Book 5 in the DCI James Walker stories.

Yet again, Christmas is ruined by murders in the not-so-sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey.

Well, I'm really glad I don't live up in the Lake District, as Dectective James Walker has to solve the murders of two former police officers and family friends.

Another good murder mystery, only loosing a star because I figured out who did it quite early on, though I still found the book enjoyable.

This was a captivating read from the first few pages as a double murder takes place. The police cannot get to the bottom of the mystery as anyone in the whole village could have been the murderer. The story is full of twists and the villagers are unsurprisingly up in arms as they wanted a quick solution so that they could feel safe again. This is a follow up book but before the story begins a full run down of the characters that featured in the previous book so that as the reader I felt that I had an understanding of all the main characters before I begin to unfold the story..
It is a great mystery with a totally unexpected ending.

I enjoyed this one, it was a fairly typically cosy crime/whodunnit. I felt it was somewhat longer than it needed to be, but it was compelling and an easy read. This was my first Alex Pine book and I will definitely be giving the others a go.

Book 5 in the DCI James Walker series.

Back we go to not so sleepy Kirkby Abbey. It's just after Christmas and James and Annie are enjoying the holiday together with their two children. But then the phone rings. Yep, you've guessed. A body has been discovered and James is needed at the scene asap. What he discovers sends shivers through his bones. And then another body is discovered.

I loved this book and flew through it. Great plot that had me hooked. I did work out who it was but it didn't spoil the book in any way.

Can't wait for next year's installment.

The fifth book in the series but these can easily be read as stand alones.
DI James Walker is called upon again to solve a brutal festive double murder. A former police officer and his wife are found dead. Lots of suspects and lots of red herrings. The characters are well developed and Walkers backstory is a nice addition. I would like to learn a bit more about Annie though, she’s portrayed as super mumsy and I’d like to explore an edgier side to her.
A nice Christmassy murder mystery.

#TheKillerInTheCold #NetGalley Another gripping twisty murder for James to solve in the middle of the festive season. Well written with lots of action, drama and red herrings along the way. Although part of a series, is capable of being read as a standalone. I do enjoy this series, but please - poor Annie! - let her have a family Christmas and New Year next time and let James solve a murder in the Lake District sunshine :-).

It’s Christmas, and we all know what that means—another murder in Cumbria to pull DCI James Walker and his team out into the cold, but this time, it’s happening a lot closer to home. I’ve got a real soft spot for this series and its cast of characters. Over time, I’ve grown attached to the people and the town of Kirkby Abbey, even if it’s got to be the most ill-fated place to spend Christmas!

Once again, Alex Pine delivers a fast-paced, enjoyable crime novel that's incredibly easy to get swept up in. Did I manage to guess the killer this time? Not even close. I’m still reeling from the reveal, I truly did not see it coming.

As I mentioned in my review of The Night Before Christmas, James’ home life takes a hit every Christmas, being constantly pulled away from his wife and kids. Poor Annie, left at home with a ready meal and a bowl of crisps, waiting for him to come back. I had to laugh, someone, please, get her a slow cooker or something.

Is it plausible that there’s a murder every single year in this town? Probably not. But will I still eagerly follow along? Absolutely. Here’s hoping for another 'unlucky' Christmas in Cumbria next year, I’ll be right here, waiting for the release.

I do love these excellent 'Christmas' stories, of trouble and murder at Christmas in the Lake District.
The premise of this happening every year over the Christmas period is clever and amusing, as the reader finds the different ways and at what time over Christmas the disruption will begin. The characters are great, and it is interesting to see how things have developed for them throughout the intervening year, although you don't have to have read the previous books to understand what is happening.
I like a nice, twisty plot, and this had a fair few red herrings wound through it, leading to an ending that was not signposted, thank goodness, nor obvious.
The author obviously knows the Lake District reasonably well and hasn't made any dreadful errors, something other authors could learn from.
I'm really looking forward to what will happen next Christmas!

Another cracker of a read from this author. I have enjoyed reading all of the author's books so far and this latest one does not disappoint.
Enthralling and compelling I was hooked from page 1 and was completely floored with the ending.

Wel, dw i ddim yn meddwl bod yr un llyfr wedi gwneud i mi ddyfalu cymaint â hwn, hyd y diwedd doedd gen i ddim clem o'r hyn oedd am ddigwydd nesaf. Mae'r llyfr yn rhan o gyfres ond mae disgrifiadau defnyddiol yn cyflwyno'r prif gymeriadau ar y dechrau, ac mae hynny'n wych er mwyn galluogi rhywun i ddarllen y cyfan heb ddarllen y nofelau blaenorol. Mae tîm yr heddlu yn dod i ynghyd mewn cymuned agos yn dilyn llofruddiaeth dau gyn-gydweithwyr iddynt, er mwyn ceisio canfod y sawl sy'n gyfrifol, dan arweiniad James, y prif gymeriad. Cawn hefyd ddod i adnabod James fel unigolyn, gyda phenodau o safbwynt ei wraig Annie, ac ambell bennod wedi iddo gyrraedd adref ar ôl diwrnod caled o waith. Mae'n rhoi darlun llawn i ni o bwysau ei swydd arno, yr oriau maith, y disgwyliadau sydd arno a'i dîm, a'r cwestiynu gan ei gymdogion. Rydym yn cael cyfle i ddod i adnabod sawl cymeriad yn yr ardal, ac mae sawl un yn destun cwestiynu'r heddlu, gan achosi penbleth wrth iddynt geisio canfod y llofrudd, delio â'r cyfryngau ac ymdopi ag ambell ddigwyddiad annisgwyl sy'n cymhlethu pethau ymhellach. Nofel sy'n llawn disgrifiadau clyfar, twyll, dirgelwch a chymeriadau agos atoch. Gobeithio y bydd mwy yn y gyfres hon ond peidiwch â mentro i Kirkby Abbey i ddathlu'r Nadolig!

Well, I don't think any book has kept me guessing as much as this one did, right up to the last minute I had no clue what was going to happen next. The book is part of a series but there are helpful descriptions introducing the main characters at the start, and that's great as it enables someone to read this as a standalone novel without reading the previous ones. The police team come together in a close knit community following the murder of two former colleagues, to try and find the one responsible, under the leadership of James, the main character. We also get to know James as an individual, with chapters from his wife's point of view as she holds the fort in his absence, and a few chapters when he returns home after a long day at work. It gives us a glimpse of all aspects of his life, the weight of the responsibility of his job, the long hours, the expectations on him and his team, and the questions from his neighbours. We get the opportunity to meet several different local characters, and many are under suspicion as the police try to solve this mystery, and as they also deal with the media, and face several unexpected challenges that complicates things even further. A novel full of clever descriptions, deception, mystery and likeable characters. I hope there's more to come in this series but don't head to Kirkby Abbey to celebrate Christmas!

It's that time of year again. When DCI James Walker can't get a night at home with his family over the festive period because someone decided to go on a murder spree in Cumbria. I've read every book in this series at this time of year and I will continue to do so for as long as Alex Pine publishes them.

Another Christmas, another crime and once again, it was very close to home for James Walker. The plot in this fifth book in this series was exactly what I have come to expect; gripping, whilst easy going. Tense, whilst also easy to read. I wouldn't describe it as a cosy mystery, but it's definitely not gory and that made it an enjoyable and unchallenging story to get lost in.

I have to admit that I did have a few giggles to myself about James Walker and his home life during this book. His poor wife must be so sick of Christmas. Annie gets stuck at home with the kids every year, making ready meals at all hours ready for when her husband comes in. Is it realistic that there is a major crime in such a quiet and rural area at the same time every year? No. Do I care. No. I love these characters and these stories. Please keep them coming yearly and I'll keep reading.

DCI James Walker is hoping for a quiet Christmas with his family, after murders have got in the way in previous years. Alas, it is not to be, when a body is found, and it's a retired police officer in a Father Christmas outfit. Things get worse when James and his team uncover another body, and tensions really run high locally.

The Killer in the Cold really highlights the impact that a crime, and in particular a murder, can have on a community. The police officers have to deal with the escalating fears and accusations of local residents as well as investigating the crime. At times this becomes very claustrophobic for James, especially as he and his wife knew the victims.

The DCI James Walker series is excellent, and this is another stellar installment. As much as you'd like James to have a Christmas off, you can't wait for the next murder to solve!

DCI James Walker is hoping that this Christmas will pass without any murders. unfortunately on Boxing Day two ex-police are found murdered in the village where he lives. Due to snow, there is next to no forensic evidence and the team have to dig deep if they are going to solve this crime.
I read this in a day, like the previous books, it's very easy to read and the story is very smooth.

Yet another excellent read from the Detective Walker books.
These books allow you to get to know more and more about the character along with their background. The crimes remain a mystery until the author is ready to let you into their writing.
Descriptive writing makes you need to turn the page despite thinking “ last page for now”
The series is set around Christmas/New Year, showing it’s not a happy Christmas for these victims.

I'm a hypocrite. A bad person. Who does NOT practice what they preach. I'm sorry. This is book 5 in this series and I have not read any of the previous books. Ooops. But I enjoyed this one oh so much that I have already queued up book one in audiobook and have the rest of the series on staggered reserve from my library!
So... We start with the brutal murder of a man in a Santa costume, discovered on Boxing Day on the road of a small village. On inspection, he is identified as retired cop Nigel Booth who was dressed in the Santa suit he had worn on Christmas Eve in the parade. DCI James Walker is swiftly called in to investigate, he lives in the same village after all and had actually seen Nigel during the parade. The first thing that confused him was that Nigel's wife Elizabeth hadn't yet reported him missing. The reason for this becoming evident when they go to the house and find her also dead.
And so begins another (if you have read the previous books) Christmas murder for James to investigate along with his able team. Setting up a satellite incident room in the village hall, they try and cut through the noise to find out who would have done this crime. Fingers start to point in various directions but nothing seems to stick one way or the other and, as time goes on, the villagers start to question the ability of the police...
This is your bulk standard Police Procedural. But it is a brilliant example of the genre, and, unlike most, it has a lead cop without any of the usual tropes so often used. He's a stand up family man, with a lovely wife and two young children who appear to put up with his hours. He drinks, but not to excess, and the only thing I could find remotely wrong with his lifestyle was that he could eat a bit better! The rest of the characters are all well drawn and all play their parts well. The story is compelling and held my attention all the way through, delivering me an ending which wasn't expected but which was wholly satisfying. Oh and with no superfluous waffle or padding, it also got on with itself very well indeed.
Bottom line, I loved this book. How on earth I have not read the previous books I have no idea! But, glossing over my heinous crime for a sec, I am sure glad I eventually made it. And I promise I will be all caught up in time for book 6.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

First of the DCI Walker books I've read and it is a perfect Christmas holiday read. Plenty of local Cumbrian flavour in both the characters and setting..
A well written whodunnit to enjoy over a weekend or holiday.

When an ex-policeman and his wife are found murdered just before Christmas, the village is up-in-arms. DCI James Walker, a local man is in charge of the investigation but is making little progress. The prime suspect is the police officer's son.
If you love crime novels, this is a 'cosy' Christmas murder, perfect for the season - an easy read but enjoyable.

This was a whodunnit.

There is murder and mystery in the Cumbrian Village in Kirkby Abbey, and everyone is scared they will be next.

This is Alex Pine’s 5th novel in the DCI James Walker Series. I love when a mystery takes place around Christmas, but at the end of the book I believe James Walker wants to move and doesn’t want any more winter murders.

I feel it may have been more beneficial if I read the first 4 books in the series first, but Alex Pine made me feel right at home, except for a few things that would have made more sense if I read those.

There is a lot of repetition and I knew who the killer was 19% of the way in, but you truly fall in love with DCI James Walker and his wife. I love when the writer adds personal aspects into the book so we can become more relatable to the book.

I sometimes wonder whether Alex has an issue with winter or Christmas time haha. Or whether it just makes a really great spin to have a murder mystery for the season instead of good cheer!
I love the who Dunnit feel I always get with these books. Being kept on my toes with a few shady characters. One in particular man I wanted to do nasty(in fiction of course) things to.
Will our detective ever get a break? A holiday with presents not bodies to unwrap?
I do love how we have a new, almost sentimental knowing of what Alex's next book in the series might be about this time, though.

Poor James Walker just can't seem to catch a break. Since he and his family left the bustle of the city five years ago for a quieter life in the countryside, every Christmas and New Year has been tainted by a chilling unaliving or two.

This year is no exception. A man dressed as Santa has been found beneath the village snow stabbed, and the situation only grows darker when it's revealed that he's a former police officer.

Soon enough, another body turns up, and now DI James Walker and his team are racing against time and the unforgiving weather to catch the killer before any more evidence - or lives - are lost.

Having read the first four DI James Walker books last December, I was glad to see a new release this year. Though I'm not usually drawn to cozy murder mysteries, I do enjoy this series.

Here, we have a cast of shady characters and a string of possible suspects that kept me guessing. I didn’t pinpoint the killer, but I changed my mind several times, thanks to the steady supply of red herrings.

There’s a real mix of characters; some I rooted for, and others I wanted to kick! Liam, in particular, stands out as an infuriatingly entitled man-child. And poor Annie, James' wife, deserves a quiet evening with a glass of wine after all she's endured! Perhaps next year, they’ll escape to a sunny, murder-free holiday for once.

Although part of a series, this would work well as a standalone, too, thanks to a helpful character bio at the start. It’s a handy refresher for returning readers and an easy entry point for newcomers.

A huge thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own. The Killer in the Cold is out 7th November (UK)