DCI James Walker has left London to relocate to his wife’s hometown in Cumbria after a disturbance at home. A murderer he had previously put away has been released early and he wants to go somewhere he won’t be found.

Their arrival in December is met with a Christmas card and a gift of a dead partridge - and a warning that twelve people are going to die over the next twelve days - a gift from the Christmas killer.

Well that was a red herring of ever I saw one! I thought I’d sussed the killer out from the start - how wrong could I be! I think i got it with about 10% left or so.

There were lots of suspects along the way but I did feel it finished rather abruptly. A great change to the usual Christmas books that are released for the festive season.

A great introduction to DCI Walker and I hope there will be more.

Ooh I do like a thriller set at Christmas time. The expectation of it being a happy occasion always makes the book more atmospheric and the crimes extra chilling. This book was no exception and I liked the added twist that the snow falling created a locked room scenario where the killer was trapped in the village alongside everyone. The mention of 12 murders helps give an ominous countdown to Christmas and one that I’d prefer not to have. This did ensure I kept reading as I wanted to see when the next letter would show up and where.

The characters were all very interesting creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. The setting of a small, gossipy village was fantastically done and I did so enjoy finding out about all the residents little secrets. There were some characters who I warmed to instantly but others who I loved to hate which always makes a story more fun to read. I did like DI Walker and found his constant surprise about the snow quite amusing, however I found his wife very annoying. She seemed really needy and quite nosey as she always had to know everything that was happening in the investigation. I’m not sure if a DI would be able to discuss the case with his partner in real life but his recaps did help me keep up to date with everything that was going on.

The book does start off quite slowly and I did guess who the murderer was fairly early on However I did so enjoy trying to figure out their motives and who they were going to target next. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their crime fiction with a bit of a slower pace so that it allows them to become more absorbed in the story. It will be great for curling up with this winter!

Huge thanks to Avon for my copy of this book via Netgalley.

12 days of Christmas and 12 promised murders. The idea sounded promising to me when I read the blurb to this book.

Sadly though,most of the story is filled with the to-ing and fro-ing of the two main characters -Detective Inspector James Walker and his wife who have decided to move to desolate Cumbria to escape an angry monster in London, and their day to day trivial conversations, recounts and general going about of their day.

In fact - we don’t get our first murder until 23 percent through the book, and by 73 percent I’d guessed the murderer and we’d only had 3 murders.

Having said that, this was an easy book to read and I felt compelled to keep reading regardless of the slow action. It was almost a cozy read, and I enjoyed the story. I do feel a trick had been missed with the great idea and premise of the twelve days of xmas and twelve murders, and I’m surprised that this wasn’t explored more and more murders made. There were quite a few obvious red herrings thrown in, which sometimes bordered on too obviously false or trying too hard to steer you, but that didn’t take away my enjoyment of the book.

Overall a fun story, and a unique idea for a murder mystery and whilst I guessed the murderer I enjoyed the journey. 4 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

DI Walker relocates to Cumbria from London after threats from dangerous criminal Andrew Sullivan. At first he finds the change of pace after the Met boring but then he receives a present - a bloody bird and a Christmas card with the chilling message of 12 days of Christmas and 12 murders, then the first body is found. An enjoyable read, I guessed the perpetrator before the end but still a great read.

A bit of a shaky start, but worth persevering with. A wintry Cumbria setting is a big part of the story, and the characters are well drawn and engaging. Recommended.

I liked this take on a thriller with Christmas vibes. It was slower to start for me, but once the action started to happen I found myself always wanting to turn the page to find out what happened next.

DI James Walker and wife Annie move to Cumbria up North in a village of Kirkby Abbey with only approx 700 people residing, Annie was bought up there and was left a property so James bit reluctant keeps the property in London in case things should not pan out, and a criminal that James put away has been released so Annie thinks it's a better and safer option to move. Working for the Met is always busy so big contrast for James whereas Annie busy's herself into village life, and where everybody is geared up for Christmas James receives a Christmas parcel left on the doorstep and a Christmas card depicting the 12 days of Christmas The parcel turns out to be a dead game bird and the card indicates that there will be 12 deaths for the 12 days and the people deserve to die, and this has Annie wondering if the ex-offender letting them know he is close.
While trying to investigate during an outdoor Carol service a hiker comes across the body of the local pub landlord so what the Christmas card is saying 11 more to go, not the sort of Christmas everybody wants and as the weather gets worse can James figure out who is behind this.? I did work it out quite quickly not sure if I'm just good at it but an interesting read nonetheless, predictable. Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC copy to read.

Not the Christmas gift you want- the promise of 12 murders right on your doorstep in the 12 days of Christmas but that is precisely what DI Walker is faced with, just when he hoped for a quiet Christmas.
In a small and remote village in blizzard conditions you would hope the police would catch a serial killer pretty quickly but time and again the killer slips away unnoticed as the body count rises.
I had no idea who to suspect for some time and really enjoyed the twists along the way. I would love to hear more from Walker in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC of this book.

From the beginning of this book I was hooked! Read the first 20% and was so intrigued, the writing is brilliant and could picture the setting up north with the descriptions of their surroundings.

So from pretty much near the beginning of the investigation I had a suspicion of who I thought might be The Christmas Killer, other people came and went of who I thought but one person stuck out for me and even though I was right, it didnt spoil the book for me like it usually does with thrillers as i loved the clues and twists and turns!

I must admit my kindle told me I had 15mins left of the book and we still didnt know what was going on that I did wonder what was going to happen but it was wrapped up perfectly!

This was addictive and fast paced and loved the chapters from the victims point of views.

This is a must read this winter!

I tried my best to get into this book but it for me was a slow build and i just could not enjoy it. DI James Walker recieved a dreadful christmas gift, a promise that 12 murders are about to happen in the small Cumbrian village he now calls home. 
20% in before a murder happened?? and i felt the writing was flat. Definitely not my type of book.
Thank you netgalley and Avon for my review copy.

I love Christmas and I love a good crime thriller. But I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a killer around at Christmas time. But I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. It’s a village Christmas with the thriller twist. One to be read!

There’s something about a Christmas-themed thriller that I love and I was really looking forward to this one. However, there were certain aspects that marred my enjoyment of it.

James Walker is a senior detective who has recently relocated to Cumbria from London with his wife Annie. The couple are fleeing a recently released criminal who has a grudge against James and they believe the quiet, sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey will offer them the protection they need. But just two weeks before Christmas, James receives a gruesome gift and an ominous Christmas card. Then a body is discovered with two knife wounds and an investigation like none other that Kirkby Abbey has ever seen kickstarts with DI James Walker at the helm…

The village of Kirkby Abbey is very typical of remote, rural villages, particularly in the north of England. These places have remained unchanged for decades and there is a very set, traditional way of doing things. This very close-knit, claustrophobic community was evoked very well and while I was reading, I definitely forgot that there was a world outside of Kirkby Abbey. However, some parts of the writing read a little like a history or sociology lesson, which took me out of the action, sadly.

I didn’t like James at all. I thought he was a very obnoxious, arrogant guy who didn’t seem to have any qualms about asserting himself over the local police officers, just because he used to work in a crime-riddled city. There was also an aggression to him, which I actually think is typical of police officers, so perhaps that aspect of his personality was accurate to who he was supposed to be. I just couldn’t warm to him at all though and that was obviously a huge obstacle to me becoming fully invested in his success.

I didn’t realise before going into this book that there would be so much police procedural discussion and this is something that I find extremely dull. I much prefer thrillers and mysteries that focus on the victims’ stories or the deliciously evil, complex voices of the suspects or culprits. I find that conversations between police officers really slow down the action and at several points while reading this book, I was just willing there to be another murder or suspicious interview to analyse.

One thing I have to say for this book is that I didn’t figure out who the killer was. I was definitely surprised when it was revealed and that’s something that I have to give Alex Pine credit for. I think I’d have liked a few more mini-twists along the way rather than the one big one at the end though.

The Christmas Killer is a promising crime novel that is the first in a new series featuring DI James Walker. If you can put aside his unlikeable personality and you enjoy police books, then you’d probably enjoy it a lot more than I did!

After a crime boss gets his conviction overturned, DI James Walker and his wife Annie make the decision to relocated to Cumbria for their own safety and peace of mind. And then the murders began… after a creepy card is delivered to James in a box with a dead bird, warning of 12 murders for the 12 days of Christmas to come.

There are a lot of characters in this book and an awful lot of red herrings thrown out. The villain did actually make sense as regards motivation, but the biggest problem I had with it is that the author doesn’t seem to understand the differences between the Church of England and Roman Catholic churches and their traditions. The priest in the story was an odd hodgepodge of both and as such, entirely unbelievable.

James Walker, as the protagonist, was frankly dull. When a police officer’s biggest internal conflict is that he’s concerned country policing might be a bit boring, it’s difficult to feel any empathy with him. His wife Annie was a bit more interesting - at least she had a Past - but she’s written as simpering and one-dimensional too.

The story here has potential, but the writing is flat and dull. I really struggled to get through it. Two stars.

I enjoyed this book very much, there aren't enough thrillers set around Christmas IMHO.
I liked the setting and DI Alexander, although his wife grated on my nerves.
The 'perp' got me guessing and I had a couple in mind.

All in.all a good book. Hoping there's more to come

I started with reading a sample/teaser of this book. It was enough to get me hooked and I was thrilled when I got the chance to read the full book.
This is the first I have read of this author and it's the first in a series, that means I know I will have more to look forward to in the near future.
Never knowing what you are going to get when reading from a new author to me, I have to go in with an open mind. This book didn't disappoint, It was interesting, enthralling and gripping.
I genuinely didn't have a clue who was 'the Christmas Killer' and a little surprised when I did find out. Enough twists and turns in this book to keep you on the edge and guessing.
Moving from city life to village life is going to be so different for DI James Walker. He's moving for an easier pace of life. Just knowing that you know that where ever he goes it is not going to be quite. He's going to be dragged into something. That is exactly what happens.

Get a mug of hot chocolate, and put your feet up. get ready for a thrilling read. Enjoy!

A brilliant story that kept you hooked in until the end, you never knew who would end up dead next. The intrigue around it all and the characters were very well written, I loved this and read it in a couple of days.

I must say initially that I read this book in a couple of days as it was easy and the story was sufficiently engaging to make me want to get to the end. I did find however, that the style of writing was too simplistic and the killer far too easy to guess very early on. The main character was likeable although his wife was slightly soppy and annoying. It just felt a bit pedestrian for professional writing.

DI James Walker, who has just moved from London to a small village in Cumbria, comes home to find a present on his doorstep. Inside is a dead partridge and a Christmas card promising 12 murders in the run up to Christmas.

The cover is striking really made me want to read this, and I love Christmas themed crime fiction. I found this a quick, fun read which hooked me in straight away. Most of the action is in the first half of the book, and the pace of the second half is much slower. I did guess fairly early on who the killer was but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book, though I do feel the ending was a little rushed. It is an interesting start to a new series, and I will certainly read book 2 when it comes out.

A really good whodunit! Lots of characters and plenty of red herrings. A small village with virtually no crime is suddenly a target for a serial killer. Who could possibly be killing in this sleepy place without getting caught even with police patrolling? And why is someone taunting police with Christmas cards? Can't wait to read more in this (hopefully!) series.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

I so enjoyed reading this book,the more I read the better it got!
A great story line and I especially liked the interaction between the police Inspector James and his wife Annie.
Loved the little bit of background information at the start of the book and how it impacted on the story being told..
A totally compulsive read and I cannot wait for the next book from this author!