I loved 'The Christmas Jigsaw Murders'! This thrilling novel combines the holiday season with a gripping murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The premise of receiving jigsaw pieces that reveal a gruesome crime scene is both ingenious and spine-tingling, making it a perfect read for Halloween or any fan of chilling mysteries.

The clues sprinkled throughout the narrative are exceptionally clever, keeping readers engaged and constantly guessing. It's a book that truly makes you wonder and challenges you to piece together the puzzle alongside the characters.

The sense of unease and suspense in 'The Christmas Jigsaw Murders' is palpable, making it a gripping page-turner that you won't be able to put down. The characters, particularly Edie O'Sullivan and DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan, are well-developed and add depth to the story as they work tirelessly to solve the mysterious puzzle and prevent more deaths.

This book is a masterful blend of suspense, mystery, and holiday elements, making it an excellent choice for those looking for a thrilling and chilling read. I wholeheartedly give it 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and enjoy this fantastic novel!

I loved this! Huge fun all the way through. The only criticism I might make is that the ending could have done with a bit more foreshadowing: I like to say to myself, ah! it was him/her and then be proven wrong, but the murderer here was impossible to guess at. I didn't spot any clues in the chapters from the killer's pov, and elsewhere the killer was hardly mentioned at all. Did I miss the clues? Please tell me if I did! But it didn't spoil the book, I enjoyed the read very much,

Edie O'Sullivan likes a puzzle. She's a renowned setter of crosswords and major jigsaw fan. So when a parcel turns up on her doorstep just before Christmas, containing a jigsaw box and six puzzle pieces that form part of a crime scene, she can't leave it alone.

Along with great-nephew Sean (a police inspector), they set out to solve the puzzle. But events make it look as though Edie herself is in danger...

Three cheers for the return of the ingenious puzzle master that is Alexandra Benedict and her annual Christmassy, puzzle focused-murder mystery!
I'm a fan of Benedict's previous novels, The Christmas murder Game and Murder On The Christmas Express which combine a classic 'whodunnit' with enough puzzles to keep even the great Sherlock Holmes occupied.
Now, I consider there are two approaches to reading this novel:
- you can read and enjoy the novel as a murder mystery. There is a wonderful sense of the 'golden age' of mysteries in this book, filled with twists and puzzles.
- or the added entertainment from attempting to solve some of the numerous puzzles hidden within the pages of the novel from anagrams to hidden Fleetwood Mac songs and finally a puzzle that could earn a prize from the author!
Either way, you are in for a fun and suspenseful read.

The story is set over the Christmas holidays, running from December 19th straight through Christmas.
Our protagonist is the uber-cool Edie - a woman in her 80s who defies convention at every turn and is considered to be a renowned puzzle setter. Sadly, Edie is not a fan of the Christmas season and is eager for the holiday to be over, a decision that is impacting negatively on her relationship with her nephew (and surrogate son) who has always loved the season. The novel opens with Edie receiving a mysterious parcel containing jigsaw pieces of a crime scene and with a note to tell Edie that she is responsible for solving the puzzle and preventing further deaths! Edie has to work with her nephew to solve the mystery but as the body count rises and Edie discovers that she hatred of Christmas may be an impediment, the pressure is on!
With every turn of the page, memories of Agatha Christie come to mind - and cannot think of a better recommendation. This is a wonderfully original and intriguing tale with the added bonus on a 'game' for the reader to play. Also, despite the title and Christmassy setting, this book can be read at any time of the year so don't miss out.

This is a delicious mystery, with characters who have stayed with me long after I finished the book. This is a puzzlers dream, plenty of crossword hints and so many anagrams. All of this and Christmas too. What’s not to love.

I really loved this. I loved Edie she was spunky and bright. I really got engaged with the characters and could see them come alive. At times I couldn’t read this alone as it was chilling! I am a wuss though. The story was engaging, thrilling and captivating. I slowed down my pace and I am a voracious reader to keep enjoying this book.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Excellent choice of book.

A gripping story of old sins leading to present trouble 4 out of 5 stars.

A jigsaw. A body. An octogenarian crossword compiler, a young police detective. Turns out these are the elements of a fantastic murder mystery, set (of course) with Christmas as the backdrop. Told from three perspectives, the killer, the puzzler, and the police. This is not the first book by the author that I've read but it was by far the best.

Likable main characters and a mystery that keeps you guessing right until the end made this an enjoyable book to read. The tension build slowly as the bodies piled up. As the puzzle pieces began to fit together I found myself unable to stop reading, desperate to know who the killer was. I fell for a couple of cleverly designed red herrings but ultimately failed to guess the killer.

If you enjoy clever murder mysteries, and cantankerous old dears who rub everyone the wrong way, then this is the book for you.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

Guess who’s ready for chiristmas! I loved how the book got to the punch straight away. I really appreciate that. I love any book that has a game involved since i was gamer in my childhood and still play today! It gets me involved and very invested

This would be a great stocking filler for anyone that likes whodunnits and puzzles. There are three puzzles set: find literary references, look for Fleetwood Mac tracks and a (very long) anagram which gives a topical answer.
I really enjoyed the book. Eddie is an octogenarian cruciverbalist with a mysterious back story which develops over the course of the book. She has to solve puzzles linked to jigsaw pieces that are either sent to her or appear in the hands of the murder victims. The chapters are short and because an anagram letter is given at the start of every chapter, I felt drawn to ‘just another chapter’. Halfway through, I had three suspects but by the end, I got a surprise. I wonder what clues I missed in identifying the murderer. When the murderer is mentioned, the author uses non-binary pronouns. It took me a while to get used to reading it as referring to one person not several. A sign of my age no doubt! I will look out the other books by this author. I wasn’t aware that she publishes a Christmas book each year. I look forward to catching up on the previous ones and looking out for the new ones. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a prepublication ebook.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a brilliant devised and written mystery novel that I sat and read in my spare time for three days just to finish as I had to know who the killer was. Edie was a great main character and the author has successfully written a character that while likeable is equally unlikable in their behaviours at times. This is a strangely difficult balance for a lot of writers but AB has masterfully written a mystery novel with an elderly woman main character that feels incredibly real to the reader.

I am not a crossword solver, well yes I can solve normal ones to a point, but the cryptic ones go right over my head! As such I am in awe of how the author has weaved crossword solving and jigsaws with the appropriate word play throughout the pages of this book, on top of adding her own puzzles throughout (and a recipe which the baker in me appreciated ;))

AB has given us a juicy mystery full of the twists, turns and red herrings that make the genre so compelling, a cast of characters that feel very real and tangible in their interaction and motivations. Even the killers felt very appropriate. Highly recommend for those who enjoy a mystery novel that keeps your guessing until the end.