Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC of The Christmas Jigsaw Murders in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this book has it's high points and low points for me, which led to some mixed feelings after I had finished. While I really enjoyed Edie, our unusual 80 year old FMC with unmatched wit, humor, and fashion sense, I found the pace of the book to be rather painful at certain points and other characters to be a bit lack-luster. It may sound silly, but due to the way conversations and dialogue was written, I sometimes found it incredibly hard to understand who was talking in that moment, so I found myself going back to the beginning of a conversation to reread it in order to better follow what was being said in that moment.

I did enjoy the shorter chapter lengths, and that could at times make the book flow a little more quickly and cultivate a sense of urgency to the situation. I thought the premise was very unique and I enjoyed that the author fit their own puzzle within the pages of the book for you to solve. I was able to solve the jigsaw puzzle at the start of each chapters but the other puzzles were most certainly over my head.

I will say, I honestly had no idea who the killer was going to be, right up until the very end. I had my speculations throughout the book, which were all wrong, as the author does a great job in intentionally leading the reader a bit astray to keep you guessing. I think the bones of the story were really well thought out, I think I was just looking for a bit more of a fast paced page turner to keep me on the edge of my seat, and I just didn't get that until the last third of the book. A solid read if you are into puzzle mysteries, just not a standout for me personally. 3.5/5 stars rounding down.

Irascible, curmudgeonly solver of puzzles and creator of crosswords, Edie O'Sullivan is hiding from Christmas, her least favourite time of the year. On December 1st, she receives a package from an unknown person, calling themselves Rest in Pieces. It's a jigsaw puzzle made of six pieces, and shows part of a crime scene. The enclosed message in the box tells Edie that there will be four or more murders by Christmas Eve, unless Edie can figure out the puzzle.

Edie contacts her great nephew and adopted son DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan, and they work hard to solve the clues, But they're not fast enough, and a man is attacked and found near death with a jigsaw piece in his hand. Sean worries for Edie's safety, and the potential her questions and actions will have to muddle the investigation, so he shuts her out.

She decides to keep investigating on her own, as she receives more pieces, and more people are killed. With her ninety-year-old neighbour's help, Edie begins slowly piecing through the clues, which point unfortunately to her past, which she refuses to discuss or divulge till it's almost too late.

Edie is a totally frustrating person; she's the type of person who thinks that her bad memories and trauma are best left unexamined, and instead used them irritate and push everyone away from her.

Sean is a gentle, kind man, whose patience is frequently tried by Edie, who despite her deep love for him, refuses to accept his partner, and keeps critical information from his investigation, because she does not want to deal with her past and many bad decisions.

Much as I found Edie frustrating, I enjoyed the mystery and character interactions. The story moved along well, and there were sufficient twists to keep me entertained. I also liked how this was a little like Dickens' Christmas Carol, as Edie must undergo a transformation by confronting errors in her past. I loved Edie's elderly neighbour Riga Novak.

This isn't my first book by this author, and I hope to read more by her.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

"The Christmas Jigsaw Murders" by Alexandra Benedict brings a festive twist to the murder mystery genre—think cozy Christmas vibes meets sinister puzzle games. When Edie O’Sullivan, a grumpy puzzle expert who’s totally over Christmas, receives a box of jigsaw pieces on her doorstep, things quickly take a dark turn. Each piece reveals clues to a series of murders that are about to unfold, and Edie, with her reclusive nature, must solve the puzzle before it’s too late. The only problem? Her nephew, Detective Sean, is on the case, but he might just be a target himself.

What really sets this book apart are the quirky extra challenges sprinkled throughout the pages—hidden Fleetwood Mac songs, Dickensian anagrams, and Christmas song puzzles. It’s like a book-within-a-book for those up for the extra challenge, and let me tell you, the murder mystery itself? It’s a pretty wild ride. The tension builds as Edie races to piece together the clues while dealing with her own complicated past, making this mystery more personal than your average holiday thriller.

I’m giving this one 3 out of 5 stars. It’s a solid, fun read, but it does get a little slow and puzzling (pun intended) at times. While I love the idea of solving puzzles along with the characters, it wasn’t quite the page-turner I hoped for. Still, if you’re looking for a holiday mystery with a touch of whimsy and a Christmas-loving detective, this one’s a good pick!

Thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Alexandra Benedict for the eArc of The Christmas Jigsaw Murders.

This is a well pieced together murder mystery in which our MC, Edie has clues presented to her by an anonymous sender. These clues or jigsaw puzzles are to be put together to " prevent " a murder, This person also knows some secrets that Edy is keeping close to her chest. I found reading this was a great, quick, cosy read with a quick witted characters.

I found I was fully engaged with both the pacing of the book and the character building. Even though the character's are of the older generation, they were witty, clever and felt real. I can imagine them living down my street or speaking to them at the local shops! I wonderful cosy read for ages.
Sandra Duncan narrated the audiobook for The Christmas Jigsaw Murders and the pacing of her voice suited this book perfectly .

4 stars

Loved Edie and all her antics. She was a great narrator to tell the story, even though her view on things was skewed by her past. Overall an enjoyable read!

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
While it was an easy read, I overall was not a fan of the story. I was excited to be able to read this for the holidays, but unfortunately, it didn't spark my interest to want to just read so it did take me a long time to get through. I did not care for the characters in the story and the protagonist actually got on my nerves. The story itself seemed a little confusing and the reasons why certain people were selected to be killed was incomprehensible to me.
I think this book would maybe be a great quick read as a novella and cut some of it out but in its length, it was very hard for me to make it thru.

A fine cozy murder mystery but I didn’t connect strongly with the characters or feel very caught up in the mystery.

I'm a sucker for Christmas cozy mysteries but I've never read one that involved Jigsaw puzzles so that was a neat twist.

I liked individual elements of this read, but they didn't really come together for me in the end. Our MC is an unlikable, grumpy, abrasive woman who seems to push away just about everyone in her life. At the beginning, I thought this was going to mean that she was going to be isolated and would need to investigate on her own. However, she does have enough people in her life to assist her with the investigation which just meant that I was frustrated whenever she would keep something to herself out of nowhere. The actual investigation with the puzzle pieces was interesting, but the pacing was a little off. I liked the resolution to the mystery but the journey to get there was a bit rough for me.

I had a harder time with this one than I expected. I guess I just didn't love the characters enough to ever feel really invested in it. I love Christmas stories and I love the amateur sleuth cozy mystery genre, but this one was just missing something for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood when I tackled it, but I think it just didn't quite stand up to other similar mysteries. I love jigsaw puzzles too, so I really wanted to love this, but just didn't.

This was a different kind of crime solving book for me. I am into fantasy and thrillers and found this enjoyable. The character reminds me of my ex father in law grumpy and old but beyond that I found the story great and the twist had me saying WHAaaattt out loud.

This was an awesome holiday thriller! Some parts were slow but overall it was a good pace. I didn't see the twists and turns at all. I loved trying to solve it throughout the book like I was in the book myself. Can't wait to read more of her books!


Thank you netgalley for this arc!

Edie is a retired supply teacher. She hates Christmas and refuses to celebrate it in any way. It seems as a young child she got up Christmas to find her mother had passed away. Edie sets crossword puzzles for local and national newspapers to make a little extra money. To relax she likes to do jigsaw puzzles which she gets from the local thrift shop, hoping all the pieces are in the box. She has a friend who lives next door. They laugh, sing drink and eat together. Edie also has a nosy young neighbor across the street which becomes a plus unexpectedly. Shortly before Christmas a strange package is placed on her doorstep. Inside is a cryptic note and a piece of a puzzle. The note included challenges Edie to solve the puzzle.
Soon dead bodies show up and each one has jigsaw pieces on their bodies. In their hair, in their mouth and in their pocket. Edie doesn't know what to think so she contacts her nephew/adopted son for help. He is a police detective with the local constabulary. Of course he will help his aunt/mother. Sean is very busy because he and his husband are trying to adopt a little girl and possibly an unborn sibling. His husband is a popular florist who arrangements are much sought after. Who is behind the jigsaw murders? You will have to read the book to find out. At the end of the book is a twist I did not see coming.


Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, a part of Sourcebooks

Edie has suffered a lot of loss in her life and as a result has closed herself off to most people. When a murderer draws her into his plans she tries to protect her police inspector nephew and figure the puzzle out on her own. I enjoyed this quite a bit even though the MC is hard to like.

Thank you to the publisher and NG for the opportunity to read and review this book. My review can be found on Litsy and IG.

Edie O’Sullivan is a puzzle setter and can't stand Christmas. On December 1st she finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep containing six jigsaw pieces showing parts of a crime scene. There is also a message to Edie saying: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.’ It’s signed, Rest In Pieces. Edie works with her nephew Sean (a Detective Inspector), much to his dismay, to help solve the mystery.

This was an enjoyable mystery for Christmas. Thank you to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for a free copy of #TheChristmasJigsawMurders by Alexandra Benedict. All opinions are my own.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is a mystery set at Christmas time. Edie O’Sullivan is a retired teacher, a puzzle setter, a loner and not a lover of Christmas. She has bad memories of previous Christmases, but there are others who continue to try and get her to celebrate. She raised her great-nephew, Sean Brand-O’Sullivan, who is a Detective Inspector. On 1st of December, she finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Inside, she finds six jigsaw pieces, that when fit together they show part of a crime scene. There is also a message to Edie saying: ‘Four, maybe more, people will be dead by midnight on Christmas Eve, unless you can put all the pieces together and stop me.’ It’s signed, Rest In Pieces. Asking Sean to help her, they begin to follow the clues, but Edie is also trying to keep him safe. Eventually, Sean shuts Edie out, afraid that he is putting her in danger, but she has been keeping a secret from him. How many will die before Edie and Sean solve the mystery and find the killer?

I wasn't thrilled by Alexandra Benedict's last mystery, so wasn't sure what to expect this time out. What I got was an interesting story, with family ties, background stories, a redemption ARC and a well-plotted mystery. I enjoyed meeting Edie and hearing about her past. She had a lot of baggage that brought her to the point she was at relating to Christmas. I really wanted her to come around to the real reason for Christmas and to be able to celebrate once again. Sean is a wonderful character. Edie is his mom in his eyes, but it doesn't mean they have a wonderful relationship. There have been some missteps along the way and because she doesn't have a good relationship with his partner, there are some issues. The jigsaw pieces add a different feel to this mystery. I love how Edie goes about solving the mystery, but will she get there in time before something else happens. I was eagerly awaiting the conclusion of this one to see how it would all play out. I enjoyed this story, the characters and the puzzle elements.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders
Alexandra Benedict

This was enjoyable as a cosy Christmas mystery and also very busy. We had a murder mystery to solve and also puzzles and riddles throughout. The protagonist was rather unlikable at times.
I’m not totally convinced we needed the puzzles as it almost detoured you away.

Do you enjoy working on jigsaw puzzles? We were working on them more as a family during COVID times, but not as much now. My daughter just asked if we could work on one again, so we’ll see if the puzzle table comes out.

Edie O’Sullivan is eighty years old and enjoys her job putting together crossword puzzles for national newspapers. She loves her great-nephew/adopted son, Detective Inspective (DI) Sean Brand-O’Sullivan. Sean is having a stressful Christmas season as he and his husband, Liam, work on trying to show that they would be good adoptive parents. A package with a few puzzle pieces including a picture of Sean’s watch shows up on Edie’s doorstep. Will she be able to put together the puzzle and solve the clues to stop the murderer from reaching her family?

My thoughts on this novel:
• This novel had great characters. I felt like they were all unique personalities and interesting. Edie is a very grumpy character and seems to not care, but she deeply loves her nephew Sean. She has put up walls to protect herself from the heartbreaks she has suffered through her life. I wanted to spend more time with Edie and the characters in this community.

• I couldn’t put this book down and read it quickly as I wanted to know the answer and if Edie would be able to save her nephew.

• This novel was a good look into not judging people. Many people have things going on in their life that you don’t know about. Give people grace.

• I enjoyed that signature on the note that came with the puzzle pieces was signed “rest in pieces.” It made me chuckle every time I read it.

• I definitely did not guess the ending of this one! Besides the resolution of the mystery, the ending also had a heartwarming conclusion.

• The author had a variety of challenges in the book for the reader to complete with answers at the back of the novel. I was lazy and didn’t do any of the challenges.

• This author has written other Christmas mysteries that interest me. I’ll maybe pick some of them up to read next year.

Overall, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict was a riveting mystery with a great grumpy older main character with a heart of gold.

Book Source: E-book review copy from NetGalley and I purchased a paperback edition from Amazon.com. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

3.5/5!

I’m pretty sure Alexandra Benedict is the queen of Christmas murder mysteries!

This is the third Christmas installment I’ve read from Benedict and each year I look forward to what puzzling mystery we’ll receive.

Admittedly, Jigsaw took me the most time out of the three books to get into, but I did find the case to be fascinating as we learned more. I was able to piece some things together as we went along and my final “aha moment” came right before the grand reveal.

I will say I liked the explanation of why these murders came to be a lot. It was don’t in a very ode to Agatha Christie vibe where the detective or in this case amateur sleuth lays everything out. I had a lot of questions and Benedict succeeded in answering all of them by the last page.

If you’re looking for some holiday murder mystery fun next year, I definitely recommend putting Benedict’s books on your radar!

I was excited for this read and did enjoy the premise and all the organization that went into the formatting and puzzles embedded throughout. However, the actual content (or more specifically the style dialogue) fell flat for me. It was not an addicting read for me as mystery/thrillers can feel since I usually don't want to put the book down. I had a hard time connecting with the main character at times and found it difficult to understand the phrasing at many points in the story. I think the intention and premise was fun, however the execution had room for improvement.

Still a big thank you to netgalley for approving this arc for me even after the pub date.