I sometimes wonder whether Alex has an issue with winter or Christmas time haha. Or whether it just makes a really great spin to have a murder mystery for the season instead of good cheer!
I love the who Dunnit feel I always get with these books. Being kept on my toes with a few shady characters. One in particular man I wanted to do nasty(in fiction of course) things to.
Will our detective ever get a break? A holiday with presents not bodies to unwrap?
I do love how we have a new, almost sentimental knowing of what Alex's next book in the series might be about this time, though.

Poor James Walker just can't seem to catch a break. Since he and his family left the bustle of the city five years ago for a quieter life in the countryside, every Christmas and New Year has been tainted by a chilling unaliving or two.

This year is no exception. A man dressed as Santa has been found beneath the village snow stabbed, and the situation only grows darker when it's revealed that he's a former police officer.

Soon enough, another body turns up, and now DI James Walker and his team are racing against time and the unforgiving weather to catch the killer before any more evidence - or lives - are lost.

Having read the first four DI James Walker books last December, I was glad to see a new release this year. Though I'm not usually drawn to cozy murder mysteries, I do enjoy this series.

Here, we have a cast of shady characters and a string of possible suspects that kept me guessing. I didn’t pinpoint the killer, but I changed my mind several times, thanks to the steady supply of red herrings.

There’s a real mix of characters; some I rooted for, and others I wanted to kick! Liam, in particular, stands out as an infuriatingly entitled man-child. And poor Annie, James' wife, deserves a quiet evening with a glass of wine after all she's endured! Perhaps next year, they’ll escape to a sunny, murder-free holiday for once.

Although part of a series, this would work well as a standalone, too, thanks to a helpful character bio at the start. It’s a handy refresher for returning readers and an easy entry point for newcomers.

A huge thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own. The Killer in the Cold is out 7th November (UK)

DCI James Walker is back on the case. Its Christmas so it must be murder time and the a Father Christmas is found dead in the snow.
He is an ex policeman and then his wife is found dead in the their house.
The community once again is on edge and can James bring the murderer to justice swiftly.

This was part of a series (book 5 I think? But despite being a series, I feel likt this could be read as a stand alone, as there is no major critial pieces of information needed in prior books in order to read this. . The short chapter sin this book make it much easer to digest and read. This would make a good Christmas read - something a bit different, however I read it in November for NetGalley ARC, but I do think reading this around Christmas season would really help the 'reading vibe' So little was going on it felt like it was happening in real time! On Christmas Eve, a former police detective and his wife are murdered in the village and James is tasked with finding out wo committed the crime, whilst the villagers become frustrated at how long it’s taking the police to get to the bottom of it. Real life right?

This story is the next in the series featuring DCI James Walker and he has another Christmas crime to focus on when two residents of his village are found killed. Will the team manage to find the culprit?

I have read most of the books in this series, however having missed one or two didn’t ruin this story for me and it can be read as a standalone. This was a quick, easy read with an intriguing setting. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this as much as some of his others and found this a bit slow and repetitive, therefore struggled to get too excited about picking it up. I think the main issue was the unnecessary details and lack of suspense. I also found it all fairly predictable. Although this wasn’t fully for me at the time of reading, this would be a good read for those looking for a festive, simplistic police procedural. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I’ve not read any of the others and now I may have to, I really enjoyed this tbh. It was great! Perfect for the Christmas season.

DCI James Walker is, for once, enjoying a quiet Christmas with his family. Until his peace is shattered on Boxing Day when a dog walker finds a dead body in the village where James lives.
Dressed as Santa the body has been stabbed and James recognises him, he was a retired police officer and James worked with his wife before she too retired.
When another body is found shortly after, fear and panic grip the village.
James and his team need to find the killer quickly, but the victims were loved and well respected members of the community, so finding someone who wanted them dead isn’t going to be easy.
With more twists and turns than a country lane this kept me guessing until the end. DCI James Walker is a brilliant character, and his team complement him perfectly. Throw in a snowy setting and you have the perfect Christmas crime story.
For me, it’s just not Christmas without an Alex Pine book, I look forward to them each year and they never disappoint.

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Killer In The Cold’ written by Alex Pine in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The body of retired police officer Nigel Booth is found in undergrowth still wearing the Santa costume he had on while taking part in the Boxing Day Parade in Kirkby Abbey. Despite being on leave DCI James Walker is called out to investigate and when he visits the home of the victim discovers that his wife Elizabeth, also a retired police officer, has also been killed. DCI Walker and his team have suspects but no actual evidence leading them to the identity of who could have killed these two well-respected police officers who were also his friends.

‘The Killer In The Cold’ is an entertaining crime thriller set in the cold and snowy Lake District where murders have been committed over the Christmas period. Although I’ve only read book four in this Winter series it’s helpful that before the story commences there’s an update on the characters to jog my memory. The characters are perfectly described, especially DCI Walker who it’s good to know has a life and family outside of the police force. The plot is gripping with plenty of suspense and twists and turns and a surprising conclusion, making this an excellent novel to read over the coming festive season while perhaps eating a mince pie and drinking a glass of something warming! This is an addictive thriller that I’ve enjoyed reading and has kept me glued to my Kindle while trying to decide the identity of the killer. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

I've enjoyed each of these novels since reading the first one on publication. This was no exception.

As always James festive season is somewhat marred by bloody corpses. Despite an element of gore these still have a feel of a slightly cosy, traditional thriller. More Midsummer Murders than The Killing.

The writing as always was well thought out and you happily trotted along for the ride encountering red herrings as you went.

I'm already looking forward to the next book. If I had a wish list it would be a tad more character development among the regular faces, and that James wife be a bit less wet.

You can read this as a standalone but I highly reccomend binging on the previous four first this month.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

I've read all the books in this series and it was nice to catch up with the characters again. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing and I'm never going on a break to Cumbria over the Festive period!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I read all previous books in this series and I enjoy the mysteries in them, they are generally very easy and quick books to read.

However, I think they can also be at least 1/2 the size. There is a lot of repetition in the chapters, lots of overexplaining that honestly makes the reading a bit boring. The characters are not very rounded, there are many police officers that don't really have a role in the story if not so DI Walker can assign more tasks to more people. Would do with a bit of simplification and some show not tell (especially if if you tell so many times).

I also would have liked to see a bit more of the setting coming to life. I don't think at the moment it stands out very much (other than pointing out that everyone knows everyone), and the mysteries could really be happening anywhere. It's a shame, as the setting could have a lot of potential.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alex Pine does it again! I absolutely loved this book. I have read the previous 4 and i always look forward to this every autumn/winter. This is the 5th instalment of DCI James Walker. I don't want to give too much away but there is a murder and lots of twists and turns along the way. This book is the most cosiest of murder mystery's, and i am so looking forward to returning to Kirby Abbey for a 6th time fingers crossed. If you haven't already done so pick this series us it is fantastic, so well written and unputdownable.

We are back in Kirkby Abbey where Detective James Walker is enjoying a quiet Christmas at home. When body is found in the woods, the mystery behind. He knows the person, it’s a retired police officer.
It’s a slow burner, but has a great twist at the end. I enjoyed reading about Walker again and these are light reads. It’s a good crime series. A 4 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

DCI James Walker Series, #5

This is the fifth book in the DCI James Walker series that's set in the Cumbrian village of Kirkby Abbey. All the crimes have been set around Christmastime.

DCI James Walker is on leave when he gets the call telling him that a dog walker has found a body dressed as Santa Claus. But it's only a very short time before James is investigating a double murder that shocks the small community. Both murders are in walking distance from Jame's home, and the snow is falling, so the team need to work fast to gather as much evidence as they can before the snow destroys it all.

With plenty of suspects to choose from, you might, like me, guess correctly who the culprit was, but it did take me a while to get there. This time the case is more personal to James and his team. There were clues, red herrings and twists. \the pace is fast, the characters are well-developed. All five books in this series could be read as standalones, but read them all in order, you won't be disappointed. Plus It's coming into the perfect season to read them.

Published 7th November 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #AlexPine for my ARC of #TheKillerInTheCold im exchange for an honest review/

Well Christmas can start now as I’ve got my Detective James Walker Christmas thriller! This is the 5th book in the series and like the others can still work well as a stand alone story (but it is well worth catching up on the others if this is your first time dropping into Kirkby Abbey). Each Christmas there’s a murder in the village which interrupts Walker’s celebrations with his young family and ever so patient wife Annie! At least this year they got to spend Christmas Day together before all the action kicked off!
A fast paced, gripping thriller, with a few red herrings along the way makes this a good read! I found this one really focused on the investigation and solving the crime and less about the lives of the police officers working on the case. I liked that - it meant I was totally engrossed in the case and it was a great read! Happy New Year Detective Walker!

The Killer in the cold is book 5 in the DI James Walker series. But you can read it as a standalone.
Di James Walker hopes this Christmas is different than the previous ones in the small village of Kirby Abbey in Cumbria that he lives with his wife Anne and their young daughter. But it is short lived when he gets a call to say that they have found a body dressed in a Santa costume not far from his home. When the identify the body, they find out that it I the body of retired Police officer Nigel Booth who they assumed that he was on his way to participate the Santa Claus parade.
When they visit the family home to pass the bad news to his wife Elizabeth, they find that she has been murdered too. She is also retired from the police. Who would want to kill this lovely couple? Was it someone that Nigel put away in his Police days? James are in a rush to find the killer encase they strike again.
This is another great episode in the series. Great characters, with loads of suspects and red herrings along the way. I was quite surprised when the author revealed the true killer right at the end. I didn’t see it coming. 5 stars from me.

In The Killer in the Cold, we are back wi DCI James Walker in his small Cumbrian village where once again a murderer strikes at Christmas. It’s the latest novel in Alex Pine’s series and I was booked from the start. It’s a fast paced, gripping thriller with a well thought plot that you will be unable to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

Fans of this well crafted series know that Christmas always brings murder to Cumbria and that DCI James Walker and his team will be racing to solve them so that they can spend some time with their families. New readers - this will be fine as a standalone. This time out, a retired police officer and his wife also a retired officer, are the victims (and he was in a Santa suit!). But that's not all. The body count in the area over time has been high but James continues to be clever. And his wife Annie is a treat. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

First in the series for me and an enjoyable read. Gory murder of Santa, stabbed on his way home, gory murder of his wife, stabbed in their home. Both retired police officers. Small village, everyone knows every else and their business, if they don't they make it up anyway. Main detective also lives in said village. Good policing, good detecting team - all work well together and seem to have avoided the stereotypical drunk/drugged/misogynistic characters of many other series. Pleasure to read and to be able to concentrate on the twists, turns and red herrings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Another great addition to the series! I love how in every book they look forward to a quiet Christmas and then are surprised when someone gets murdered😂

I was completely surprised by the killer reveal, I would never have guessed it!