This is an wonderful mystery that just pulls you in right from the start. We are introduced to Detective James Walker and his wife Abbie and the lovely English countryside town of Kirkby Abbey and its inhabitants. A serial killer is on the loose and everyone is both a suspect and a potential victim in this small town. I truly was hooked and found this an enjoyable read from start to finish. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a different kind of a thriller with more of a focus on the "whodunit" part than the grizzly murders. Part of what makes crime novels so appealing is the depths killers will go when it comes to--ahem--brutally and maliciously killing their victims. Readers are always appalled and horrified at the lengths people will go, for whatever the reason may be, to kill a person. And deep down we all love that shocked feeling that comes with being horrified and intrigued by the sick minds of a murderer.

Here, another interesting aspect has been added to the crime/mystery genre, which is the tedious investigations and meetings police must have to find the best course of action of finding a murderer/serial killer. Which may sound boring to some, bad when a killer claims to be hunting down twelve victims and a winter storm isolates a tiny village from outside help, pressure builds and nobody is safe, the novel becomes fairly chaotic.

For those who rely heavily on those terrifying and grotesque corpses showing up one after another to get through a crime novel, you may find this one doesn't satisfy those needs. Yet, if there is a desire to seek out a different perspective on crime and serial killers with an emphasis on the "whodunnit," then this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Alex Pine is a talented writer who brings a seriously complex crime to an unsuspecting and seemingly innocent village where anyone could be the killer or the next victim. "The Christmas Killer" is definitely on my list of book recommendations as I was entirely pleased with the suspenseful and mysterious events that kept me second guessing my list of suspects. I'm very excited for others to read this and hear what they think. Check it out!

The expected publication date is October 29th, 2020!!

D.I. James Walker recently relocated with his wife to Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria, when a murder takes place in the village. The murderer delivers Christmas cards to the villagers, saying like the Christmas carol, the twelve days of Christmas, he will be killing someone over the twelve days. DI Walker has a race against time as the bodies are discovered in the deep winter snow. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and putting my detective hat on, I am glad I got the right suspect! A cozy Christmas mystery.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley.

After reading the teaser, I was really excited to read the book. It pulled me in and I didn't want it to let me go.
The cover of this book is beautiful. It has that Christmas charm with the sense of something dark lurking around as well.
I was hoping that the plot would continue down the thriller path and keep me at the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the murdered is, but the plot started lacking. Seemed like all the action was in the first half of the book and then everything kind of dragged in the other half, with the end rushed. Sure, the killer was a surprise - and that was awesome because I thought back and realized how much it made sense, but it was all just packaged up super fast and before you knew it, the book was over.
The Characters fell on the flat side with the lack of growth from everyone. I'll focus on James because he was the main character. He was doing a great job following leads and trying to figure out the killer, his character was good, but his conversations left me feeling like it didn't fit, in a way. Power to him for dealing with a town's panic and then going home to his wife, who was BARELY keeping it together. He was a good character, but there was just something missing.
I know it sounds like I dragged this book to filth, unfortunately, it just didn't hit the spot for me. I honestly believe Pine has the potential for some fantastic work. Keep at it and I will most likely give him another go in the future. 2.5/5

The Christmas Killer - Alex Pine

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley.

At first I was apprehensive as to whether I would enjoy the book, as it seemed to get off to a slow start. However, very quickly the story developed and I was hooked.

On the approach to Christmas in the quiet village, James arrives home to find an unexpected Christmas present waiting for him, with the promise that there will be 12 deaths in the village. As the body count rises, it is James’ job to apprehend the killer whilst being cut off from the rest of the team during heavy snowstorms.

I had a few suspects lined up as I was going through the story, and one by one they were eliminated until I had absolutely no idea who the killer was. When the killer is revealed at the end of the book, it was interesting to see how the clues had been there but cleverly hidden by the author.

I would recommend anyone that is a fan of murder mysteries or crime to get themselves a copy of this book when it is released in October 2020.

The Christmas Killer
Rating: 4.5/5
I believe that this is Alex Pine’s first novel, but I am looking forward to reading more of this series when it is released.

Great introduction to the characters and would like to see the main characters get their own series of novels. Mystery and intrigue throughout

Loved this!
I cannot say anything negative about this book. This is definitely in the top ten books I’ve read this year.
I’ve been gripped, there’s tension!! I absolutely need to read more by this author

It’s Christmas in the little village of Kirkby Abbey, and all DI James Waller is a quiet holiday with his family. But what shows up on his doorstep is no gift, but rather a grisly surprise and the news that there will be 12 more gifts over the the next 12 days. It’s not long before the first body is found and panic descends on the village. Everyone is a potential victim, and one of them is a killer. Pine’s British police procedural is a well crafted mystery

Fantastic read. When detective James Walker moves to a Cumbrian house, with his wife Annie, it appears to be a quiet life, compared to the Met in London. How wrong that turns out to be. For a serial killer is stalking the village, and their modus operandum is to give messages on Christmas cards, and strike. A classic whodunnit, with many suspects.
I would recommend this book highly.