Great opening. Fast paced and intriguing with a promise of a great novel. Can’t wait to read the full thing.

This is a short teaser for the first book in a new series by Alex Pine featuring Detective Inspector James Walker. Taking this sampler up to the end of Chapter 12, it introduces us to James and his wife, Annie. 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.

This was only a sampler of the book, but by the time I got to the end of chapter 12 I was well and truly hooked! 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.

Only a fraction of the book in and already we are teased with several suspects, and I’m sure we will be given a few more as the book moves on. Unfortunately, this book just stopped before the pace well and truly picked up, so I will have to impatiently wait until it is released in October to find out what happens next! I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for when this is available so I can pick up the story again! This looks to be the start of a great series – easy to read, likeable main characters and plenty of suspects and motives to mull over! Come back in October to read my review for the whole book!

I had seen this mentioned by some fellow bloggers on twitter so was pleased to find the teaser available via Netgalley. With DI James Walker having moved from London the the slightly more slower paced Kirkby Abbey after some threats, he was shocked when he returned home one night to a package and a threatening card stating that there would be 12 murders in 12 days. What he was not sure about was if it was a hoax or if it was linked to his time in London. The opening chapters certainly have got me intrigued as to how this book is going to play out. DI Walker is going to have his hands full dealing with a mounting list of suspects all at a time when his extended family is about to descend upon him for Christmas. I cant wait to read the rest of the book and it is now pre ordered and part of my TBR pile.

As this was just a teaser for the story it did peak my interest as to who is sending the threats and to what would happen next. I

I hadn’t realised it was only a short part of the book otherwise I would t have requested it. Nothing worse than reading and reviewing part of a book. You cannot give an accurate review. Sadly I really enjoyed the book. But now I cannot finish reading for months and in all honesty I hate having to restart a book I started a long time ago. It just ruins the book for me

Omg I need more!!!
I absolutely cannot wait! I’m so impatient after this teaser.
This is going to be absolutely fantastic!!!

The problem with a Preview is not discovering all the solutions to the Mysteries! Detective Inspector James Walker and his wife Annie, a supply teacher, leave London when a criminal James helped convict is unexpectedly paroled. Moving into her childhood home in Cumbria, they have scarcely settled when they, and others, begin receiving threatening Christmas cards referencing Twelve deaths in keeping with the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas. Then Annie's angry uncle disappears from the village. Are James and Annie the targets, or is the entire village in danger? I'll have to read the full book to find out.

It's a bit weird reading something Christmasy at the start of July, but I couldn't resist when I saw the cover for this teaser of 11 chapters.

While this feels like it's going to be full of twists and turns, there was one or two occasions it felt odd and messy. The information give to us was from the main character and his wife telling each other, rather than the reader being with the characters when they're discovered the information, which makes me very suspicious...

I'm intrigued to read this in full one dark snowy night...

This is fabulous. I became so invested in this almost immediately. I can’t wait for the full version of this.

More suspects than you can shake a stick at in this English village mystery--crime boss, friends, neighbors, relatives, jealous co-workers. Will James and Annie Walker make it through the holiday season with their lives and marriage in tact? Will D.I. Walker be able to prevent a serial killer from following through on his promise to carry out 12 murders? I will be looking forward to reading the rest of the book and subsequent titles in this new series.

I cant wait for this book to be released.
The taster was so good. I'm desperate to know more and who is sending the threats.

I love crime thrillers but I sometimes feel a bit weird reading a book about detectives and serial killers when I'm staying with family over the Christmas holidays. Now I have the perfect excuse - a crime thriller set at Christmas! Using the Twelve Days of Christmas is a really interesting and unique idea for the story, not one that I have seen before and I enjoyed the way the background to the story was set up. I can't really say much more after only reading the sample but I am definitely excited to carry on with the rest of the book.

I can only give this an average score I’m afraid.
I hadn’t realised that this was only part of the book , and I enjoyed what I read , but once I realised despite having access to quite a few chapters I wouldn’t get an outcome to the book I decided to stop reading.
I think we are given too much of the book as a teaser !
I will try to get this to read once it is published but having such an awful memory I’d have to start from the beginning again !
I’ll hopefully be able to give this a revised score when I get chance to read the whole book

sorry I didn't realise this was a teaser when I requested it. I only review full novels. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I have just read this thinking that it was a full book. I am so disappointed as I absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the full book to be released.

This looks like an excellent read full of suspense and thrills!

I look forward to reading the finalised copy!