Calling all fans of the Thursday Night Murder Club by Richard Osman this book is for you! This book had me on the edge of my seat waiting for the puzzle to be solved!

I enjoyed Edie O'Sullivan's character and how she was the Pension Puzzler solving a mystery/murders that includes her own past. This book took so many twists and turn yet the reveal was thoroughly explained which was much appreciated!

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the performance by Sandra Duncan and also enjoyed that the phone calls in the book sounded like an actual phone call!

One thing Alexandra Benedict does very well is write unlikeable main characters. In each of her Christmas mysteries, I have absolutely despised the main character, here Edie O’Sullivan, yet still wanted to push through to the end. Which is pretty impressive!

Edie hates Christmas for a bunch of legitimate yet extreme reasons, and she humbugs her way through the season. She is mean, rude, and selfish, meaning she is alone and lonely. It's hard to feel sorry for her, honestly. And eventually, her horrible behaviour comes back to haunt her, in the form of puzzle pieces delivered anonymously with a tauntingly threatening note attached. If she can't solve the puzzle, people will die, including her beloved nephew.

This is the best of her three Christmas mysteries so far, and even though they don't rate terribly high, I still want to read them. I'm a weirdo I guess. But also, the plot is just what I like. I think the common theme is that there is one point in the book where everything goes off the rails, and the reader's suspension of disbelief is just pushed too far.

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Eighty year old Edie has turned into a recluse who avoids all of her neighbours, except for one. One morning, she receives a weird package from an anonymous stranger, containing jigsaw puzzle pieces. The puzzle is incomplete, but it represents a murder scene. She must solve the puzzle with the help of her son Sean, a detective inspector, in order to save the life of the target...
I have read The Christmas Murder Game by this author last year, and I absolutely loved it! So when I saw this one, I had to get my hands on it. Sadly, it fell flat for me. I'm not sure the audio book was the best format to get the full experience (to solve the puzzles in the book), none of the charcaters are likable, and the ending came out of left field, which I hate in a mystery, because there was no way for the reader to guess who the murderer was. I liked the sillyness and lightness (despite the murders), but I would recommend The Christmas Murder Game before I'll ever recommend this one.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Edie loves puzzles. She creates crosswords for the paper and solves jigsaw puzzles in her spare time, but when she receives some jigsaw pieces promising that people will die if she can't solve the puzzle, she's thrown headfirst into a race against the clock and has to use her skills to solve a murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the narrator. She did an excellent job of bringing life to the various characters. And her voice really added to the cozy vibes of the story.

It did start off slow for me- I wasn't really fully engaged and invested until around the 50% mark.

Overall, I did enjoy the story- for some reason it really reminded me of watching Murder She Wrote, and I didn't call the reveal of the culprit. But I found the pacing off and never really felt connected to the characters and it holds me back from giving this a higher reading.

If you're looking for a cozy, holiday murder mystery, you might enjoy this!!!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ALC. My opinions are my own 💕

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Sandra Duncan does a wonderful fob with the narration on this book! All the characters were performed to perfection, which is a difficult task for a single narrator. I found the story itself lacking a bit and it made it hard for me to concentrate on the story. At about the half way point I found myself getting more into it and it flowed more smoothly from there. If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, you might enjoy this book!

So, I wanted to listen to this soooo bad, however I do not like the narrator. It was a bit difficult to understand even on 1.25x speed. Would rather have read this myself sadly. 🥲 I kept trying but it wasn’t working out

Quick Summary: A holiday whodunit

My Review: The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict is a contemporary mystery/thriller. This book was released in 2023, however, the audiobook is scheduled to be released in October 2024.

About the Book: Puzzler extraordinaire, Edie O’Sullivan, receives a mysterious package in the mail during the Christmas holidays. Inside she finds a jigsaw puzzle and a cryptic message. Once she enlists the help of her nephew, who just so happens to be a detective, the story unfolds. As it does, suspects are questioned, clues are examined, and murder takes place again. Who might the killer be?

About the Narration: Sandra Duncan narrated this book.

My Final Say: This was a fairly suspenseful read. Although pacing was a little slow in spots, overall, it was alright. Multiple relationship conflicts were a large part of the story and often propelled the movement. The characters were acceptable, however, I found myself not warming up to them, which was an odd outcome that I did not expect.

Other: Readers who enjoy mysteries that contain family drama and relationship woes should like this.

Rating: 2.5/5
Recommend: -
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💬
Audiobook: Yes
Narration: +/-
Other: LGBTQIA representation
Genre Listings: General Adult Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media) and to NetGalley for providing access to an ALC of this title in exchange for an honest review. The words I have shared are my own. I appreciate the opportunity.