I’ve got to say that, as someone who loves crime (books!), and Christmas, I was very excited to read The Christmas Killer.

An easy and enjoyable read, I found myself wishing I could experience the postcard perfect countryside setting, especially with the touch of Christmas magic.

I do have to say I definitely was surprised by the twist ending, though this may have been because Alex makes you suspect absolutely everyone!

Unfortunately, I didn’t find this to be a suspenseful read and the story was quite lacking. I couldn’t help but find Annie a bit annoying though her reactions to such terror were more than justified.

My biggest gripe though, was the authors habit in spoiling the story himself. A chapter would end after an introduction to a character we hope never to meet, but, here they appear in the next chapter! This continued at varying times and did slightly sour my enjoyment.

Spoiler alert - I do wish there would have been more murders. The 12 days of Christmas was a cracking idea that petered off and I could have happily kept reading into more books/a further series!

A Christmas thriller for something a little different.

An enjoyable book, which was easy to read. Reminded me a little of midsummer murders with all that was going on in the little village. A little unrealistic but enjoyable all the same.

An easy to read whodunnit

A great festive who dunnit! Easily read in one sitting. DI James Walker relocates from London to the countryside where his wife, Annie grew up. One evening a package is left of the doorstep declaring there will be 12 murders over 12 days. The next day a body is found. Walker needs to solve the mystery of the killer quickly.
I liked the fast pace storyline and very enjoyable.

The twelve days of Christmas clearly means something different to someone in the village of Kirkby Abby that it does to the rest of us! Di James Walker needs a break- a break from work, a break from crime, a break from all of it- but he's not going to get to spend a quiet Christmas with his family. Nope. The killer has identified him and sent him a note outlining a plan- and one body is found almost immediately. Then there's the snow. The village is getting cut off and its residents are being dropped. No spoilers from me as to who dies or who does it. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast paced read that will no doubt remind you of other novels in the locked space genre but it's entertaining.

When DI James Walker and his wife Annie decide to move back to Annie's home town in Kirkby Abbey and leave London behind they thought that it would be a quieter pace of life and from the stress that James was under in London from a gangster out to get revenge on James for putting him behind bars.
Little did they know that they is a serial killer amongst the quiet Cumbrian village.
When James receives a parcel with a dead partridge and a Christmas card stating that there would be twelve murders in twelve days little did he know what was to come.
A fantastic winter thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

This is the first book in the DI James Walker series. I’d already had a taster of this book a few months ago by reading the first few chapters, and was keen to finish the story. James, a police officer working for the Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency has discovered a major London crime lord who he helped convict has just been released early from prison. There was always an issue of retaliation, but when on the day of his release a brick is thrown through the window of James and Annie’s home, they decide to relocate to the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria. It’s now Christmas and it isn’t the same high powered, fast paced lifestyle that James is used to, but when a parcel is left for him on his doorstep containing a dead bird and a cryptic message, James finds himself thrown into this case.

I enjoyed this book and found the storyline really gripping. I loved the theme of Christmas and it’s been a while since I’ve read a Christmas themed murder book! The location of the book sounds beautiful, but when the snow starts to fall on the Cumbrian village the picture postcard image is spoilt by the killer’s victims scattered over the landscape! It was very easy to get into the storyline from the first page, and the writing was very clear, easy to read and not overly complicated! I love a good murder book where the only thing I need to think about is who the killer is, and not be distracted with complicated who’s who, what’s what and where’s where! DI James Walker seems like a good, solid, dependable character. He loves his wife; he loves his job and just wants to catch the bad guys! His wife, Annie though does seem to be hiding some secrets from her past, which has come flooding back to her after moving back to her childhood home.

The story moves along really well, and provided plenty of suspects to ponder on. The victims seemed randomly chosen, yet there had to be a link somewhere and it was fun trying to work out what that could have been. I honestly didn’t guess who the killer was and was pleasantly pleased that the identity was held off until very late into the book for maximum suspense!! The storyline certainly kept me hooked right to the end, although I did think the ending was a little rushed for my liking. There were a couple of parts of the storyline which I felt were forgotten about and whilst one was explained by the end of the book, I would have liked to have known more about the other one. However, this is the first book in the series, so hopefully future books will follow up this part of the storyline more!

All in all, it was a great murder mystery! I loved the fact it was set before Christmas and it did feel really festive – I half expected the killer to be revealed wearing a Christmas jumper and Rudolph antlers!! It was full of suspense, good characters and an interesting plot which kept you thinking of what was going to happen next! The perfect crime read for the Christmas season, and I’m really looking forward to another book in the series!!

#TheChristmasKillwe #NetGalley The first in a new series featuring DI Walker and set in the beautiful Cumbrian countryside. As I was reading this book I was enjoying it so much I was hoping that it would be the start of a series and I was delighted when I found out that it was. Well written with plenty of action and lots of twists and turns. The title may lead you to think it is a cozy murder mystery but not at all - a real thriller. I love the characters of DI Walker and his wife Annie. We got some teasers on their background but there is lots more to discover particularly in relation to the guy who was released from prison early on in the book with a grudge against DI Walker and who no doubt we will see in a future book! A great start to the series and I look forward to reading the next installment!

A bit of a stereotypical tale of murders in a village cut off by snow approaching Christmas. Starting off in London with the release of a gangster from prison the detective who put him inside moves to Cumbria his wife’s home village to avoid possible revenge. Of course the murders now start, The investigation jerks along to the shock denouement. A little light entertainment.

As the book is set at Christmas and features a killer who sends threatening messages using Christmas cards, I was expecting this book to be a bit twee to be honest. I thought it would be a lighter read, more of a cosy mystery despite it being categorised as a thriller. Twee premise or not, this is a proper thriller. Consider me better informed. The book is set in a small village, sort of like the one where I grew up, where everyone has secrets and things to hide. It’s actually the perfect place for a serial killer to be lurking. I found the threatening messages in Christmas cards a bit twee to be honest, but not as cheesy as I expected, the cards just muddy the waters for the police as dozens of boxes are on sale in the village store, most residents have bought some and have been sending them to each other. I like thrillers and horror novels set in small towns and villages, they have much more potential to be menacing than a big city where so many people are anonymous. Things get quite intense when the village is cut-off by a snow blizzard and the police scramble to find leads and clues before someone else dies. I had no idea who the killer was. Now I know, it should have been obvious but somehow it wasn’t.

As a first in the series, I think this story is pretty good. A little too slow on the pacing and not all characters are likable. (In fact, the only character I liked was our main sleuth - DI James Walker). The story begins on an interesting note. James and his wife Annie move from London to Kirkby Abbey after the release of a gang-leader Andrew Sullivan. Andrew was behind bars, thanks to James. Now that he's out of jail, James and Annie know the gangster would come looking for them - not every revenge is sweet.
As the duo are busy with Christmas prep at Kirkby Abbey, James receives a package with a dead bird in it. There's also a note saying there would be 12 murders - one for each of 12 days of Christmas.
The note is not taken seriously until a dead body is found the next day.
The pacing is very slow and the character portrayal is not very impressive. Having said that, the red herrings are plenty. Although I identified the killer halfway through the story, I was waiting to see how James would finally get to live his 'gotcha' moment.
As a first in the series, there is a lot of room for improvement. I would like to follow this series and see how the mystery behind Andrew Sullivan proceeds in the second book.

Thanks Netgalley and Avon books for the ARC copy for my view.
This book started relatively well but didn’t draw me in as much as I wanted and took me longer to read than normal. It took me a week to read The Christmas Killer, I usually read two books each week, whilst working, this sums up how little I was gripped and drawn in to the Thanks Netgalley and Avon books for the ARC copy for my view.
This book started relatively well but didn’t draw me in as much as I wanted and took me longer to read than normal. It took me a week to read The Christmas Killer, I usually read two books each week, whilst working, this sums up how little I was gripped and drawn in to the pages.

A solid story with several red herrings and twists, it was more like a whodoneit.
I found it more like Inspector Barnaby of Midsomer Murders in Badgers Drift.

It wasn’t terrible it was written okay it really failed to hold my interest. While the premise seemed promising, I thought the story fell flat.

The ending was rather sudden, and I would have liked a few more murders!! kindle.

A solid story with several red herrings and twists, it was more like a whodoneit.
I found it more like Inspector Barnaby of Midsomer Murders in Badgers Drift.

It wasn’t terrible it was written okay it really failed to hold my interest. While the premise seemed promising, I thought the story fell flat. Although I didn’t guess the murderer this time.

The ending was rather sudden, and I would have liked a few more murders!!

This book started relatively well but didn’t draw me in as much as I wanted. A solid story with several red herrings and twists, but I’d guessed the killer right from the start which ruined the story for me. The ending was rather sudden, and I would have liked a few more murders!

An engaging but highly unoriginal Christmas crime read with as the blurb suggests murders planned for the run up to the big day. I particularly didn't understand why the first murder didn't take place on 13th December

Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
DI James Walker and his wife Annie swap their life in London for that in a sleepy village in Cumbria, where they imagine that life will be much quieter - until a murder occurs, with the promise of eleven more. The suspense builds throughout as the villagers wonder whether it is someone in their midst, or even someone they know, who is responsible - and who is going to be next? Certain individuals become suspects as the plot twists and turns and keeps you guessing right to the end. A great well formulated .read, which keeps you wanting to turn just another page. Would definitely recommend, and look forward to more books from the pen of Alex Pine.

I really enjoyed this very good police procedural .A gripping page turner set in a small village in Cumbria where some of the inhabitants seem to have a secret to hide !! The snow begins to fall and a body is found ,I liked DI James Walker very much, transferred from London for a quieter life but suddenly the body count is mounting !I must admit I didn't guess who the murderer was. I do hope there will be a series about DI Walker I look forward to reading more about him .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

When Detective Inspector James Walker and his wife Annie moved from London to Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria they looked forward to their first Christmas in their new home until someone left a dead partridge and a Christmas card saying there would be twelve murders on their doorstep. A snowstorm was to hit Cumbria cutting off roads and villages and the body count started. Would James Walker be able to solve the murders before too many bodies were found.
This is an enjoyable murder mystery keeping you guessing right until the end. Hoping this is the start of a new series

Detective Inspector James Walker was a successful officer with the Met until the associated risks struck too close to home. Moving back to wife Annie's childhood home was supposed to be a new and peaceful start for them both but instead the danger seems to have followed them.

A macabre Christmas gift left on their doorstep is the first clue that their new location gives no guarantee of safety and soon James is facing the anonymous threat of multiple murder being committed on his patch. As the snow falls and the village risks being cut off from the rest of the world James knows it's up to him to prevent panic and suffering overtaking his life once again. 

This is an enjoyable murder mystery set at Christmas with the promise of more to come. James Walker is a very good main protagonist and has a back story which hints at the danger the inhabitants of his new small village home will soon be experiencing. I found his wife a bit clingy but the family aspects of the story were such an integral part of this mystery that it wasn't unrealistic. I would have been a wreck!

Set in the beautiful Cumbrian countryside the isolated location and insular lives of his neighbours, where everyone knows everyone else, is used to both help and hinder James's investigation and hopefully sets the scene for more novels in the future.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good British based fiction. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

This is the first book in a series about DI James Walker, who moves with his wife to the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey. But the village proves to be anything but peaceful when he receives a Christmas card from a killer threatening to kill twelve people in twelve days.
This was a very good crime novel. It was a real page turner, and I had trouble putting it down. The author has created characters I care about, and I will keep an eye out for the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

James and Annie leave London and a particularly vicious gangster to live in Cumbria, in Annie's old family home. James find the change of pace far too slow. Until a missing spree begins. Christmas cards are sent, in them they claim that twice murders will take place in the twelve days before Christmas. Can Jane's stop the culprit amidst the difficult conditions, the village cut off due to snow and reinforcements unable to assist.....
Fat paced and thoroughly well written

I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice easy read and I feel instantly comfortable with the writing and the characters. . But I wanted to know more and who was the killer, so I had to keep reading until I finished in one setting. , It did keep me guessing with all the twists and turns. I am looking forward to exploring the rest of the series (there has got to be).

The protagonists are believable.

I was given an advance copy of this book by net gallery in exchange for an honest review which I have done.