Predictable in parts but Antonia is a sympathetic character and I liked the intrigue of who the killer was and the red herrings thrown into the mix

I was able to predict who The killer was but this did a giv3 good introduction before going on to read his latest novel Cold Christmas. The tension did build through the book so kept me going.

I always look for a really good seasonal thriller for the Christmas period and this fits the bill. It is chilly and brooding, as befits the time of year, and builds a sense of unease and later dread of how the serial killer of the title will escalate his plans for Christmas in the weeks of Advent and beyond. The tension of the killer's intentions is neatly balanced by the frustrated and increasingly desperate investigation led by acting DCI Antonia Hawkins and her team. I found this gripping and totally absorbing till the final pull of the trigger, and can hardly wait to start the next festive case by Alastair Gunn and the investigative team: 'Cold Christmas'.

A fast paced detective novel in search of a self justifying murderer nicknamed the Advent Killer by the press. DCI Antonia Hawkins, given a baptism of fire by this, her first murder investigation, seems thwarted at every turn by the killer, not realising that ultimately she would become his prey. Whilst this last twist gave a heightened degree of excitement, it was in no way original and has been used many times in similar novels. However, I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it.

First in the series, this book introduces the reader to DCI Antonia Hawkins who has temporarily been promoted to the position of DCI and mistakenly handed a case that is much bigger than she is ready for. On the personal front, her fiance has moved out after she confesses to an affair and that man returns after being assigned away for 6 months. In real life, I question whether the police force would notice the connection between all the murders: they are killed at 1am. But thankfully this isn't the real world and the connection is made, not that it helps DCI Hawkins much. I will admit that I had hoped for a different person being the killer, but that is just my own twisted mind. As it was, Mr. Gunn made the characters interesting and still surprised me in the end.

A great read. I enjoyed this book. It wasn't fantastic thus the 3 stars.

Quite a good story line and the characters were belivable .I did guess the ending but overall I enjoyed the read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Antonia Hawkins is the lead deceive in charge of finding the Advent killer. Two woman are already dead and the next Sunday is Christmas Day.
The team have no leads and are desperate to find one. They can find no link between the two victims, one found drowned in her bath and the other savagely beaten to death. U
DCI Hawkins is under a lot of stress both personal and professional as she leads her first big case,
This book certainly doesn’t read like a debut crime novel - very well written. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This book is a well written police procedural with strong characters. It kept me gripped throughout. It is not as gruesome as some of this genre, and where there are such descriptions they add to the story. As is so often the case, I found myself shouting 'No! Wait for back up!' They didn't, of course, hence only 4 stars. Looking forward to reading more from Alastair Gunn.

For about the first 150 pages I really enjoyed this book and then it just seemed to drag on and on. I felt there was to many characters and the leads they followed were so obviously false. I felt the last part of the book took forever to finish. I did like Antonia and McGuire and I would be prepared to give the second book a go, just to see what they are getting up to.

I quite enjoyed this book, it was a bit grisly and depressing at times, but on the whole I felt that it was a good read. I did feel that the plot fell apart towards the end though

Brilliant. A really well written edge of the seat thriller. I read this book in one go. I had to know who the killer was. The answer to that totally blindsided me. I could not work out who the killer was the whole way through. Toni is a really good character. Her back story and her determination to get her job done make her someone you want to read about again. More Toni please.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to review this book. Although out of sequence, this is the second DCI Hawkins novel by Alastair Gunn that I’ve read and my review is going to be fairly repetitive, albeit with opinions rather more crystallised after two outings with DCI Toni Hawkins. And, speaking of outings with DCI Hawkins, could I just say in passing that DCI Hawkins is not an officer I’d care to entrust my life with if I were a junior member of her team! The irritatingly contrived plot lines are a shame as the writing is fast-paced and can be hard to put down. The trouble with this book and the later thriller in this series is that the plots require a ready preparedness to suspend disbelief and embrace incredible storylines rather too readily. Add to that the fact that any senior police officer who so cavalierly disregarded standard operating procedures in the way that Toni Hawkins does would be rapidly demoted or dismissed. In addition, while introducing ‘real-life’ issues from officers’ private lives can help to flesh out what can otherwise be rather two-dimensional characters, Ms Hawkins’s on-off angst-ridden relationships with her various partners are - to this reader at least - just too wearing to be interesting or entertaining. Notwithstanding this rather harsh criticism, the writing has features that commend it and - with better plots - could be outstanding in the thriller/police procedural genre.

Long drawn out storyline with lacklustre characters

Sorry but didn't really like this one. Too far fetched. Not enough investment in the main characters

As I was offered Cold Christmas, a sequel to The Advent Killer, I thought I should read the books in order. I wasn't disappointed. Although, a typical crime thriller, I enjoyed the fast paced, gripping storyline. The main character DCI Antonia Hawkins was believable and likeable. A serial killer who murders ladies in London at 1am on a Sunday morning in December has the capital in a panic. Where will he strike next? There appears no link between the victims and no forensic evidence to work with. A real page turner, I appreciated the subtle red herrings which convinced me of a different culprit for quite a while. I look forward to reading Cold Christmas and hope it is as enjoyable as this one.

Struggled to get excited about this book, it was okay but found myself skim reading to get to the end

3.5 stars

I've been a bit spoiled for the average female detective with offerings from Harry Bingham and S.J.Bolton so Antonia didn't quite hit what I now want to see in a female DCI. Having said that this is a fast paced and enjoyable police procedural. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely look out for the next one.

The Advent killer by Alister Gunn
An excellent debut novel that held me despite problems in the formatting. The lead character is a dedicated female cop with a colourful history. The plot is good and unusual enough for me to enjoy the many blind allies. I was disappointed that there is yet another senior who dislikes TGE lead character and hope this doesn't become a major feature in future books..... But I will certainly read the next in the series and hope it lives up to the potential of this first novel

I am a bit conflicted over this book. I liked it okay but I didn't love it. I can't think of anything in particular that led me to this but I know that nothing jumped out to make it brilliant.