The Twelve Murders of Christmas

This is a really fun book that's perfect for the Christmas holiday period. If you're dreading a tedious week of claustrophobia with your fractious family then this will ease the tension.

It's an atmospheric, traditional murder mystery story but with 'goose egg' puzzles in each chapter and puzzles at the end of the chapters. I found some of them utterly perplexing and entirely impossible whereas others were easier for me but still challenging and fun. It's a joyful book and an ideal gift or an emergency boredom break-glass for yourself.

I loved the concept of the puzzles coming together to give the final solution. The writing style works too and it's witty and sharp.

Well if you want to dive into a story to get you into the festive mood, but want something to keep you guessing from the opening scenes to the very final page then this absolutely is the right book!

Every year I love to dive into my christmas stories early to get into the mood, but I like to vary the genres, and I am so so glad that I dove into this one! The story kept me guessing throughout and kept a fast pace. It didn’t drag at all, and There were several times I was surprised by where the story went.

Engrossing and enjoyable throughout, with surprises and a brilliantly done build up, this is a great seasonal read., even if not exactly the cosy type!

I loved that this was different to most other christmas stories, it has itself own quirks as do the characters. This is certainly an Author that I will be looking for more from in the future!

This was certainly different from anything I've read before.
I thought each story was a bit laboured, and I just wanted to get to the end of each so I could work out the clues.
Some of them are hard, and you definitely need a pen and notebook.
I'm not sure I would read another book lime this again.
I would also recommend reading the book rather than on a Kindle because you have to go back and forth.
Thanks to Avon books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book is a perfect companion for the Christmas holiday season. Sarah Dunnakey's "The Twelve Murders of Christmas" is an enthralling blend of classic mystery and challenging puzzles that will delight fans of both genres.
Each story is a mini murder mystery, and while the concept is cool, I found that some of the stories dragged a bit. and could be confusing as the current characters interjected into the stories being told. I was often just trying to get to the end to figure out the clues.
Personally I would find the physical copy easier as you have to keep going back to look thin.gs up, I don't think it works as a Kindle book.
However the story itself is kept me captivated and I liked the fact I could get involved.

I know it says it’s a puzzle book, I just didn’t expect so many. I think it would definitely be easier to solve the m in an actual book, whereas I read the kindle edition. The book has the wrapper of the main story with several small mysteries within and with each mystery there are puzzles to solve and also each has a puzzle that when put together will solve the whole book - who killed Edward Luddenham..
A good book for Christmas, I enjoyed reading and trying, not very successfully to solve the puzzles.

This book was a lot of fun. Not only do we get a whole host of murder mysteries to puzzle over, we literally get puzzles to puzzle over too. PLenty of them in fact, so if you love to ponder over an anagram, if Logic Problem puzzle books were your favourite go to for whiling away a few hours, if you believe you are a genius at mathematics, or if you simply believe that you can out Poirot Poirot, then this could well be the book for you.

Sarah Dunnakey has created a wonderful mix of characters who all gather at Bracestone House at the bequest of the late Edward Luddenham. The reason - on paper at least - is to attend the reading of Edward's will. The real reason? Why to unmask Edward's killer of course. Now, it stands to reason that the killer will be one of the people attending this event, but who, of the many suspects placed before us, would it be? Well, to find out we have to navigate a series of short stories as it were, each ending in a series of puzzles, one of which will give a clue to the greatest mystery of them all - whodunnit.

With such a wide variety of characters, we are treated to a mixture of mysteries too. From tales of vengeance, to tales of greed, there is a little bit of everything for everyone, and a chance for us to flex out Detective muscles trying to outpace the story in terms of determining what each one might reveal. I really enjoyed these various fireside tales, each one giving a taste of something slightly different, like the many varied courses Bracestone House's housekeeper treated the guests to each night. If you like a good short story collection, then the book is worth reading for them alone.

For me, the real bonus, was the various puzzles that festoon the book at the end of each of the short stories. They vary in type, and often complexity, and it really did allow me to challenge my mental agility, as well as often my observational skills, something I can only benefit from as I age, right? This is the kind of book I can see keeping people amused around a fireside at Christmas, or even in the run up as it is easy to break down the book into a chapter, or story, a night, with one set of puzzles a day to lead you towards the big reveal. Will you be able to guess whodunnit ahead of the final set of clues? maybe, maybe not. Did I get the identity of the killer correct? Well, that's between me and my conscience isn't it? I'm certainly not going to reveal it to anyone reading this.

'Puzzle' based crime books are having a real boon right now, and I am loving it. A lot of fun and definitely recommended.

A very interesting premise but with a few too many puzzles for me (I was expecting some but not that many!). that said, you can enjoy all of the stories without ever having to work out the puzzles if you don't want to and the stories are, on the whole, excellent!

This is such a fun, quirky read with lots of puzzles to solve, too. Although I did manage with an ebook, I think a physical book would have been better.

I did find myself racing through the storyline, which I loved, to get to the puzzles.

This was such an exciting and adrenaline rushing read for me as it mixed my love of mystery with puzzles, it was fantastic,

We really enjoyed this book. I thought to begin with that the puzzles might interfere with my enjoyment or the flow of the story. As it was, the book provided breaks for family discussions and snack times (well you need snacks when working puzzles out !). It would make a great family entertainment over the festive period. Loved it.