Well it beats me why this isn't being published in December...

Anyway, following on from the rest of the 'Killer' series, The Santa Killer is the latest case for Barton and his team as they find themselves on the tail of a killer who apparently dresses up as santa claus. Which, to be fair, is a pretty good disguise in December!

As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I absolutely adore Barton and his team, and his family with ever patient, warm hearted Holly at the centre. A seat at her Christmas table must be a wonderful event and I find all of the family references so deeply charming.

Ross Greenwood's ability to make the whole book come to life is incredible, characters have flaws, charisma and bucket loads of charm. They bounce off each other in a realistic way and the normality of the 'bad guy' always feels so true.

In The Santa Killer, you would be mistaken if you think you are in for a light hearted tale as there is a determined killer out there who has names on his list for all the wrong reasons.

The 'Barton Belly' is back and it is bigger and more opinionated than ever before as Barton re-evaluates his life choices. In fact, he has a big decision to make but which way will the belly lead him?

Please, do yourself a favour and read these books in order:

1. The Snow Killer
2. The Soul Killer
3. The Ice Killer
4. The Cold Killer
5. The Fire Killer
6. The Santa Killer

The Santa killer is the latest case for Barton and his team, the killer is dressing up as Santa. I loved this book because there is so much going on around catching the killer, the team all seem to bounce off each other, and the police procedures are interesting as well.

The crimes are brutal and the killer has a list…..

The book is hard to put down so make sure you have free time when you start it. The book is well written so if you enjoy a good mystery this is for you.

this is the 1st book I have read of Ross Greenwood, even though it’s the 6th book you can read as standalone. I am going to download the other 5 now as I love Barton and is ever suffering wife is lovely too

Thanks to Ross and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Santa Killer prior to the publication date.
This is the 6th and final book in the series and it is the first which I have read. That meant that I was not familiar with the characters of DI Barton’s team and their quirks which has probably influenced my perception of the book.
I felt that it was a slow start with too much focus on DI Barton’s relationship with his stomach and the nearest source of food.
As the story unravels, we learn the background of a number of the characters and the effect which has had on their lives. It touches on mental health and issues, which are very current, surrounding the availability of services.
There are more than a few bad guys in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

I’ve been really enjoying this series and this book didn’t disappoint at all. I thought this was a superbly written book with a great plot line, and a book that was very, very hard to put down. I really like DI Barton and his team, I loved being back in their world and following their investigation where women seem to be randomly attacked and the team struggle to find a motive for these attacks. There was a lot going on in this book, it has several story threads that certainly grabbed and held my attention. I loved that the story was told through the characters, most who I liked, and a couple I loathed. I felt like I was unwrapping layer after layer of secrets here and just when I’d got used to something the author had slipped into the story, he introduced another twist. The plot line is really well thought out and executed, and although I felt the story slowed down a little just around the half way mark, it still held my attention and picked up pace again fairly quickly. I loved the cliff hanger chapter endings that just made me want to continue reading and find out what would happen next. Overall this book is very well written, the story grabbed my attention right from the beginning and never let go. The author has a great writing style, the book flows really well and moves from past to present times effortlessly. Ross Greenwood’s characters just jump out of the pages and I can picture a lot of the scenes in my mind when reading. If you like good, solid police procedurals then give this a go, although I’d recommend you read the series in order to get to know the characters right from the start.

4.5 stars

A woman is attacked on her doorstep rather viciously. No-one has anything negative to say about her so who and why has she been targeted? Alternate chapters give us the perpetrator and a little of their lives and what is going through their minds. DI Barton is rather short handed but has little to go on, however the clues are there when the daughter of the victim draws a picture. “He’s got a list. It’s quite precise. It won’t matter even if you’re nice” . Bad Santa.
There's something special about Ross’s books. They quickly draw me in and envelope me. A detective who is relatively normal and whose charm and character is wonderful. A story that rapidly comes to life and I almost feel I “ know” DI Barton- so well is the character written. This is a charm of a read and the last in the series. A cracker of a plot and a highly recommended exciting read

.#blogtour

4 stars

DI John Barton responds to the call of a woman attacked on her doorstep. Her mother was home at the time babysitting her special needs daughter. The woman didn’t see her attacker.

The book is interspersed with vignettes from the Santa Killer’s perspective. He tells his life story. I found the stories to be extremely interesting.

More attacks occur, and some of the women die. John and his team have their hands full investigating this series of assaults and murders.

This is an exciting read and follows the police procedures very carefully. As the police find suspects, they either discount them while others are arrested. While they find the arrested parties to be guilty, it is not for the Santa Killings.

One of the officers gets the idea to interview some of the retired teachers looking for information about any children who had “problems” while at their school. This leads the team down a new route.

This book is well written and plotted as are all of Ross Greenwood’s novels. I like Barton, and especially appreciate his patient wife Holly. She’s the greatest.

I want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

An interesting thriller that will hold you attention. Although this is the sixth book in the series, you can easily follow the story without having read the other novels. The story is suspenseful and gripping. I cannot wait to go and read the other novels in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for this electronic copy...thanks to Netgalley for sending this book to me for review. Mystery and intrigue...murder...secrets...guessing...red herrings...friends...enemies...this is a talented author who has written a cannot put down book. ENJOY

One night less than two weeks before Christmas, a single mother is violently assaulted. It’s a brutal crime at the time of year when there should be goodwill to all. When DI Barton begins his investigation, he’s surprised to find the victim is a woman with nothing to hide and no reason for anyone to hurt her. 
A few days later, the mother of the woman attacked rings the police station. Her granddaughter has drawn a shocking picture. It seems she was looking out of the window when her mother was attacked. And when her grandmother asks the young girl who the person with the weapon is, she whispers two words. 
Bad Santa.
The rumours start spreading, and none of the city’s women feel safe which one of them will be next?
Definitely recommend really enjoyable read
Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books
I just reviewed The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood. #TheSantaKiller #NetGalley

Where to even start?! Talk about being multi layered!!! I really enjoyed this one. Very much a perfect thriller in my eyes, with more twists ad turns than I've ever come across in a single book before lol. You won't want to try reading this whilst you're doing the ironing or the cooking because you won't be able to focus on anything except this! I was hooked from the start and the whole book goes at such a fast pace. I won't say anything about the ending because.... spoilers.... but it was just insane! I've never come across a book where the twists just don't stop coming. It was actually also really well written and empathetic towards the characters circumstances and the realities some people live with. Its so much more than just a thriller, it's written in a way that you can empathise with desperation and various other things I shan't mention (again, spoilers). There are a lot of characters though so a couple of times I forgot who some were but hey, it's all good! I don't think I really have any negatives ti be honest