I have read and enjoyed a few of this authors other books, so was looking forward to this one. I am a bit gutted that I didn't realise it was a sequel, but it just means I have just added another book to the tbr!

In The Party Season we follow 'The Party Girl', attending festive parties at hotels and picking her male victims indiscriminately and leaving their bodies to be found while she slips out. We also follow Detectives Eddie and Becky, who are trying to find her before anyone else gets hurt.

This was a quick and solid police procedural read. I had worked out quite early who the killer was, but was still an entertaining, festive mystery!

I loved this gripping novel! Not usually one for thrillers featuring detectives, this one surprised me with its utterly gripping plot!

It is one of those cracking books that features distinct storylines from different characters that quite spectactuarly come to intersect. One of the strories in this book is told by Harry, a young man in a relationship with a work colleague, he is desperate to get girlfriend, Heather, to come to the work Christmas party, which is, curiously, superhero-themed! Harry finds it stage that in their months of dating Heather has never invited him to her flat, and he becomes a little stalker-like as this realisation dawns on him.

The more dominant storyline comes from a mysterious woman who frequents Christmas parties with the intention of having men invite her to their hotel rooms...rooms which later turn into crime scenes!! Yikes!!

As mentioned, the detectives investigating in this novel also feature quite strongly, but the sharing of the personal lives of these detectives really works and sets this book apart for me.

All in, It is well written, gripping and just a really, really good read!!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

The Party Season is a really fun and enjoyable cosy police mystery, perfect to read in the run-up to Christmas. Half the story follows the murderer, and half the police investigative team Becky Greene and Eddie Carmine. I can’t help feeling empathy for Heather as she goes on her killing spree, especially as more details of her whydunnit story are revealed. I particularly enjoyed the ‘will they / won’t they’ tension between the detective partners - I’m hoping more of this romantic subplot will be revealed in future books, and I’m definitely rooting for Becky to find happiness one day with her deliciously-named partner.

After reading The Party Season I immediately bought the first book with Becky and Eddie, The Deaths of December. After all, one can never read enough entertaining and clever books. Especially with a couple of my favourite themes: a police procedural ánd Christmas.
This time, Eddie and Becky, together with their colleagues, are facing multiple murders that at first sight don’t look like murders at all. It’s the holiday season and just about every hotel or other venue hosts multiple Christmas parties. Sometimes, due to (un)foreseen circumstances, somebody dies at such a party. Too much work during the year, too much booze, too much excitement for one night. Especially when you’re middle-aged and male.
The story is being told from the viewpoint of Eddie, Becky and ‘the Party Girl’. She’s absolutely not a party girl, but she’s on a mission and thus best disguised as one. After all, she has the body for it. Why she’s doing what she’s doing is for her to know and for Eddie and Becky to find out.
I loved the writing style and became very familiar with the characters quite soon. There is talk about the previous book but this one can easily be read as a standalone – although I would love to see these characters again – except for the Party Girl of course. There were lots of twist and turns and soon there are chapters in which we read about the murders, but there was enough left for the reader to keep guessing.
I will keep following this author now, and not only in the holiday season 😉.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.

It’s Christmas party season and with the festivities in full swing it’s time to celebrate with your friends and colleagues, relaxing, laughing, dancing and merry making as the drinks steadily flow, but can you honestly say you know everyone at the party?

This was an enjoyable read, that will make you think twice about hooking up at your work doo, whilst you shudder in recognition of the office creep we’ve all had to deal with, tingle at the anticipation of budding office romance, and feel the defeated rage of the down but not yet out killer.

My ideal kind of police procedural features multiple viewpoints, likeable detectives, a rounded culprit, page-turning suspense and smooth writing. This novel ticked all those boxes and also managed to incorporate a fresh take on the festive mystery genre with a female serial killer preying on sleazy men at office Christmas parties. . Although there were references to a previous case, these mentions avoided spoilers and made me want to read the first Christmas-themed story in this series.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

A festive thriller with hints of '.Promising Young Woman' as a woman visits hotel parties, allows herself to be 'picked up' by men and takes her revenge for something from her past.
When requesting this book I didn't know its main protagonists had featured in an earlier title, so wasn't sure whether the repeated references to an earlier case were going to somehow materialise or be explained during the course of this story - the promise of this being the most 'twisty' novel of the season and one author's blurb that it was a 'tense and tightly paced mystery full of suspense with a truly surprising ending' made me think there may be some third act major reveal regarding this. (Without going into any plot spoilers, there wasn't.) I do wonder if the quote is referring to one of the author's other titles and has been placed on this Netgalley description without attribution to it.
The book was a fast read - engaging lead characters (who I'm sure readers who have read their previous outing will engage with the 'will-they=won't-they' dynamic more), a storyline that would work well on a Sunday night ITV drama, but I do feel publishers who insist on tired marketing blurb promising 'twists you'll never see coming' do a disservice to both their authors and to readers that can have an effect on the reading of the book.

Not every crime story HAS to have a huge twist or indeed is written with a TWIST in mind (as I would suggest is the case here) - to this end I hope publishers get over the trends of trying to sell every title as being written with such.

A cracking fast paced thriller set over the Christmas party season. A woman on a mission to avenge her mum's brutal gang rape which has left her languishing for thirteen years in a care
home. A race against time as the office parties get into full swing . .how many more men will she kill? This storyline had me gripped and unusually, feeling sympathetic towards the murderer . Fans if Lisa Jewell will enjoy this.

A beautiful woman arrives at a Christmas party in a killer dress. She doesn't know anyone there, but does that really matter? Because, very soon, a man approaches her. He has no idea what he's getting into...

The next morning, a dead body is found, and DI Eddy Carmine and DS Becky Greene are on the case. They're tracking a serial killer believed to be killing men. The motives behind the murders aren't entirely clear yet, but they're planning to remedy that.

This is a very enjoyable read - compelling storytelling, gripping suspense, and some wicked humour. Not to mention great chemistry between Eddie and Becky! What's not to like? I give it three and half stars.

A Very Festive Murder Mystery..
Carmine and Greene return for a very festive murder mystery. Christmastime is upon them, parties are in full swing everywhere and garlands and bows adorn everything. Amidst the festive revellers, however, lurks a serial killer with a difference. Who, what and why are they stalking? Fizzing with festive atmosphere, a tense and compelling tale of deadly revenge bubbling over with twists and turns and a pacy plot populated with deftly drawn and credible characters. Perfect Christmas crime.

Loved this book, I really liked that the detectives Becky and Eddie had returned after the deaths of December book which I also loved.
For some reason I like the Christmas themes in both of these books.

A killer is targeting men attending their works Christmas parties, the story is told through Becky, the detective, the party girl and Henry.
I liked the weaving together of all of the narratives to tell the story as well as enjoying some of the sexual tension between the lead detectives.

I really hope there will be another book featuring the same team.

I just love a good female led murder mystery and there aren't enough of them. It's always women getting killed but not often are women doing the killers and this book proves that they make such original and unique antagonists! This was a quick and easy read, perfect for these cold winter nights. There are twists, there are turns, it's cleverly written and will have you hooked from the start

This is my first read by author SJI Holliday and I really enjoyed The Party Season.

We meet DI Eddie Carmine and DS Beckie Greene, apparently these are reoccurring characters from previous novels and I enjoyed both these characters, they had a really good dynamic.

The pair are looking for a serial killer who is hunting men at the best time of the year.

I thought this novel was really cleverly written and enjoyed the serial killer part and some signs of romance in the novel also.

I will be picking up more books by this author as this novel was easy to read and not too complicated.

Thanks to SJI Holliday, Netgalley and the authors for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really like SJI Holliday's books and this was no exception. A clever who done it which teamed up DI Eddie Carmine and DS Beckie Greene from The Deaths of December once more. The search is on for the random killer of men at Christmas parties. Can the team catch the killer before more men die and parties are cancelled? And what is the connection to a local high class nursing home? A cracking good read that will keep you guessing right to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

#ThePartySeason #NetGalley
Best of this year.
It's the most deadly time of the year...
The festive season is in full swing - parties, mistletoe and Christmas crackers abound.
In a hotel bar, a woman approaches you. Her party dress glitters with sequins. What you don't know is that your life is now in her hands - and there's only one thing that will determine whether you live or die. Are you a good person? Are you really happy.
Ending was awesome
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton for giving me an advance copy.

A very spine thrilling festive read a woman killing off men at random ,tricky to apprehend until a positive clue comes the polices way .Keeps the reader involved right to the end .

4+

The party girl, her dress glittery with seasonal sequins, arrives at the hotel, knows no one, but as it’s a Holly Jolly Christmas and everyone is having fun, she probably won’t be alone for long. Sure enough, a man approaches her at the bar, he’s slightly the worse for wear but it’s just as well he doesn’t know his life is now in her hands… The subsequent investigation is led by DI Eddie Carmine and DS Becky Greene.

Well, this is a Christmas cracker of a read which I enjoy and relish from page one. It’s intensely dark but relieved with some humour right from the beginning. There are several occasions when the naughty thought sneaks into my head, that one or two of these incidents is poetic justice, as Nemesis talks the Christmas festivities.

I like the way this is written, the style is lively and engaging with several contrasting points of view which works well as it deepens the suspense, tension and intrigue. It includes the killers voice and their identity has me going round and round in circles and then right back to my original thought. I especially like Eddie and Becky‘s perspectives as these two are excellent characters who are so likeable and relatable with a terrific relationship between the pair of them. The dialogue bats back-and-forth in a very entertaining way and I like how much they understand each other. I certainly want to read more books featuring these two.

The plot is very well thought out, the pace is quick with plenty of twists and turns as it builds to an excellent end… bah, humbug, indeed.

If you’re looking for a Christmas read that doesn’t smack of Hallmark then this is well worth checking out as it’s a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I have never heard of SJI Holliday before but the cover, title and blurb sounding very interesting.

I absolutely loved this book and I could not put it down becoming hooked from the first chapter. It was full of twists and turns and surprises I did not see coming

The characters were fantastic and had a great depth to them and I really felt like I knew them, Eddie and Becky were my favourites by far and I did hope they may get together as they had a lovely relationship. I have found out that there is a previous book The Deaths of December featuring these characters which I have just ordered and I’m hoping there may be more books to follow as I don’t think their story is over by a long shot. I would also like to see what happens with other characters such as Joe.

I liked the fact that the chapters are told from different characters perspectives as that really added to the suspense and story.

A brilliant Christmas crime novel I would recommend everyone read, a full 5/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and SJI Holliday for an advanced copy in exchange for and unbiased and honest review.

The pages almost turn themselves and when I was finished I couldn’t stop thinking about the story’s incredible twists, turns, and surprises. This intriguing and thought-provoking thriller is a profound exploration of how far some are willing to go. A fantastic twist you’ll never see coming!

Love this chilling but exciting read. At times horrific and yet with a touch of humour here and there. Its not often i feel some sympathy with a killer but this time i did. A really different and clever storyline. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy. Devoured in two sittings.