I read this in 2023 but must have forgotten to review 🤦‍♀️ apologies. I enjoy the yearly Alex Pine books and a nice difference from the usual Christmas romance. This book was good, probably my least favourite of the series but would still recommend. This is book 4 out of the 5 books of the series. Go and start them this year!

I love this book. A Christmas crime drama is right up my street. In this instalment of the Detective James Walker books 4 people go missing on Christmas Eve and he and his team are called in. With more than a few twists and turns and shocks along the way we are treated to quite the mystery.

I have read all of these books and really enjoyed them. Yes it was very guessable but that didn't bother me too much. Irks, although small, heavily repeated words/phrases. Pool car, "presser", acid and various other horrible things in throats, chills/cold/adrenaline variously pumping/running etc up spines and down dales.
I do like the snowy, feezing cold, bleak scenario. I know that that it's a bit of a cliche but I love it!

You know it’s Christmas when Alex Pines new book is here! It’s always my favourite thing to read at Christmas. I love this police series and would recommend it to everyone!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I absolutely loved this!! Such great characters and a great storyline.

My full review is to follow in a few days.....

Another gripping Christmas crime story from Alex Pine. DI Walker and his team are back, relentless, sleepless & exhausted as ever. It's a terrific read that keeps you guessing.

Well my bones are so chilled that they have frozen. The atmosphere is freezing and the plot is well written with twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The mystery was my main focus and I had not solved it when it was revealed.

Did I decide to read a loosely themed Christmas book in March? Yes. Did I mind? No.

I have been reading this series since the first book was released and I haven't missed a year yet. Albeit this year slightly delayed. Although each book has a Christmas themed title and cover, they're not particularly Christmas-y; they just take place at that time of year. Each book is a different crime solved by Detective James Walker and the team and sadly, this crime wasn't my favourite so far. I didn't feel like I got engrossed in the crime itself or cared about the victims in the story. That meant that I didn't feel any true urgency to get to the bottom of who the suspects were.

That said, I had to keep going and I did have to see the story come to a resolution. There were lots of red herrings and it took me some time to even consider that the culprit was even a possibility.

In a similar vein to the previous book, there was less about James' personal life in this story and again, I missed it. He does have a personal predicament to battle with which I am assuming is going to continue in the next book but other than that, he was 100% focused on his work. I have to say, his wife had the patience of a saint and was a strong woman than me.

Overall, this was an easy book to follow and I did enjoy it. The crime wasn't something that had me gripped, but the investigation was interesting; as to be expected. A Christmas book in March turns out to be completely doable.

A Christmas read with a difference and one I now have to find the previous books in the series as I feel I am missing out.

DCI James Walker is a great character and the plot and intrigue of this book is so intense I just wanted to keep reading. Love the Lake District setting and the tension builds throughout the story. The writing is fantastic and the twist and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait to find the first three books of the series so I can catch up on DCI James Walker and all he has been up to.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved this book, as I have his previous ones too.

Christmas books are always my favourite and this makes a welcome change from the usual romance/cosy festive reads.

I loved the setting and, as usual, loved the characters.

Looking forward to the next.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Night Before Christmas. This is a series and this was my first chance to read this author’s work.
It’s very well written as police procedural books go.
There is some background that I would like to know but it’s ok as a stand alone.
Solid mystery novel. 4 stars

DI Walker has another unfortunate Christmas, as on Christmas eve 4 men go missing and they have to race to try and find them before the night sets in as the weather is getting worse and they don't know if people could survive being out all night. When a body gets found, but they realise they have been brutally murdered rather than froze to death, they are then up against something that could be far worse than the bad weather.
The story is enjoyable, but I couldn't get into it as much as I would have liked. I felt some parts weren't fast paced enough. I would try the next book but I would hope to find it more gripping.

This was my first James Walker mystery from Alex Pine & I very much enjoyed the Christmas-murder mystery storyline. There were several references to Walker’s previous cases throughout the book, though it was not imperative you read the previous books in the series first.

Set in a small town outside of London, the fourth installment in this series finds Detective Walker on the tail of another murderer at Christmas, while also trying to balance his home life with his wife & daughter. This time, he also finds himself in the middle of a controversial hunting topic sweeping England, which adds to the complexity of the case.

I will definitely read the previous three books in the series, so I can discover more about Walker’s backstory & make sense of the references to his past. A cozy little mystery to curl up with in the days leading up to Christmas!

Poor DI James Walker, the man is never going to get a freshly cooked Christmas dinner. It's a good thing that his wife is the understanding type. On Christmas Eve the wife of a local man reports him missing after he fails to return from a hike with three friends but straight away it is obvious that there is more to the story. I thought this story was a bit convoluted, I would have needed a whiteboard like DI Walker's just to keep track of who everyone was and how they were connected to each other. It wasn't a story that really gripped me either and so many of the characters were unpleasant I found it hard to care about any of them. It was an ok story but hopefully next year will find the team dealing with something more exciting.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Another great book by this author
The fourth in this series
Hooked from page one
And will keep you guessing till the end
Thanks NetGalley

What a page turner, great book with a brilliant plot.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Loved the 4th instalment, very easy read.
I guessed pretty early on what had happened, however story development was good and thorough.
Only parts that I find a challenge is the relationship between maim character and his wife. She is portrayed as very delicate and cannot cope with stress, even more so since the arrival of their child. I find this very off-putting and unnecessary for the story. It is prolonging some parts of the story for no need.
Overall though still recommend to others.

This is my second book I've read by Alex Pine.

I felt frustrated with this book - I really enjoyed the premise but it was obvious who had done it and if the police had done the obvious thing to check with the prior spouse the case would've been solved very quickly rather than being drawn out. I was surprised as it's usually a good procedural series.

Thanks for the arc

❄️ B O O K R E V I E W ❄️

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was really kindly gifted an advanced copy of this book by netgalley.

After reading and really enjoying Alex pines previous 3 novels in the DI James walker series, I was so excited to see him make his return in another wintery edition just in time for Christmas

This story follows DI James walker who on Christmas Eve gets wind that four trail hunters have gone missed amidst an angry snow storm, the race is on to find them all safely before night falls.
When the first body is found not frozen in the snow, but brutally murdered the real hunt truly begins to find the killer responsible.

Unfortunately for me I did find this one to be a little more predictable than previous novels, I had my suspicions on who the killer was before I had hit the half way mark so the element or surprise or shock definitely was a little tainted this time around, which is okay too as it’s inevitable we figure out some of the thriller books we read after consuming the genre for so long.
I did find it a little harder to connect to this version events in comparison to previous, it also meant I felt quite disconnected to the new characters we were introduced too.
It was lovely to catch up with James and see how he was doing but overall this was probably my least favourite in the series so far.
This is not to say I won’t be looking forward to reading more of Alex pines books in the future as they truly do make my Christmas every year,