I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love a well-built mystery with just enough breadcrumbs left to follow the trail. I had my suspicions from the beginning but was gently steered by the author in another direction. And it turns out I was right all along. Game well played. I hope I get the chance to read Murder on the Christmas Express, a nod to Agatha Christie perhaps?

Loved the holiday atmosphere. The mystery was also super entertaining and it was really fun to solve the mystery alongside the characters . All the characters were great and
I liked them all.Definitely a 5 star read

For a thriller, this book has no tension at all. The premise was very interesting and intriguing, but the way the Christmas murder games was executed? So stupid. And the fact that the catalyst for Lily to partake in these games is because of a letter that info-dumps everything that could've been used for reveals and twists in the future just made me laugh because wtf. And because we already know what is happening at the 4% mark, there's no excitement or interest for the rest of the book for me. I think the author wanted the letter to gave a little bit of tease for the readers for what's to come, but I don't think see realized that she already gave away the tension and the reason for why we should continue reading the book. The rest of the book? Snooze fest. It's a no for me.

I simply LOVED this title!! Games within the "game", trying desperately to figure out all of the twists and whodunnit, it was like a Christmas game of Clue, with only one left standing.

I will definitely read any other material this author publishes, it was excellent!

The premise is there, a murderous Christmas game involving family secrets and riddles, but the execution just wasn't up to scratch. The plot is predictable, the characters flat and one dimensional, and the writing just isn't good.

When I first saw this book available to request, I just had to read it. The plot sounded so interesting to me. With a female protagonist looking to find out what happened to her mother, a mysterious family game, and centered around the holidays. I found this book a wonderful read, perfect for the holidays. If you are looking for something different to add to your reading list, check out this book.


My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for a digital copy of this book for my review!

It's always obvious when an author is focusing only on one aspect of the story and instead of writing cohesive, quality prose, they just cater to one element and entirely ignore the rest. In this case, Benedict was bent on writing a crime novel where characters solve one riddle for each day of Christmas in order to win a mansion from a dead wealthy aunt. The problem is the author also started killing off those characters and despite them being one family, each death is simply brushed off by everyone and every day they go back to solving riddles, as if no one died. It was clear to me that should the author care about psychological credibility in her story, she would have added some emotional reaction from people that were still alive, but no, if she did that, they wouldn't focus on the riddles, and riddles were the only thing that the author seemed to enjoy when writing.
Despite being a crime mystery fan it was very hard for me to read a book where characters are blank and deprived of emotions (at some point it was deemed sort of a quality for the main character, as if to explain why she doesn't display any feelings, but sorry, it doesn't work like that) so it seems like their relatives dying is like every other Tuesday for them. The plot was also very repetitive and I guessed who is the killer around 30% of the book.
Very mediocre read.

This was such an enjoyable read. The family at the heart of this mystery is beyond messed up. Each person is flawed and most are hateful to the core, but that makes us root for our heroine all the more.
If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie or Murder She Wrote, but want something a little darker than those, but still in the breezy-read category, this one can’t be topped. Very clever and a ton of fun!

The Christmas Murder Game was an interesting, fun book! I thought the storyline was great and thoroughly enjoyed the mystery! A fantastic read!

SUPER FUN PUZZLING MYSTERY

In Yorkshire Dales resides Endgame house - the family home of Lily ARmitage and her cousins. All have returned home, gathered for the annual Christmas Game which includes 12 days of riddles and puzzles to solve. This year the prize it the deed to the house itself and the competition is brutal.

Lily is present but not interested in winning the home where her own mother died suspiciously. When her Aunt leaves her a letter stating that the clues will also provide answers to the death, she jumps in with the rest.
Add in a brutal snowstorm cutting off communication with the rest of the town and there is suddenly a very Agatha Christie type scenario. Will Lily live to solve the mysteries? Lily for sure wasn't my style of heroine, I like a strong woman, not simpering but the atmosphere is so well created, you will feel like you are right there with the family (and maybe you need an extra sweater or sock in that snowstorm)!

If you like puzzles and riddles, if you like an English mansion in the snow or just want a unique mystery for yourself or a Christmas gift a mystery loving friend, The Christmas Murder Game is for you! #AlexandraBenedict #NetGalley #Poisonedpenpress #TheChristmasMurderGame

3.5 stars - I had a hard time getting into this one. Once I felt the story start to speed up and get interesting, I had figured out who the murderer was. The plot was intriguing, but halfway through I figured it out and only kept reading to see how it ended. There were some weird interactions between characters that were never explained and we were just supposed to accept as normal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press, in return for an honest review. This is an version of the snowstorm housebound family mystery with murder in the offing and a major prize for the winner. It started a bit slow for me with understanding the protagonist and her situation. Upon arriving at Endgame, it felt very much like a cerebral version of Knives Out with never knowing whom to trust and whose secrets were deadly. Some of the interpersonal relationships were creepy. Kudos to the author for encouraging the reader to engage in the Christmas game clues identification and solutions.

Thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity to review.

This book is a labor of love and it works on both it's surface level and it's hidden clues. Even the acknowledgements are a test.

It's Knives Out at Christmas
All the characters are defined (albeit not all likeable, like real people)

I don't know how I missed this one, but I'll be recommending here on out.

When Lily’s aunt last wish is for her to return to her childhood home that haunts her, Lily feels obligated to play the Christmas game one last time for her aunt. But there is more to the clues and the game, specifically for Lily in the last messages from her aunt. Once Lily and her cousins all convene at Endgame to play the game, murders begin to occur and a winter blizzard makes escape is impossible. One by one family members are eliminated until the one who remains standing earns the deeds to Endgame house. I enjoyed all the riddles for each clue and the pacing was good to keep the story and plot moving forward. I really wasn’t sure how the ending would turn out, making it all the more fun to read!

Want to feel better about your next family reunion? This is your book! Lily Armitage currently works as a costume designer in London, specializing in recreations of vintage corsets. She wants to start her own line but can’t quite escape the trauma of her childhood. Lily’s Aunt Liliana raised her after her mother’s apparent suicide; her father was never in the picture. Every Christmas, her mother, aunt, and grandmother would put together a Christmas game for the children. Whoever solved all the clues got a bonus gift. But following Aunt Liliana’s death, the now-grown cousins have been invited to one final Christmas game. The prize? The aptly named Endgame House itself. But someone isn’t willing to wait and starts murdering the competition. Add in a snowstorm that traps everyone in the house with the killer and you’ve got the classic ingredients of a thriller.
Likes: This is a clever whodunit where the violence mostly occurs offstage. There are plenty of shifting alliances along with a spooky subplot about Lily’s mom. Lily’s competitors are her cousins, including Tom, Ronnie, and Rachel, the children of Lily’s Uncle Edward, along with Liliana’s nasty daughter Sara and enigmatic son, Gray. Liliana’s attorney Isabelle and Endgame’s housekeeper Mrs. Castle have been enlisted to organize the game. All the players have something they’re hiding, including Lily. There’s a family tree and a map, both of which I love, and the author has sprinkled in bonus puzzles (including a fun one for the acknowledgements). A pair of relationships, one developing and one revealed at the end of the book, made me smile.
Dislikes: Lily occasionally got on my nerves. A few characters are a little one-note or have backstories that aren’t fully explained. I did spot the big twist in advance, but that may be because I have an overly suspicious mind. These are minor criticisms and shouldn’t keep you from picking up The Christmas Murder Game if you like English country house murder mysteries, thrillers, or both.
FYI: murder, suicide, some acts of violence. One character expresses prejudice against LGBTQIA characters.

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict is quite the read! This novel reminded me of And Then There Were None by Christie - an ill-fated guessing game, though perhaps a bit less eerie.

Lily finds herself back where it all began: The Endgame House deciphering her aunt’s puzzles in a race to claim ownership of the familial estate. But, for Lily, the stakes are even higher as she attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding her mother’s death. Cousins are pitted against one another in a game that could result in death.

The book was a quick read, full of intrigue as the characters seek to outwit their competitors. I found the clues to be very opaque, meant for a singular audience - one particular character. It would have been more intriguing if the reader were able to decipher clues in Liliana’s poetry. In effect, playing the game alongside the characters. I think the author was trying to attempt this by including anagrams, but it felt a bit disjointed in the way it was included.

In addition, I wish there was a bit more character development, especially for some of the secondary characters. These characters made strange decisions which were curious considering there was a murderer on the loose.

Overall, an interesting and festive take on a classic whodunnit.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lily is trying to get over the loss of her mother when her aunt dies suddenly. She receives a letter that she needs to go to a house where they will play a game and she may learn who murdered her mom. While playing the game and solving some clues she remembers more of her past. This book was entertaining.

The Murder Game's protagonist, Lily, finds herself at the centre of a good old-fashioned murder mystery with a twist or two, and all in her old family home, which does not bring her the best of memories.

I have mixed feelings about this novel, but let's start with the parts I enjoyed: the setting was great and you really felt as if you were walking around Endgame, and the resolution felt right. I could mostly work it out, but not quite. There were little things that surprised me, which I believe is always the most satisfying kind of resolution for a murder mystery: you don't want the reader to be able to know exactly how it will end by chapter 2, but a completely unexpected ending that seemingly comes from nowhere is terribly anticlimactic.

On the negative side, I have to say The Murder Game for some reason feels quite a lot longer than it actually is. It takes a good while to really gather a proper pace for a book in this genre. There were a lot of things going on (and a lot of not-really-fleshed-out secondary characters) that seemed to have no real impact on the plot. However, what really didn't work for me was the way the author wanted the reader to get involved in solving the clues. First of all, if that's what you are aiming for as an author, you have to make the riddles kind of hard, but doable in reasonable time. If you are really into the story, you'll want to keep reading, not to take a good, good while trying to figure out an answer that you'll get in two pages tops, anyway. Worst of all was that even if you solved the riddle by yourself, there really was no benefit to it: it didn't give you any extra clues about the deaths in the present or the past and it sure didn't get you ahead in solving the case. I got a total amount of zero riddles solved by myself (and, to be honest, started kind of skimming through the sonnets on Day 3 of Christmas) and still managed to guess almost entirely the resolution well before I got there. It really is a pity that the whole thing doesn't quite work because it's obvious that the writer has put a lot of time and effort into it.

Overall, it can be a compelling read for murder mystery fans if you don't obsess much about the sonnets with the clues (or if you do and are a lot better at them than yours truly, I suppose.)

A perfect cozy winter mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.

I love a good murder mystery and this was one of the best. It was atmospheric and chilling. It truly kept you guessing until the last page. I loved the game aspect and all the riddles were truly unique

I really enjoyed the puzzles and writing of this book. I loved the Christmas theme and the setting. I also loved that there was a separate game for the reader to play while going through the book. This was a great book for escaping reality for a while.
I am giving four stars here, because while I found this so enjoyable, I knew halfway through the book who the killer was, and the one helping the killer was an obvious giveaway. Maybe I’m getting too good at picking up on clues, but I did know who was and wasn’t trustworthy to the main character. I think my biggest complaint is the Sara character. I think her motive is very obvious. Tom was less obvious, but I still suspected him from the start, and knew it was him halfway through.