This was such a delightful mystery. I loved that the main character is a cranky old woman who doesn't like anyone besides her nephew, her friend, and her crosswords. I also loved that the mystery actually had some complexity and seriousness, giving the main character depth and not turning her into a joke.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sadly this one wasn't doing anything for me and I ended up DNFing early on. I'm sure it will appeal to lovers of British cozy mysteries that involve puzzles more than it worked for me. I was looking forward to this one and disappointed that it didn't capture my attention. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

In Xmas Jigsaw Murder, we follow Edie, an old lady who is a puzzle master, trying to solve a puzzle that leads to clues in a series of murders. Edie has to solve the clues before her or her son/nephew is killed by the assassin. This book has many twists and turns and I find the ending really well done, because we get some time to try and figure out who the killer is by ourselves, before the narrator reveals the clues. It's really cool!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In the book The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, author Alexandra Benedict follows Edie O'Sullivan who finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep with jigsaw pieces. The message included with the pieces promises that four people will die. Is the solution to unraveling the mystery in the pieces? And how is everything connected? This was a great story idea but the execution was not very good. This puzzle book was puzzling. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict is a gripping, holiday-themed mystery that blends intricate puzzles with a high-stakes race against time. The story follows Edie O'Sullivan, a reclusive puzzle setter who becomes embroiled in a deadly game when a mysterious jigsaw puzzle is left on her doorstep, hinting at a series of murders. As the clock ticks down to Christmas Eve, Edie and her detective nephew, Sean, must piece together clues to stop the killer before more lives are lost. Benedict crafts a clever and atmospheric thriller, perfect for fans of puzzles and suspensful mysteries.

Thank you Alexandra Benedict, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

On the 1st of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Carla Murphy finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box with a question mark on the lid, and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene – blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. On the back of the pieces is a message: ‘His death takes place on the solstice, unless you can put together the pieces,’ along with a clue to the location of more pieces.

This book balances well the Christmas spirit with the grim reality of a murder mystery. Carla doesn't like Christmas because bad things seem to happen at Christmas - most notably her mother dying during the birth of her sibling. But her adopted son (who also happens to be her great-nephew) loves Christmas. So there is talk of holiday activities such as whether Carla will come for Christmas dinner and decorating for the holidays.

I liked that the curmudgeon is a female character, but that she isn't the typical Scrooge. She is quite kind - she adopted her great-nephew after his parents were killed and you can tell she truly loves him. While there is a set up for her to change her mind about Christmas, it isn't really a Scrooge-type story. For a reason I can't quite put my finger on, Carla reminded me of Susan Ryeland of Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.

I do the occasional crossword puzzle and if you enjoy riddles and crosswords, then you enjoy the clues and "fun facts" about crossword puzzle creations. Some of the things Carla reveals I've encountered and recognized in the puzzles I've done but some I haven't (I think I would hate and probably never figure it out if the clue is an anagram).

Sandra Duncan is a great narrator. She added another dimension to the characters and I had no trouble telling the characters apart when they had dialogue. I found that I had to limit distractions while listening to the audiobook and might have enjoyed the book slightly more if I had read it myself. But if you are just wrapping presents, then this would be a great book to accompany the activity.

The mystery is interesting and the clues are clever riddles. I didn't guess the killer but it made perfect sense when revealed.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is a stand-alone murder mystery, but if you enjoy it as much as I did Benedict has written a couple of other Christmas murder mysteries.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/10/2-christmas-capers-to-listen-to-instead.html

A delightful holiday mystery! Edie O’Sullivan is not the most lovable protagonist—she hates Christmas!—but she is highly intelligent, logical, and intrepid, which makes her the best person to solve this puzzle. I found the setting and characters very interesting, and the mystery abundantly complex. The relationship between Edie and her nephew (and almost everyone else) adds to this story, which I thoroughly enjoyed in audiobook format. It will definitely put you in the holiday spirit!

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend this it to everyone.
This book is about Edie O'Sullivan a renowned puzzler and an anti-Christmas person; however this can be explained by the many tragedies that have plagued her during Christmas past. Even though she is a loner, she has a great relationship with her nephew/adopted son, Sean. Sean is a Detective Inspector with a husband named Liam and he loves Christmas even though he didn't celebrate it as a child. He and his husband are in the process of hopefully adopting a child.
The mystery begins when Edie is given a jigsaw puzzle and anonymous note goading her into solving the puzzle before someone is murdered. The note explicity threatens Sean. With a serial killer targeting her family, Edie is trying to protect her nephew but is always a step behind the killer.
She needs to look into her past to find the answers to who the killer is. Can she do it? Or will the past swallow her whole?
I really like Edie even if she tends to push people away when things get tough. She is sarcastic and witty but also a deeply flawed individual.
Thank you to Net Galley and @DreamScape_Media for letting my read this in advance!

I really wanted this to be a cozy mystery, ala Hallmark Mysteries, but it ended up getting more violent and descriptive than I thought the little puzzle ladies deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexandra Benedict, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook. Narrated by Sandra Duncan, this was an engaging who-done-it mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the intriguing plot and the festive elements woven throughout the story.

Too a while to get into but well worth sticking with it. It was a fantastic read and a great Christmas book. The reader was wonderful.

So this one is being touted as a cozy mystery. Not sure I agree with that as there are some pretty gruesome murders going on here! 😮

Edie is an octogenarian who is known as the Pensioner Puzzler. She writes crossword puzzles for the local news outlet and is pretty well known around town.

DI Sean is her son/ great nephew. He’s always busy being a police officer. He’s happily married to his husband.

As Christmas is approaching, Edie is in her usual foul mood…but then, she has every right to be, as she had multiple tragedies happen throughout her lifetime that revolve around Christmastime…

One day she discovers a present on her doorstep. But as she opens it, she realizes that it is actually a miniature crime scene. In the form of a puzzle. And she is the only one who might be able to solve it. But the stakes are VERY HIGH, as peoples lives are on the line…

Interesting premise. Very descriptive scenes. Very funny 80 year old MFC! 😊
And, I have to tell you, the way it all plays out, well…I never saw it coming!

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which was released 10/8/24!!

#TheChristmasJigsawMurders by #AlexandraBenedict and narrated nicely by #SandraDuncan.

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When the famous puzzle maker Edie receives pieces of a puzzle at her doorstep, her brain refuses to ignore the sign that lives may be in danger. What she didn’t imagine was that solving this crime scene of a puzzle may push her to relive the memories she had long forgotten.

Edie's character throughout the book has been very entertaining to read as a reader I could savour all the flavours of a lively person. From her determination to solve puzzles to carving herself out of past trauma, she was someone who kept my eyes glued to the pages. The mystery angle was decent, the stakes weren't too high, thus I missed the feeling of being unhinged. Overall, it is a decent murder mystery that I enjoyed as an audiobook.

3.5/5 ⭐️

A fun cozy thriller. Nothing grotesque or earth shattering. And had a great underlining story of family and growth.

Last year I read Alexandra Benedict's book Murder on the Christmas Express and was excited to see this novel show up for a read this season. I enjoy a "who-dun-it" mystery with some great twists and turns which harken to the works of Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh.

The main character is an 80 year old reclusive puzzle setter named Edie, who does not have the best relationship with friends, family, or neighbors, except one woman who lives next door and seems to be a perfect foil to her grinch like ways.

When Edie receives a package on her doorstep foretelling of murders to come if she does not solve the puzzles in time, Edie has to get her great nephew, but also closet person she has to a son, Sean, involved who is also a Detective Inspector. The plot weaves through a host of characters in Edie's past, making her relive some things she would much rather leave in her memories.

I will say this is more of a cozy murder mystery. It's a bit hard to say it's a thriller/ suspense but there is a point where you are wondering about one character (no spoilers).

My only critique is there is quite a bit going on in this book which I think makes it a lot to work through. I think Edie puts her nose into a lot of things she shouldn't which would muddle aa true crime investigation but it wouldn't be a fictious "who-dun-it" if the character we are following didn't do some outlandish things. She is our grumpy Ms. Marple or Jessica Fletcher (from Murder She Wrote).

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook! This book was so entertaining. The mystery of murders and the random clues kept my attention.

This book reminded me of Agatha Christie. I related to it with my love of jigsaw puzzles and true crime. I absolutely adored the characters and their stories. The ending was perfect.

Puzzle-solving curmudgeon Edie receives a cryptic jigsaw puzzle foretelling multiple murders by Christmas Eve. She contacts her adopted son, a police detective, but he distances her from the investigation. As the body count rises, she must confront her past to solve the killer’s deadly puzzle and stop their crime spree.

Edie is no Jessica Fletcher. She’s a complicated character who struggles to allow love into her life. This novel has a fairly dark tone without being gruesome. It’s kind of a mashup between cozy mystery and psychological thriller. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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.