Absolutely excellent book, great characters, really good storyline, easy to read but full of twists and turns,which is sometimes what a reader appreciates. Highly recommended.for lovers of police procedural novels.

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.

This was a really fun and engaging thriller!

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. I absolutely love Cumbria and the small village closed off because of the snow made this book incredibly claustrophobic.

The writing style was engaging and easy to read.

The pace was a little off though. There were parts where not much happened. But largely I was really gripped with the story and did not want to put the book down.

I did however, see the ending coming from the start and I did guess it correctly. There were some clues that were just so obvious but it could be because I've read so many thrillers.

I think this is a perfect thriller for anyone needing something quick and easy to read this winter to distract you from the doom and gloom of everyday life.

Highly recommend! I would definitely pick up another DI James Walker book.

TW: murder, abortion, death, violence and suicide

Highly recommended!

After moving from North London to Cumbria DI James Walker is settling down to what he feels will be a safer and quieter pace of life.

I really enjoyed the book the dodgy uncle, the recently released crime boss, all set during the 12 days of Christmas.

Tension mounts leading to a very satisfying conclusion.

This book was a really good concept and I was looking forward to reading it. It was enjoyable but it was really padded out, repeat after repeat of notes left, as a lot do, it felt quite rushed in the end and it just felt like it lost its way a bit and felt that the author needed the story to be longer but really wanted it to be finished, I would probably read another set in this village but it wouldn’t be top of my lists

I was so excited to read this, it's rare we get a Christmas book that isn't a romance or the like. A murderer intent on carrying out 12 murders on the run up to Christmas? Sign me up!

We follow the story of DI James Walker and his wife Anna, who have moved away from the capital and to a small rural village which is shortly to be the hunting ground for a crazed killer It's slow going, especially the beginning. This wouldn't of been a problem with the characters hadn't been so one dimensional and dull. The language is incredibly basic and there is a lot of repetition. While I felt the story had real promise, I personally feel the execution fell short. A lot of the words used also didn't work for me, the continued use of the word 'hun' was incredibly grating. The second half certainly seemed to flow better and while I was struggling to stay interested, by the 50% mark I was finding it easier as I found the writing wasn't so tedious. However, there was no excitement, tension or epic build up. Unfortunately it all fell very flat and while the ending made sense, the person responsible wasn't a surprise. (I'd almost ruled him out as it seemed too obvious). All in all, unfortunately this isn't something I'd recommend to a seasoned reader of the genre, however it may be suitable for someone newly getting acquainted.

Thank you Netgalley & Avon Books.

I loved escaping to small town England during Christmastime in The Christmas Killer. It was exactly the type of novel that I needed to read before the snow starts coming down here!

I enjoyed the mystery and was curious on who was going to be the next victim and why they would be chosen. The biggest negative for me was the characters. I wasn't loving any of the characters in the novel so I wasn't feeling any fear that a killer was on the loose.

Thank you to Netgallery and Avon Books UK for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! If you love thriller, this is definitely the one for you! I really liked how the story played out, I think it was the right length. It keeps you interested, curious - it's a page-turner.
Perfect for the holiday season!
4.5/5

Absolutely loved this book. A really great plot with plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept me guessing as to the killer! Really reccomend.

If you are on the look out for a Christmas book with a slightly darker twist then look no further!

James and his wife Annie move up to Cumbria after being threatened by a crime boss James helped put away in prison. They think they will be in for a quiet life when James receives a present and Christmas card warning of 12 murders that are soon to hit the sleepy town.

James encounters many suspects along his frustrating investigation which keeps the reader guessing who the killer is. I guessed the killer early on but then I kept disregarding my thoughts as more came to light. This meant that although it wasn’t a massive surprise it was a little bit unexpected.

The book is a nice easy read and I look forward to more in the series.

The Christmas Killer does start slowly but picks up pace to become a decent thriller.
D.I. James Walker has recently moved to Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria along with his wife, James is struggling to adapt to this quieter way of living but is looking forward to a quiet Christmas with family coming to stay. That is until returning home one evening he finds an early Christmas present on his doorstep along with a card saying that for the twelve days of Christmas there will be 12 murders in the village.
I liked how this book didn’t delve too much into how the bodies were killed and how they looked afterwards, it was obviously mentioned but the direction was more onto who the murderer is which was a pleasant change. The book did have me with the wrong suspect which is always a bonus!! I liked the writing style, the characters and the way everything was neatly tied off at the end.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This was a challenging police procedural, murder story. Very complicated evidence and no obvious culprit. A flash of inspiration identifies the killer before the 12 predicted murders are perpetrated. Good conclusion.

I love Christmas and I love murder, so what’s not to love?! Sadly I feel this fell short of my expectations. Suspense was limited and I felt like everything was over descriptive, with a strange writing style of short sentences. Seemed as thought the author was aiming at a barely educated audience. Just didn’t strike a cord with me I’m afraid.

As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb…

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 left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.

As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….

Can James stop the killer before they strike again?

This book is the first in a new detective series and I cannot wait for more in this series.

The book was everything that a detective series should be. it was atmospheric and well written.

This fun and festive thriller is a great fast read for the holiday season. I enjoyed the story and found the twists made it interesting but would have liked the pace a little faster. It's a unique blend of cozy mystery and procedural thriller, but it works in this case.
Many thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book and it had me hooked from the beginning right to the end. Well written. I will definitely read more books from this author.

My thanks to Netgalley and Avon for a copy of “ The Christmas Killer “ for an honest review.

I was so pleased to be given permission to read this complete book after being hooked in by the teaser edition.
This was well written and kept me guessing right to the end.I really struggled to put it down
I mainly read psychological thrillers but at this time of the year I Love something seasonal so this was the perfect combination of the two for me .
I’ll definitely look out for any further Alex Pine books and will be recommending this one now.

This book was a slow starter and I felt a little let down that it took 20% before someone died... it continued to slowly build and then seemed to unravel to a pretty predictable ending.

It wasn’t all bad though, I did enjoy the two POV’s and the village setting in Cumbria. I liked the backgrounds of how everyone was interlinked but it did feel like it might have been too much crammed in where less could have been covered better.

I was hooked from the first few pages, and as the story proceeds, I was more and more intrigued, and just couldn't work out who the killer was.

With hindsight it seems rather obvious, but that is the beauty of hindsight but as I went through, it never occurred to me once.

What we know is that there is the possibility of 12 murders in 12 days, that the police were warned in advance, that there was about to be a serial killer, although was hard to know whether to take the threat seriously or not, and that given they are in a small village, in December, the snow is about to make things so much harder for the rather small police team.

I loved this rather unlikely setting for a thriller and am delighted to see this is the fist in a new series, as I have a feeling there is someone rather unpleasant from this book that may reappear further down the line.

I enjoyed getting to know DI James Walker and his family, and seeing how he would approach this case, and whether or not he would be able to relax for Christmas for not.

It's a really gripping book and excellent debut novel. Bring on book 2!

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

A good Christmas/Winter read. The characters were on the whole likeable and keeps the reader guessing who the murderer is. Short snappy chapters make it a book you can pick up and put down at leisure. I look forward to reading more in the series.