The narrator was good. The mystery was complicated. I was convinced of the wrong suspect.
I think the way Edie O'Sullivan suppressed her past made it difficult for the reader to get a clear picture of who the perpetrator of the murders was.
The worst of human behavior was on display for this book.
Strangely, there are recipes at the end. This would be more crime fiction in my opinion than cozy mystery. That is why I'm a bit surprised by recipes.
As the title indicates the book is set at Christmas. It's England so there are some different traditions than what you might see in America.
Content warnings: colorful language, sexual predators, infidelity and betrayal
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Octogenarian crossword puzzle creator Edie O’Sullivan receives a mysterious and alarming “gift”, six jigsaw puzzle pieces that appear to show part of a bloody crime scene. The accompanying message, cleverly signed “Rest in Pieces”, warned that four people will die if Edie doesn’t solve the puzzle and stop the killer. Edie and her nephew, Detective Sean Brand-O'Sullivan, race to follow the clues as more puzzle pieces and bodies start piling up.

This Christmas mystery is loaded with complex clues and layered with additional puzzles, including anagrams and references to the works of Charles Dickens and Fleetwood Mac. It’s clever but I found that trying to find/solve the additional puzzles took my focus out of the story (maybe this is just a “me” issue, because I felt similarly about the author’s book The Christmas Murder Game). While I enjoyed prickly, shrewd Edie and her character arc, this book ended up not working for me because it didn’t feel as though the reader could solve the mystery on their own. Even puzzler extraordinaire Edie acknowledges that “part of the enigmatologist’s code involved being oblique as you like but always giving enough information to solve the puzzle.”

I both read and listened to this book and I will say that the two formats are very different experiences. The puzzles embedded in the text are impossible to translate from written form into the audio format, but that also meant it was easier to for me to stay immersed in the story while listening because the puzzles didn’t distract me. The audiobook production value is high, with narrator Sandra Duncan doing an outstanding job of voicing Edie (she perfectly captured the cranky pensioner vibe) and even little touches like phone calls sounding a bit far away vs. the main narration.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Dreamscape Media for providing me advance copies of this book.

OMG THIS WAS SO GOOD!! I hope everyone picks this up and listened to it! This is perfect for Christmas or spooky reads! This was so great!!

This was a fun mystery with a lot of characters and a lot going on. Edie is the central character challenged to solve a puzzle mystery to prevent and solve several murders. This felt more like a cozy mystery with a clever and quick thinker who also happens to be a horrible human - Edie is not the only miserable character in this story, as there are several rude-for-no-reason others as well. I am not sure how the print version would have gone as the narrator really used their voice inflection to emphasize the surliness in the audio version. Edie is also the Scrooge-like character who has spent years hating Christmas who has a great redemptive ending which was nice to see.

The audio narrator (Sandra Duncan) is able to voice an arrogant miserable woman perfectly! The voice for Edie was spot on and the narrator did a great job of shifting between characters and keeping the story entertaining and moving forward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting read with lots of puzzles. Readers may get a little lost in managing between the story and puzzles, but overall, this is a nice read.

2.5 out of 5 stars. This book is so quirky and fun, but it was not for me. This is about a detective who was raised by his great aunt who is the queen of puzzles. The aunt finds herself in the middle of a serial killer’s jigsaw puzzle, and she has to solve the puzzle to save lives. Among all that it addresses LGBTQ, orphans, SA, cancer, and guilt of those who survive.

My favorite part was the production of the audiobook. It was phenomenal. There was even a change in sound when the conversations were taking place over the phone.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for my ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

This a new author to me and I'm so glad I listened to this one! It was super fun and enjoyable. At times the characters were a bit hard to keep straight and it might be easier in print. The narrator was great - clear and well paced. I've already checked out more books from the author through my library.

I am a fan of jigsaw puzzles. Not so much for crosswords though. I did enjoy listening to how this story unfolded with Edie, and the police trying to track down the killer titling themselves RIP (Rest in pieces) which I found to be very aptly named with their penchant for twisty word riddles, jigsaw pieces found on the murdered victims and the game they are playing with Ms. Edie O'Sullivan. Now, Edie is a bit of a cantankerous older woman (80 years old), extremely clever (especially as she is the one that sets puzzles to be put in the newspapers) and has absolutely no filter. So sometimes it was frustrating to see her push away those that love her and are trying to help. From her friend to her great nephew/son Sean. Though as the murders unfold, so too does Edie's past and the way she is, is explained so the reader can understand. The way her mind works was interesting and how she is willing to do anything to save Sean.

There are a few points of view in this book, mostly Edie, but a bit Sean who was a nice addition as I wanted to find out how things were going with him and Liam being able to adopt Juniper, and get his view on RIP. The other view point is the killer which nicely balance what Edie was doing to try and catch them before someone else ended up dead.

As I was listening to the audiobook version of this story, I missed out on the puzzles in the book pages but I still found this a fun story to listen to because this was a murder mystery and a transforming of Edie with her hatred of Christmas (for good reason) and learning to open up and trust her friends and family and let them in. Loved her cats though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to listen to this audiobook and review it.

I liked this one a lot. It was a cozy murder with lots of action. What hooked me though was the octogenarian main character, Edie. She was ornery and feisty. I love a good book about old folks.

This was pretty good. I am going to put the review for this on my IG and Tiktok after Halloween. Thank you Netgalley!

sardonic, unpleasant-main-character, sarcasm, dark-humor, twisted***

A distinctly odd twist to the practice of Christmas giving.
The main character is a rather peculiar eightysomething crossword puzzle setter whose outlook on Christmas has been warped by the personal tragedies she has endured which all fell at Christmastime. The oddly planned murders are aimed at the main character and come complete with jigsaw puzzle clues spattered with blood. The tale is a fiendish thriller that many will love, but I felt quite irritated by the overuse of LGBTQIA characters and angst.
The audio is dramatically narrated by Sandra Duncan who adds to the whole atmosphere.
I requested and received a temporary audio from Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.

3 stars rounded up for The Christmas Jigsaw Murders and Alexandra Benedict.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Alexandra Benedict for this arc audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Edie has a passion for crosswords and jigsaw puzzles, so she can't help but feel curious when a mysterious box filled with jigsaw pieces and an enigmatic note arrives at her doorstep. However, as more pieces start to show up, a string of murders unfolds, and Edie must unravel the mystery quickly to protect herself and her cherished great-nephew, who she considers like a son, from becoming the next targets!

Listen, I wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, it fell short in many ways. I think the biggest downfall imo was the main character, Edie. She is SO unlikable (i get why the author did it with how the ending unraveled) but still - investing so much into Edie, a truly horrible black heart of a person.

When the killer was revealed .. it was truly out of left field. I wanted to read something spooky since we are so close to Halloween but I was disappointed, unfortunately.

I love Christmas themed mysteries and thrillers so I was interested in this one. The beginning started out strong with a cozy jigsaw session turning into an intriguing mystery. It has such a good start that ai thought this one had serious favourite potential unfortunately the story went downhill from there and I found myself struggling to focus. The narrator was excellent but it was not enough to keep me engrossed.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is a cozy holiday mystery that gives Agatha Christie vibes. I enjoyed listening to this book and feel like the narrator was an excellent choice. Overall, this was a fun, quick read full of puzzles and mystery.

🎧 Book Info

- Author: Alexandra Benedict
- Narrator: Sandra Duncan
- Length: 9hrs

🧠 Plot & Characters

- Brief Plot Summary: The Christmas Jigsaw Murders tells the story of Edie O'Sullivan, a famous puzzle setter who gets drawn into a chilling mystery. She starts receiving jigsaw pieces that form crime scenes and messages from a killer, challenging her to prevent more deaths by Christmas Eve. Her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan, helps her navigate the clues and suspects, all while dealing with their personal struggles and the rising body count. The tension mounts as they race against time to solve the puzzle and stop the killer before the holiday deadline.
- Favorite Character: Edie - I love doing puzzles - crosswords, jigsaw, etc - and I understood her passion for them. I do hate that she’s so stubborn sometimes, but as a woman, I fully support it 😂

🎙️ Narration

- Narration Quality: A+!

🌌 Atmosphere

- Setting & Mood: many murders happening during the holidays leading to a tense mood
- Suspense Level: 🔍🔍🔍🔍

💭 Final Thoughts

- Overall Enjoyment: it seemed a bit long winded, but it was entertaining enough to keep my attention.
- Rating (out of 5 stars): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Recommend? depends on if you’re a fan of a slow burn or a fast pacer. this book is the former.

If you love a good mystery with clues a-plenty and complex layers, you'll love The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, by Alexandra Benedict.

Edie O'Sullivan is a professional puzzler, creating crosswords for a job. It's a wonderful passion, until she gets a morbid note in the mail about four murders that would take place before Christmas, and a packet with a few jigsaw pieces. She calls upon her great-nephew (whom she raised when his immediate family died), who is an inspector, to help her once bodies start dropping. There seems to be a connection to him, too, through his husband's running club. Clues continue showing up, and a killer is on the loose at the most wonderful time of the year.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I received an alc through netgalley and the publisher, and the narration fit the book so well. Edie is an elderly lady, and Sandra Duncan did a wonderful job, especially with the humor of a little cantankerous old lady.

I enjoyed the mystery of this story, but it wasn't my favorite part. Something about the recording and the story itself had this nostalgic sort of feeling about it. I'm not sure if it was because of the elderly MC (for most of the novel), or the Christmasy sort of spirit, but it felt really cozy to me (though I'm not sure I'd necessarily call it a cozy mystery...there are certainly high stakes).

If you're a fan of both mystery and Christmas stories, hey, this is a perfect read for this time of year!

My thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape for this arc. But I could not get thru it with that stuffy hard to understand narrator and audio output.

I felt the plot was good. I felt the characters and writing were okay.. at ti es the language was a little of
F as well as the slexual innuendos. I had difficulty understanding the narrator at times. On a whole the book was satisfactory.

Edie O'Sullivan, an 80-year-old introvert, is a pro at crafting and solving crossword puzzles. So when a mysterious gift shows up on her doorstep, it turns out to be a real-life puzzle, and she’s challenged by someone calling themselves “Rest In Pieces” to piece it all together before more bodies start piling up. Edie decides to enlist her nephew Sean, a detective inspector, for help, but she keeps some details to herself. As more gifts keep arriving, Edie tries to crack the case on her own, but with each new victim, another puzzle piece comes to light. This cozy mystery is a delightful read set during the Christmas season! I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

I really liked Ms. Sandra Duncan's narration and her ability to change her voice for different characters.She had a soothing voice that I enjoyed,

**I would suggest reviewing trigger warnings**

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a complimentary copy of this audiobook

I read The Christmas Murder Games last year and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to read this one badly, but unfortunately I think the audio format and the narrator just did not do it for me. I wasn't able to push through and keep listening. I might try it again but in ebook form !