Wow! After reading the blurb, I just had to request this book. I was immersed from the beginning. DI James Walker is ready to spend some quality family time and this Christmas is the perfect time to do so. However, just as things start to settle in, he receives a present that is wrapped on his doorstep. When he opens it, he gets a gruesome surprise. There is also a note attached. Twelve days and twelve murders. Just like the note stated there was a body found in the snow. The quaint little town is now worried. Who will be the next victim? There are eleven more to go. This is a fast paced mystery that will have you guessing right along to the end. The writer does an amazing job with time sequencing and character involvement and keeping it to just what needs to be said. Not going off on tangents about things that only will confuse the reader. I love this book and will recommend it to anyone who is interested in this genre.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love British Crime Fiction and was exciting to receive a copy of The Christmas Killer from NetGalley a d Harlequin/Avon books .
It had the perfect setting in beautiful Cumbria at Christmas so was very promising.

DI James Walker and his wife Amber move for their own protection from London to Amber's childhood home in Kirkby Abbey, Cumbria after a gangland boss that James tries to put away gets off.
However Christmas in Cumbria is less than peaceful when James finds a message on his doorstep warning him on the 12 days of Christmas 12 deserving villagers will die. James is put in charge of the case on his new role in Cumbria police force

I felt that the author dragged out the plot and didn't have a plan themselves where to go with it and just decided to end it as they were at a loss themselves and gave up

I thought this book could have been so much better I was left very disappointed.

2.5⭐️s

Thank you to Netgalley, Alex Pine, and Avon Books UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The concept of this story is great. I love mysteries, I love Christmas, throw in a serial killer and some murder? You’ve got me! I really enjoyed that it took place in a small town as that almost gives it a creepier vibe because small towns usually come with people knowing most of the towns inhabitants, and everyone goes to the same church/shops at the same stores. There is an intimacy to a small town you do not get with a large city, which is why the setting is perfect.

Having said that, I found the characters to be okay. I wasn’t invested in any of them and in fact found myself hoping that all who had been on the list of to be murdered would actually get murdered to keep it interesting. Annie was a bit too much for me and I did not feel any sort of emotional connection to her or what she was going through. I liked James and obviously it was going to be a big city cop that moved to the small town that was the main character. His investigating was...lacking. Overall the characters were meh, and the writing was fine. I think of those two things (which aren’t small) had been better the story could have been AMAZING.

Not saying don’t read it. If you like mysteries certainly give it a try. Maybe you will find things in it you love that I missed!!

I read the synopsis, crossed my fingers and was delighted when NetGalley informed me I was to receive an ARC as this book appeared to be exactly the kind of murder mystery I most love.

Unfortunately, for me it didn’t live up to expectations. I really struggled to engage with the main characters. The writing didn’t flow, and though the premise was intriguing the delivery missed the mark and I was generally underwhelmed by the whole story.

I don’t want to go into too much detail as there would be a risk of spoilers. But for me this was very disappointing and a waste of what could have been a great story.

*** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ***

I enjoyed the book it was fun to read someone's where a bit easy to guess what was going on the plot was a bit slow but I was hooked by the plot a good read good characters that made me smile a few twists and goo read

I enjoyed the Christmas killer as who doesn’t like a whodunnit in a small village at Christmas?? I really liked the character of James and would like another book that covers off him and Andrew against each other. Annie bugged me to the point ****spoiler alert*******

I wanted her to be the murderer just to make her interesting!! I was quite disappointed when the murderer was revealed as my theory of Annie had much more legs given her history with the rest of the villagers but hey ho! This was still a blooming good read and I enjoyed it.

3.5* rounded to 4*

A big thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Alex Pine for letting me read a copy of this for an honest review

He's no Saint Nick but he definitely has list. 12 Days, 12 Victims.

As the little village slowly gets cut off from the outside by a blizzard and the murders start increasing, can the killer be stopped before his twelfth victim.


While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and felt it was a very fun read, I'm left a tad disappointed.
The writing was simple with little to no meaningful interaction and most of the book was spent talking to one person then the next then the next.

However like I said it was a very fun read and I would recommend as a good Christmas book if you wanted a quick and easy read.

DI James Walker has recently transferred from the busy London police force to the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria; expecting a much slower pace of life with less danger. However, his first Christmas is upended when he receives a nasty gift threatening that over of 12 nights, 12 people will die. As the bodies begin appearing its up to James and his team to work against the clock and figure out who the perpetrator is. However, this is no easy tasks as the village of Kirkby Abbey is littered with secrets and a huge snowstorm is moving in threatening to holt the investigation.

I found this a really enjoyable book, It wasn’t perfect but it was very good. Let’s begin by saying I called the killer within the first couple of chapters, I just knew! I’m not sure if I have read too many crime novels, the author wanted to drop the hints early so the reader knew who it was or if it was just a little obvious and clique. Either way I guess correctly! That led to many moments of frustration when the police weren’t going after the right person but, it did make for a good story.

This book really walked the line between being a really quaint with almost Agatha Christie vibes mixed with something a little darker. The fact it was set in a small quaint village with a limited group of characters really gave it a cosy mystery feel. However, the actual crimes were dark and graphic so that offered a real contrast and for me it was a combination that really worked. Also, rather oddly I found this book quite Christmasy! I know it’s called The Christmas Killer but I wasn’t expecting festive vibes from a murder story. The small village teamed with the run up to Christmas and the approaching snowstorm come together to give it an earie festive feel. I loved the approaching bad weather and the threat of snow. There is nothing like a storm to isolate people with a killer on the loose to build a creepy atmosphere.

I liked the main character of James, he was actually really nice! It was so refreshing too read about a detective who wasn’t middle aged, divorced and plagued with baggage. James is in fact married to Annie and they have a strong relationship. I liked how open and honest they were with each other. James would talk to Annie in the evening about the investigation and use her as a sounding board. They just seemed to have a real easy-going happy relationship which I found really fresh for a detective book.

Despite my predicting the killer I was still so invested in the story. I was happy watching the plot unfold and see who the next victim would be. As I mentioned Kirkby Abbey has a lot of secrets and it was interesting watching all the little side stories unfold and these came out. My only other criticism of this story was at times the pacing felt a little off. It got off to quite a slow start and then felt like the investigation meandered at times with James and him team just interviewing the same people and getting nowhere. It made the stakes feel lower somehow and just wasn’t as action packed as I am used to. We were also well into 90% of the book and they hadn’t really made any headway with the investigation so the ending did seem a little rushed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I did predict the killer but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much. I think I would have liked it if the investigation was a little more procedural with some more evidence being found to lead the investigation. It did feel the outcome was more a stroke of luck rather than the police following the clues. However, I loved the atmosphere and the feeling of the cosy, small town, Christmas whilst isolated vibes. I also really liked our main character and the lovely relationship he had with his wife. I will definitely be reading more from this series should more books be written.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

20% in before someone dies in a murder mystery detective book?
Lame.
"Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders."
I could have dealt with the lack of murdery moments (though I prefer not too!) if the side stories and characters had had more pull.
All the characters felt uncomfortable in their own skin which made the book feel more drawn out than was pleasant.
It was all very bland.
Thanks to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for my DRC.

Finished reading this cosy Christmas season murder mystery set in a small village in Cumbria where DI James Walker recently shifted to along with his wife. He is informed about the twelve murders going to take place during the twelve days in advance through mysterious Christmas cards. Though he early on thinks it might be a prank but soon it becomes clear that a killer is on the run as the series of murders begins.

This was a good police procedural story where everyone in the village had secrets of their own and underlying motives to hide, resulting in the increasing list of suspects.
This was an easy read and the story itself is quite straightforward, there isn't much tension or thrill that keeps you at the edge of your seat, however, it is gripping and I found myself flipping through the pages to reach the conclusion and discover how it will all wrap up. Talking about the ending, having read many mysteries/thrillers over the years my brain works overtime and can figure out the identity of the killer early on and in this case, I turned out to be right. But I am sure it will be a surprise for many.

I personally think this book will be enjoyed by people who don't like dark or gruesome murder stories. Overall it is an entertaining debut novel and I enjoyed reading it. Looking forward to reading more by this talented author.
3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy of, The Christmas Killer, by Alex Pine. Its the 12 days or Christmas or is the 12 murders of Christmas, DI James Walker has to find out who is behind the killings, before they kill again. This will be a Christmas he will never forget.

I would describe this book as more of a whodunnit type book rather than a thriller but I enjoyed it all the same!
I felt really involved with the storyline from the beginning and felt like I was investigating things as James Walker was.
I have never read a book like this before - but I found it very easy to read, and I felt myself wanting to continue to find out who the murderer was!

This thriller had a pretty interesting premise - a killer sends a Christmas card to a detective promising to present 12 gifts for Christmas in the form of murdering 12 people who the killer says deserve to die. That detective and his wife and recently moved home to her small hometown and there are certainly the fair share of secrets hidden amongst the villagers. There were certainly a lot of suspects and interesting clues. It was a little hard to get into for me, I’m not totally sure why as it was written well and the story was fine, but I had to push myself to get into it. Overall it wasn’t bad and I would read another by this author.

This was a great opener for what I assume will be a series for Detective James Walker and his wife.. The opening scenes in London and his nemesis will I assume feature in future novels.
The main storyline set in Cumbria was a really good whodunnit. It was not a gory novel but focussed more on the characters and clues which I really enjoyed. All the characters and scenes were really well written.
I really enjoyed this and thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book

So DI James moves his family from London to the Cumbrian village his wife grew up in, in the anticipation of a safer life. There had been threats – or so he believed – against his family in London and his wife was increasingly nervous living there. Her home village was small – less than 1000 people, and set in a lovely part of the world – Cumbria is great – if you can take the weather – another wet, windy and cold area of the world.
There are incidents and James starts to wonder if this is a local sicko or were they followed from London?
For me, this read like a Midsummer’s Murders storyline – a local murder spree with village spite and secrets and rivalries all being played out through murder.
A little too predictable in all the murderer was for me although plenty of red herrings – and if like me, you get curious as to where some of these phrases we use in everyday life come from, we can trace ‘red herring’ to a journalist of the early 1800s, who claimed to have used a very strong (red = going off) herring to lay a false trail when he was a boy trying to prevent hare coursing. And I also learned recently about where the phrase red handed comes from. In the Inns of Court in central London, here is an old Mulberry tree which has black fruits. If you eat these fruit – or even pick them, your hands are stained. Mulberry fruit were valuable and loved to eat in the 16/1700s. so boys used to go and pick the fruit to sell – and got caught because of the staining on their hands.
This Mulberry tree has black fruits and was planted by mistake by King James. He wanted to grow mulberries to feed silk worms as silk was so expensive – and the Huguenot weavers has settled in London and thus could weave him silk cheaply. Except it is the white mulberry that feeds silk worms! Oops.

For Detective Inspector James Walker a move from London to a quiet Cumbrian village is meant to signal a change of pace, a chance to escape the threats faced after a known criminal he was instrumental in putting away is released. Unfortunately, his move coincides with a rather twisted scheme someone has to kill twelve people they feel to be sinners.
The story begins with a clear attempt to show the stress James and his wife are under. We are quite keen for them to get their quiet life, and it feels hard luck when the first body turns up just after James has received a threatening package.
What follows is quite drawn out and very frustrating. We get a series of murders and it’s clear that something serious is happening, but the suspects are hard to come by. The Christmas setting plays its part, with a snowstorm impeding matters further as the police race to solve the crime.
Eventually we get answers, and it was definitely a hard won case.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this before publication.

Plot - no spoilers
Escaping the hustle and bustle of The Big Smoke, DI James Walker and his wife Annie relocate to the quaint town of Kirkby Abbey in the north of England. Whilst there are conflicting opinions on a calmer, quieter walk of life, their lives are soon shaken up when an unexpected Christmas gift is left on their doorstep. DI Walker soon finds himself at the centre of a murder investigation, with very little evidence, no suspects and a strained police force behind him. As the elements battle against him, blizzards descend and the town halts to a standstill. However, the killer is still at large, and DI Walker must work against the clock to find the town's serial killer before the death toll rises.


Pros
The initial chapters of the book were truly gripping. From initially being set in London, to then being transferred to the quiet village life, the pace of the start of the novel was fast and set the scene really well. I found myself wanting to read more and see how both the storyline and pace developed after the couple had relocated. I felt the author was able to captivate the two settings through tactical use of contrasting descriptions, highlighting the two extremes of a bustling city and a rural village.

Without giving any spoilers, I am thankful that the killer is revealed at the end. Whilst I had my list of suspects, albeit it was only small, I was glad that the author gave us closure as to who The Christmas Killer is and what their motives are. In my opinion, I prefer to know who the perpetrator is and why they committed their crimes, rather than an author leaving one or both of those aspects open ended.


Cons
It is always difficult to write about the negatives, but unfortunately for me this book has more negatives than positives. Although the beginning of the plot was fast paced and set the scene well, it certainly lost steam from that point onwards. I felt the storyline became extremely slow and the writing style of the author didn't help this. The author particularly likes to use short, simple sentences which ultimately impacted on the overall flow of the narrative; becoming almost staccato. Using this style simply didn't allow for depth, development or complexity, causing the narrative to feel, simply put, as if it were written by a teenager. Whilst a typical thriller/mystery has the standard components of twists, turns, suspects etc. I felt The Christmas Killer seriously lacked on this part, thus causing the narrative to seem so drab.

Secondly, I must mention the characterisation of Annie Walker. Annie spends most of the novel drinking wine and/or feeling sorry for herself. Annie is consistently whining about something; she is always on edge and the way she is portrayed in comparison to James is simply a damsel in distress (with wine). I'm not saying that the author isn't trying to be realistic, we all have our down days, but there are very limited moments where Annie is seen to be genuinely happy. Further to this, I also seriously dislike the fact that James labels her "hon" and insists on using this pet name as much as possible, rather than just addressing Annie using her own name, particularly in her hour of need.


Final thoughts
When I finished this book, I felt relief. I did not enjoy the vast majority of this book and towards the end it felt like a chore. Whilst the initial pages are gripping, the intensity fizzles out and we are left with nothing but a rather beige storyline. Although it is lovely to read about Christmas in September, especially in current COVID circumstances, this novel certainly didn't fill me with any warm fuzzy feelings of Christmas joy, or with that being said it didn't really bring any positive feelings at all. If you are looking depth I would read elsewhere, but if you are searching for an easy, brain-off read then this is the book for you!

I really enjoyed this book, there is all my favourite things from a thriller / police procedural. The creepy setting, the threat of it being closed off and the small community where everyone has a secret or two to hide. While I did think some parts were a bit obvious, it still left me guessing and I got a few things wrong! I do wish the ending hadnt been so rushed, I was at about 90% and I dont think the last 10% wsas enough time to fully wrap it up in a satisfying way, but if this book is going to be part of a series I am already eager to read the next one!

I read this book pretty much in 24 Hours as I could not put it down!

The storyline was somewhat believable and the DCI was methodical in his investigations. Although as the story progressed there were things that I felt the DCI missed

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the advance copy of this book.

Interesting idea of the 12 kills of christmas for this festive thriller. It introduces a new detective, DI James Walker, who is drawn into the grisly case by a mysterious 'christmas present' left on his doorstep. Then the killing begins.
This was tense and engaging but I struggles at times with the pace and some of the time I got irritated by the author stating the obvious. Annie was a bit irritating too.
Engaging and clever but didn't find it was unputdownable.