This was a great story with so much going on, I wasn't convinced by any of the suspects but couldn't see options then a great curveball was thrown in!

The ‘ber’ months have officially started, this series is one I always look forward to, so I’m glad it has officially started my festive reads 😊

This is my favourite book in the series, I loved that it was based in Walker’s hometown and involved people he knew. For me, this made me feel more connected to the case.

This was so fast paced with so many suspects and red herrings, I really didn’t see the killer coming!! As always it was good to be back with Annie and James and the interactions between the police action give an enjoyable light relief.

This is a great series and is fast becoming a yearly tradition to read one of Alex Pines books. The characters are likeable and familiar, the plot is always intricate enough to give you something to puzzle over, but that said, uncomplicated enough to be able to pick up during busy times and know where you are.
The tension between the community and the police in this book really made you get onside and will James to solve the murder.
Another great murder mystery in the small Cumbrian village. I do hope James and Annie decide to stay as I look forward to next year's read!

You know winter is coming when the latest Alex Pine novel drops onto your kindle.
DCI James Walker is crossing his fingers that for the first time in a few years he get a Christmas with no drama. And having spent a lovely Christmas Day with his family he thinks finally things have changed, until he gets a call on Boxing Day. A murder has taken place only a few minutes from his house, and its shocking to discover its a retired police officer. Preparing to start a new life in Spain who could possibly want to kill Nigel.
I love this series, I like that James has a happy family life and tries to balance a work/life balance. There is a strong development of characters. I like how the author reminds us of the main characters at the beginning of the novel.
It's a stong detective series

This is my first read from this author and my interest was piqued by the setting as I've lived in this part of the world. Sadly though, the landscape barely played a part in the story (and yes, I know the village is fictional but the rest of it isn't) which was the first negative for me.
Reading on I found the story to be very linear with convenient suspects dropping in one after the other — there was really no secondary plot or intrigue to keep us amused — and this led to a lot of repetition about the previous murders in the village some four years previously and where all the detectives fitted into the scene. All in all I found there was too much padding and not enough action — even cosy crime can have more than one thing happening at a time.
Detective James Walker's wife appeared very capable — I'd have been frazzled if I'd been cooped up in the house as long as she was with two small children — and the fact that she had time to cook him a meal when he came home, having got the kids to bed without a problem was all a bit slick. He also confides in her quite often which maybe he shouldn't do if they lived in such a small tight knit community.
So all in all I was a little disappointed with this, having read excellent reviews of the writer's previous work. However, I might give further books a try.
With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

This is the 5th book in the Walker series. They are all well written and this one is no exception. They can also be read as a standalone in my opinion. I recommend these books.

Walker is a great character and very human in his struggle to balance his career with his young family.
Murder happens on his doorstep at Christmas and the ensuing investigation has to focus on his friends and neighbours, leading to uncomfortable interviews, suspicions cast and desperate attempts to find alternative routes of enquiry.
Another fantastic book in this series.

A couple , he a serving policeman, with a young wife and small children are preparing for a perfect family Xmas together. Now living in a village completely different from a previous lifestyle and one which should have proven to be a safe haven. Yet again mimicking their previous experience, this joyful season is destroyed when a man dressed as a Santa Clause is found murdered. The village inhabitants are terrified; gossip and innuendo prevails , and the investigation racks up to a whole different level when the identity of not one but two victims emerge. A thoroughly enjoyable story of a detailed police investigation where nothing and no one can be assumed to be telling the truth or innocent. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Another festive season brings another murder to DCI James Walker and his team and this time it’s personal.

Friends and ex colleagues have been brutally murdered in Kirkby Abbey, the small, close knit town that DCI Walker also resides in. Can his team of officers find out who did it?

Once again another great read. As the fifth book in the series it’s good to see all the regular characters popping up again but with plenty of new additions to keep things fresh. I really enjoyed how the story played out but I will admit I did guess pretty early on who did it this time. I think I’ve read so many of this type of book now that I’m clearly just super suspicious of everyone.

Definitely a book and series I’d recommend.

No leí los libros anteriores y no fue necesario para comprender The killer in the cold.

Con cuatro crímenes consecutivos ocurridos en navidad, dudo que espere com ansías el siguiente año.

No me encantó como se manejo la investigación ya que la mayoría de los hallazgos se dieron porque la gente iba con la esposa de James, le contaban chismes y ella le llamaba a su esposo para decirle.


Yo juraba que el asesino era el primer sospechoso.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another in the James Walker detective thriller series. What a fantastic book so many red herrings definitely one to keep you on your toes! I would say it's an ideal book for anyone who loves to curl up with a good book. I don't want to give too much away but the killer is a surprise!
Many thanks netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book will be looking out for more in the series. Highly recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyed previous four books and this one was certainly a winner. Full of twists and turns with a few red herrings thrown in the mix. The killer was a complete surprise. A real page turner from start to finish. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

It kept ticking over nicely, It was great TV material with well-formed characters. Ideal fro those long dark nights ahead.

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without an Alex Pine’s DCI James Walker crime thriller!

The Killer in the Cold is the fifth book in Alex Pine’s Walker/Christmas series. You can dip into the books at any stage, I would say. I came to the series at Book three and picked up the background info - largely that DCI Walker has relocated to Cumbria with his wife Annie having worked for the Met Police in London. They moved for a change of pace and bring up their children in Cumbria.

In this instalment two retired police officers are found murdered over Christmas week in the picturesque Lake District village of Kirkby Abbey. The village is rocked to its core and DCI James Walker is under pressure to find the culprit quickly.

Like other Alex Pine books, it was pacy and there were some twists and turns and some red herrings.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Avon Books UK, for making this e-ARC available to me to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book 5 in this amazing series and I have enjoyed every single one. Plenty of twists as usual and wasn’t expecting the killer to be who it was. I also enjoy reading about Walkers personal life as well as the police procedural side. I can’t wait for the next book. A solid 4 stars

Book five in the D.I. James Walker series
It was a great read
Plenty of twists
Can’t wait for the next in this series
Thanks NetGalley

Found this as gripping as the first 4 in the series. I really did not expect the killer to be who it was, that was the last person I would have thought about. The twists in this book made it hard to put down.

Thank you Alex Pine, Avon and NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I’ve previously enjoyed the first 4 books in this series and the new book was just as good. A very easy to read, gripping story that kept me guessing throughout. It was nice to catch up with James and Annie again and also meet the new additions to the family. An engaging and enjoyable story that kept me entertained. I highly recommend reading this series in order to benefit from the experience of getting to know the characters and their development.

I have read all five now books in this series. I was really looking forward to reading this one but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I really enjoyed the other four but I found this one to be a bit too repetitive with the police procedures. I was also disappointed that James wife was always telling him how tired he must be and fussing over him when he got home from work, with two young kids to look after all day I would have expected some mention of how tired she must have been too. I did want to find out who the killer was so I did continue to read it all. I would still read another one in this series as I enjoyed all the others. A 3.5 for me.

Another great Christmas murder from Alex Pine, have read all his books and just gets better.
DCI James Walker is hoping to have a lovely Christmas at home with his young family when a dog walker finds a dead body dressed in a Santa's outfit and he is well known in the village, when they go to his house they find his wife murdered as well. Can Alex find out who murdered them and will there be more to come.
Love the balance between police procedure and his personal life, can`t wait for the next book.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.