This is a fun Christmas book filled with mystery. There are a lot of twists. The writing wasn’t the best but it was satisfactory

I expected this to be a cozy Christmas whodunit but found the amount of reference to sexual and physical assault so far from expected. The characters were not likeable and overall this was not the book I was expecting.

One of the way to get to the Highlands is on the sleeper train. But when in the early hours of Christmas Eve, it is derailed in a snow storm. Reminisce of another famous train springs to mind. This time though it is a bit more modern, but still as the body count rises, it must be someone on the train surely?

Roz the retired detective heading north to see her pregnant daughter, has a nose for something not being right and starts to investigate. There is a seemingly daft elderly lady and an arrogant young man. The social influencer, the stressed parents, the belligerent teen. But they don't really add strength to the story and at times it was a bit of a slow meander as opposed to something that could have been a bit more gritty.

I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, or what I wanted from it - but it didn't quite deliver.

I loved the Christmas murder game and this next offering didn’t disappoint. Just brilliant festive mysteries.

3.5 stars
An entertaining murder mystery with a nod to the locked room investigations of Hercule Poirot. I really enjoyed getting to know Roz, the two sides of of her character were an interesting story and it was interesting to see her ‘at work’ as we uncovered more of the characters on the sleeper train.

A cosy story. My kind of mystery as characters had personality and the pacing wasn't a slow burn but not too fast paced either.

Detective Roz Parker was a joy to read.

Fab festive read, it all happens on the train. Plenty of twists and unexpected turns along the way. A good selection of characters, each with their own story

Congratulations on an eye-catching cover! It caught my eye and made me read the synopsis. The characters are just so well written and realistic, the tension is built so effectively and you really do have no idea where the storyline is going or what the outcome is going to be!

This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery full of puzzles and a lot of guesswork on my part. This book is very Christmassy but reading in February didn’t matter at all. I loved this one. I enjoyed trying to work out who the murderer was and constantly got it wrong. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was one twisty tale! Although I read it in February in sunny Sri Lanka I was instantly transported to the height of winter in Scotland. Truly atmospheric. I also enjoyed the references to famous books, songs, and movies that were scattered through the story.
The protagonist was compelling and the tension and pace were just right throughout. Definitely a good read!

I wanted to love this book, but I was really disappointed. The story is lacklustre and there were lots of errors in the text (both in spelling/grammar and mistakes as to what characters had done or said, which was really disappointing. I probably wouldn't recommend this book.

3.5*

I enjoyed the author’s debut last year, The Christmas Murder Game and had high hopes for this, especially with those locked in vibes and a golden age feel of an Agatha Christie – I was thinking along the lines of Orient Express. Sadly it didn’t quite hit the spot for me. I liked it but didn’t love it. I found the first half rather slow in pace and whilst the second half picked up, it just didn’t engage me. There was a relevance with one main character being an influencer and having to work hard to present an image of everything being perfect which was at odds with the underlying threatening tone implied from one other. There were many similar characters that I found a little confusing differentiating between them and with the exception of one or two, the personalities weren’t interesting enough.

The character that made the book for me was Roz, the newly retired detective, who had gumption and common sense. Even though this book didn’t quite live up to expectation, I would read more by this author. I didn’t even attempt the quiz challenge contained within, it was enough for me just to keep track of the story!

Murder on the Christmas Express is an easy read that is entertaining and gripping, but felt a little confused at times.

There are some really serious themes at play here which mean this book is definitely not the cosy mystery it may at first seems to be – but that’s not a problem for me as I love a gritty, dark mystery. I think those more upsetting themes were dealt with well – there was just a lot of them in here, so sometimes it felt overly packed in! The darker parts are interspersed with lighter, comedic moments as the cast of characters show how ridiculous they are. The conclusion of the book left me a little confused as there was a lot of twists, but I think I got to grips with it all (there are a lot of characters to keep track of too, and two of them have very similar names!) but ultimately I liked the way it ended. I also really liked Roz as a character – I’d happily read more of her, whereas a lot of the rest of the characters were unlikeable, horrible or, at best, irritating!

I also felt at times like Murder on the Christmas Express was trying a bit hard with the characters, but the book has some great ‘clues’ you’re asked to look out for at the start of the book and I loved how interactive this made reading it. Overall it was a fun reading experience, just be aware (as many people don’t seem to be) that it is not, and is not trying to be, a cosy murder mystery!

A fun christmassy cosy murder mystery. None of the characters really made me be on their side however I did enjoy reading it.

Thank you for the arc.

I didn't have huge expectations going into Murder On The Christmas Express, but I hoped it would be an easy and fun read. Unfortunately it didn't reallly work for me. I didn't actively dislike it, but I found the plot very slow moving and full of unnecessary parts. It took a lot for the mystery to get going, but even once things started happening it just wasn't very exciting. The cast of characters was also not great, with the exception of Roz, the main character, who was likeable but not enough to save the book for me.

Former detective Roz Parker is dashing home back to Scotland, trying desperately to be in time for the birth of her grandchild. The train becomes stranded in the snow and a body is found, it is up to Roz to unpick the details and solve the puzzle.
On the surface this is a seasonal murder mystery but the author also has a backstory expertly woven through the tale. That of rape and abuse. This resulted in the book being a more gritty read, one which I really enjoyed.

This was a fun murder mystery perfect for over the festive season, I enjoyed the storyline and the writing style and found myself fully engaged from the start. I also did not guess the end which is a bonus!

Murder On The Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict
Review by Kelly Lacey

I went into the book expecting a cosy crime read. Just based on the cover. Cosy crime is not what this book is at all. It is a hard-hitting topical read. It absolutely has reading triggers such as rape and abuse.

I really enjoyed the main protagonist Roz Parker. She was feisty and believable. Her Scottishness shining through. A definite character that I will remember and bring out when asked about my favourite bookish characters. Roz has gained a seat at my fictional dinner party table.

The book has been compared to Agatha Christie’s. I can’t comment on that as I haven’t read any AG yet. But I have seen a few of her books made into plays and the tension and the who dunnit are spot on.

My brain was frazzled in a great way trying to play detective. I did guess the baddie but it wasn’t easy. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the book. You could read it at any time of the year really. You could change it to them all going on the summer holidays rather than Xmas. I am glad I read it and I hear that The Christmas Murder Games is equally as good.

This book is not for light-hearted readers, it has important topics at its core. At times hard to read in places but it really is thought-provoking!

Roz Parker will be your new favourite fictional character!

Five stars

A very modern version of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express that includes livestream videos, influencers, transgender students and vaping. But essentially this is a murder mystery whodunnit at Christmas. Can't beat it.

The book opens with a prologue by a young woman, who is filming herself as she refers to some kind of domestic abuse, before the her mobile 'phone goes dead. Obviously she is, too. The chapters cover events from the day before, which is the 23 December, and go forward from there. It sets the scene and introduces the characters, the central one being an ex-detective police officer on her way to Fort William in Scotland, for the birth of her daughter's child.

The story is primarily told from point of view of the detective, with frequent flashbacks to a traumatic event in her past. The first half is quite slow as the situation unfurls and is full of snow themed similes that come across as humour but definitely add to the wintery atmosphere. In the second half of the book the pace increases along with the suspicions and tension. The ending is a tad confusing and disappointing though.

An enjoyable read although there are some dark themes that include coercive control and sexual assault. A few parts stretch credulity a bit, but the overall feel of the story is of a locked room mystery with an amazing snowy background. Love the idea of travelling to Fort William by train for Christmas. As long as there are no killers on board, obviously.

Former Met Detective Roz is all set to relax on the Sleeper train to Fort William. It will give her time to get her round being a first time Granny. Meg is fawned over and scrutinised wherever she goes so being trapped in close quarters for hours is not ideal. Everyone on the train is determined to get into the festive spirit on the run up to Christmas Eve but there is a killer on board determined to ensure it is someone's last Christmas.

I love a book set on a train as it is the perfect setting for intrigue and where better to get to know your characters than having them all in the same place for hours on end. I was wrapped up in all the enforced festivities in the club car where everyone seemed accounted for then a dead body is found! Everyone is instantly a suspect and as much as I tried to figure it out I was always on the wrong track. Alexandra Benedict created intricately woven back stories for everyone and connections I certainly didn't see coming. For those amateur detective readers who are better than me there were anagrams and puzzles to find along the way but I had enough trouble trying to figure out what was right in front of me. This book is like a box within a box within a box which best of all is worth getting to the bottom of.