and start killing without inconvenience and without any novel links to the cards in the method. The plot is essentially linear, plodding even, and the writing style is cliched: hearts pound, breaths are held, blood drains from faces, whole sentences are just strings of standard phrases. Despite some minor secrets and red herrings, identifying the killer is too easy.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Sadly I really did not enjoy this book, the vocabulary used is all over the place with overly descriptive words that just do not read write, it's like having extra words in just to fill it it.

Cringed at Lines like "plonking the shopping on the kitchen table". When the previous sentence stated his wife asked him to drop shopping off at home. But still another sentance to describe "plonking". Many many random words used like this, that don't fit in with the vocabulary.
It's like the author searched for words to use instead of the normal word they would normally use, but then it's not in keeping with the rest of the writing and stands out like a sore thumb.

So cringe I found myself reading just to identify the irregular words. Such a shame, but not a book that can pass as readable.

I loved the premise behind this book and was really looking forward to it, especially as the reviews I'd seen were so good. However for me, this cozy village murder mystery simply never really got going until well over half way in. It did pick up after the second murder but the fact that the murderer was obvious from pretty much their first appearance removed any possible tension from the story

This was a bit of a slow start, but once you got past the background information the chapters just flew by. I started this two days ago and just finished it today. I am completely floored by how this book pulls you in. This is a perfect read to finish out spooky season reading! When it comes to reading mysteries I never predict the outcomes, and this was no different. I like books that keep you on your toes and have you constantly changing your opinion on what is going to happen.

4.5/5- Only giving it 4.5 because of the slower start!

I was sent this book by #netgalley as an advanced reading copy for my honest opinion and review of this.

DI James Walker is rising through the ranks of the London police, but is forced to relocate to his wife’s home village of Kirkby Abbey when a local villain who he put away is released and swears revenge. Cumbria CID is a distinct change of pace, but things are about to change.

As Christmas approaches, a message arrives – Twelve Days, Twelve Murders – along with a dead partridge. When a local philanderer is stabbed, and another death follows, it seems that a serial killer is stalking the village. More messages follow – is the killer following a pattern, and are they closer to home than Walker thinks? And are there really twelve people in the village who deserve to die?

OK, let’s get something straight first of all. This is not a serial killer basing their crimes around the twelve days of Christmas. Which, of course, would be a stupid thing to do. Despite the “Twelve Days, Twelve Murders” tagline, it’s closer to “Eight days, three or four murders”. Just wanted to put that out there, in case you’re misled, so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

With that misconception out of the way, you can sit back and enjoy a Christmassy murder mystery. Except, no you won’t, because it’s not really that Christmassy. It’s set between the 15th and 23rd of December (it does mention that the Twelve Days do follow Christmas) but apart from a conversation near a nativity play, and messages in Christmas cards, it doesn’t feel very festive. Other Christmas books take the easy way out on this one – Hercule Poirot’s Christmas and The Murders Near Mapleton are both set on Christmas Day, so you get parties, trees, crackers, etc – but apart from a lot of snow, that’s not really on display here.

So what this is, basically, is a fairly standard police procedural which ticks a lot of boxes on police procedural bingo. Experienced detective relocates to a new area, tick, serial killer, tick, personal secrets, tick, possible link to the killer, tick, and so on. But it also falls into some standard traps. Most of the suspects are unlikeable, and the killer stands out like a sore thumb. Some of the behaviour of the killer – notably the order of the killings, adulterer first, murderer second – has to fall back on the “being mad” explanation. Some obvious leads are ignored – one in particular – until it is time for the finale, and even then, Walker suddenly has an extreme attack of the stupids in order to prolong the peril.

I think connoisseurs of classic mystery fiction should probably steer clear. This is a perfectly competent cosy-esque police procedural mystery that, in my opinion, the blurb does a reasonable job of mis-selling. I suppose the over-arching reaction is whether I’d read book two of the series, as there is a running plot that clearly is going to appear in that book. Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. The book is fine, but it didn’t excite me enough.

The Christmas Killer is out on 29th October from Avon Books. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. First of all, I would like to say that as excited as I was about this book, (Christmas and Killings), it did not hold my interest and I found myself only being able to read a chapter or two at a time. I don't know if that is specifically the book, or if it was me, so I cannot honestly say if this is a fast-paced or a very slow book. What I will say is that once I buckled down and read more than a couple chapters at a time, I did enjoy it.
DI James Walker and his wife Annie move back to her hometown, a small village in northern England. DI Walker receives a Christmas card stating that there will be one murdered villager, who deserves to die, for each of the twelve days of Christmas. DI Walker and his team try to find the murderer, amidst a blizzard that cuts them off from the rest of civilization.
If you find yourself bizarrely struggling like I did, do stick with it, it is worth the outcome.
This is the first book in a new series.
Thank you NetGalley, Alex Pine and Avon Books UK.

This book is brilliant. You are gripped from the very beginning. Annie and James are so likeable and their move out of London for a quieter and safer life is troubled from the outset. The murders start happening at a quick pace and I had no inkling who the murderer was until it was revealed in the book. I read the book in one day as I could not put it down.

An enjoyable guess who that kept me guessing until the end. I was intrigued by the blurb and it did not disappoint.

I really enjoyed getting to know James and Annie and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Not a bad read, The Christmas Killer is all about James and Annie, who move to the quiet and uneventful little village of Kirkby Abbey. Of course, we all know what these sleepy little villages are really like, and James and Annie get rather a nasty surprise soon after their arrival. It appears that someone has a rather warped sense of Christmas, and the countdown to the 12 days begins, with a body... I enjoyed the book, it did drag in parts and I got a bit irritated with Annie now and then, but otherwise a solid read. I will definitely be on the look out for more by this author.

I liked the “blurb” about this book and was excited to read it - something a bit different from the ubiquitous Christmas “love stories”.

The 12 days of Christmas was a good idea and setting the story into a known song gave it a slightly Agatha Christie-esque vibe, whilst the small village with limited suspects who are inter-connected gave it Midsomer Murders vibes. The characters were a little flat, though their reactions to events were believable. I would have preferred a slightly more competent police detective, he seemed to miss a few key observations or facts and didn’t seem proactive enough! it was actually a little disappointing that the murder was solved when it was, as there felt like there was potential for one or two more, but overall it was a gentle easy read with enough suspense to make you want to keep reading & a nice twist at the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book free via Netgalley. Whilst thanks go to author & publisher for the opportunity to read this book, all opinions on my own

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

DI James Walker 1

DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey. But when he opens an early Christmas present that was left on his doorstep, inside the package is a gruesome surprise and a promise, twelve days, twelve murders. It isn't long before the first bodyb is found, half frozen in the snow.

In twelve days, twelve deserving people will die. DI James Walker is on the case. He is new to Cumbria. He moved to Kirkby Abbey from London with his wife, Annie for their own protection. The story drags out and the pace is slow. I had not idea who the killer was and this always makes a book a bit more interesting. The clues are cleverly hidden. There's a mixed bunch of characters and they all had secrets. This isna promising start to a new police procedural series and I look forward to reading the next installment.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AvonBooksUK and the author #AlexPine for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable easy read set in a snow covered English village. The finger points here and there and keeps the reader engaged.
I liked the main character DI James Walker and this is a police procedural story with elements of Midsommer Murder because of the setting in a small village with a limited suspect base. The forecast snow storm makes the investigation more difficult than usual and there are plenty of clues and red herrings for readers to enjoy and to keep them guessing as to who the murderer could be. Happily by the end all loose ends are tied which is a big plus for me.

I was excited when I found this on Net Galley, a nice English mystery. I was not overall disappointed. The characters are extremely likeable and hopefully reoccurring. It was a good story that left one thinking they knew the answer only to change ones mind a few times before the end. But, even if one can figure out "whodunnit" that is not the only attraction of a mystery. One may know who the killer was but not exactly why and it is enjoyable to watch the story unfold. I will admit that in this story I did not figure it out until the very last. Granted I had my suspicions but that was all. The only real criticism I would have is to make the main character a bit less obtuse. In a few instances he missed some simple observations and had me yelling at the book. I know nothing about the author, on only just this reading I would think that he is a new hand at mystery and can only get better. A few more polishes here and there and maybe a more infallible main sleuth and there is a brilliant literary dynasty on his hands.

The Christmas Killer is the debut book of Alex Pine and first book in the DI James Walker Series. It takes place in a small Cumbrian village and features a third person narrator. I would describe this book as a slow burn whodunnit it mystery.

I thought the story would have more involvement from Andrew Sullivan who was the reason why the detective and his wife moved but there was little interaction with him. I found the storyline to be very interesting at times but I really wanted more murders because it would’ve been added more drama and suspense. I feel like the revealing of the killer was rushed although I never guessed who it was.

The only character that really stood out to me was Detective Walker because I found him to be relatable and entertaining. His wife Annie on the other hand was annoying and at times very whiny.

The Christmas Killer definitely needed a lot more murder especially since it was supposed to be 12 days and 12 victims but I would definitely be interested in reading the next book in the series to see what happens next.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.