I quite enjoyed this book, it was a bit like Midsomer Murders and kept me interested throughout although the ending was very disappointing. I suppose there were so few people left so at least one of them had to be the murderer. Suddenly they are exposed and the book abruptly ends. This should have been handled differently and perhaps more characters included to make the villain less obvious. NOW ATTENTION PUBLISHERS PLEASE. Firstly, it was very irritating that James kept on calling his wife "Hon". I honestly don't think a sernior detective would call his wife by this affection, it is mostly used by women to their friends or colleagues. Secondly, the character of Annie was very weak, she didn't seem to have any palpable personality but what she did have was a face full of movement as I discovered over three to four chapters later in the book.. These were just some of her facial expressions:- noise at back of throat, jaw inched forward, squinting with one eye, biting bottom or top lip, back that straightened, blinked and puffed out cheeks, squinting with tiredness, eyes out on stalks, jaw clench, eyes tighten, ground teeth. It actually became very amusing but detracted from the seriousness of the story. This is a good book but it really needs tidying up.

We usually think of warm toasty reads when we think Christmas. Love stories and happy endings. Well not this Christmas read…..12 days of Christmas and 12 dead bodies, bring on my next thriller read.

Firstly I have to admit I’m a total sucker for British crime dramas. My Foxtel IQ is full of police and detective series and that is why I loved this one. This felt exactly like I was watching one of my favourites, complete with that memorable line that every crime show seems to have….. “Where to now guv?”

It’s the lead up to Christmas and a killer is on the loose in the small village of Kirkby Abbey. Not only is he is on the loose, but he’s taunting the police, and a few of the locals, by sending them creepy Christmas cards, and trust me, these aren’t Christmas cards you want to receive.

Twelve Days of Christmas and twelve murders, our killer has a hit list and it would seem, a score to settle. Who would have a vendetta against any of the residents of this sleepy little hamlet? Certainly not the warm welcome our new resident detective was expecting having left London to escape the evils of his past case and live a somewhat quieter life.

Very much procedural driven we follow Detective James Walker step by step through his investigation while he follows up leads and conducts his interviews. Even with the heavy detail, the story still skips along pretty rapidly.

Although for some reason I found the Detective’s wife Annie beyond irritating (is it wrong I was hoping she was on the killer’s hit-list?) I still found this a quick and enjoyable read, almost like reading an episode of Midsomer Murders.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this one.

Excellent book thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Well written, excellent characters that you can really invest in and a plot that twists and turns and keeps you guessing.
Highly recommended.

I love books set in the winter. I love books with Murders. I love a detective story. I loved this book!

I really enjoyed this book, well written, all the characters were good and the story line kept me involved all the way although I was wanting there to be more murders and I did guess who the baddie was!

I can definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading more from this author who is new to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective James Walker and his wife Annie relocated to the quiet village of Kirkby Abbey after being involved in a high profile case in London and being threatened by the perpetrator. Not long after moving in James receives a package and card threatening him that the sender will 12 people who deserve it over the Christmas period. Can James catch the killer before the murderer carries out his grizzly threat.

I found this book a little clunky. Almost like the writer was following a "Writer's 10 step guide to writing a thriller". I didn't really connect with any of the main character's and just felt that the whole book lacked depth. I also worked out the end almost immediately which was a disappointment. It's a good book to read in one sitting that is not too taxing on the brain but I can't say I'll be seeking out anymore in the series if there were to be any.

An enjoyable read. A little slow paced and if it was on the TV would be comparable to Vera or Midsomer, so if that's your kind of murder mystery then this is definitely for you. Well written with great characters.

Thank you Netgalley for given me a chance to read this book. Its about a detective who lives with his wive in a small town near London and is trying to the solve a mystery. I enjoyed trying to get to know all of the characlters iving in the small town and figuring out who wa the mastermind behind the murders. It kept we guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to many more.

The Christmas Killer tells the story of DI James Walker and his wife, who have left the stresses of life in the Metropolitan Police. Threats linked to a previous case of DI Walker's persuades him to move to the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria, his wife's childhood home. They are soon to discover that Kirkby Abbey has many deep and dark secrets - and there is a killer on the loose who is set on taking the lives of the holders of those secrets. A cat and mouse game is on with DI Walker who is taunted by the killer's use of Christmas cards to hint at what is to come.
I started reading this book when I had a few minutes spare and couldn't put it down. The snowy Christmas scenes are very atmospheric and add to the sinister nature of the killer moving quietly through the village.
As with any good crime thriller, I had several suspects in my head and these kept changing with each twist of the plot.
My only slight criticism of the book is that the ending felt very rushed and the epilogue could have been slightly more detailed.

Alex Pine has come up with a novel idea for a crime story and then set it in a small Lakeland village, trouble is it just doesn’t quite work completely. It’s well worth a read but it could have been so much better. A policeman hero with a wife who you wish had been number one on the murder list rips through the story at a good pace. Tipped off that there will be 12 murders in 12 days it should have been a real mystery but lack of characters meant the murderer was quite easy to spot early on, never mind you read it and make up your own mind

A Great Old fashioned Crime Novel.
Lots of great characters both amid the Police investigating the Crimes , the Villages who are at possible Risk, along with all the side plots to try keep you from guessing who the Christmas Killer is !
It was made extra interesting because the area where the Book was set is not that far from where I live so I had a wonderful picture of the Village Kirkby Abbey & it's surroundings in my head as I read the story, plus the local dialect of the Villagers& then the London accent of DI James Walker. All in all a very enjoyable Crime read not too much Violence!
I hope this does well once it it published ,& at such time I will then with permission post my review on GoodReads,,Amazon & with several Book Groups via FB that I belong too plus any friends I believe would enjoy reading it.

I received my ecopy of The Christmas Killer via Netgalley.

This is a good village based whodunnit which will keep you guessing. Although there is a serial killer on the loose it is not a heavy, gruesomely detailed scenario. It drew me in from the outset and I liked the main characters. The plot gives nothing away until you realise that the book is running short of pages, at which point it's obvious where the main clue lies which leads to the obvious answer of who the killer is. I felt this final point was really rather rushed.

My only peeve is that James called his wife 'hon' nearly every time he spoke to her and that whilst leading the police team in a race against time and the elements, he assured his wife Annie that he would always have time to chat to her during the working day!

An interesting, police drama in a village setting that ticked all the boxes.

ho-ho-horrifying!

A classic whodunnit with holiday themed twists and turns, this book sucks you right in from the start and keeps your eyes glued to the pages until its conclusion.

I have read many thrillers this year, and I must say that this was one I definitely enjoyed, and admittedly even more so because its a Christmas thriller. There’s just something about holiday stories, whether it be a cozy romance or a suspenseful thriller, that makes it that much more fun and enjoyable to read.

I read the preview of this book before being given access to the full e-galley, and I was immediately gripped and wanting to read more. But because I was so eager to devour the entire story, I was a bit apprehensive that I would end up feeling underwhelmed and disappointed. But as soon as I picked up where the preview had cut off, I was once again instantly immersed into the story and the holiday horrors it contained.

This book has such an intriguing storyline, as it features a serial killer stalking a small village, killing his victims in a “twelve days of Christmas” manner; he leaves messages on Christmas Cards, and then goes in for the kill.

This story is twisty and suspenseful, and there’s never a dull moment to be found. There are many suspects to be suspicious of, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat in anticipation, trying to figure out who the actual killer is. There are so many clues to be found throughout the story, but they are cleverly hidden by the author, like a craftily wrapped Christmas present, purposefully wrapped in a way that's meant to deceive.

Gripping and utterly entertaining, this is a mystery that is very well crafted, like an artfully decorated gingerbread house.

To anyone who is a fan of murder mysteries and holiday themed stories-pick this one up!

4/5 twinkling stars!

The Christmas Killer

The combination of my favorite holiday and favorite genre; I started reading “The Christmas Killer” by Alex Pine with extremely high expectations. Unfortunately, after only getting through the first few chapters, I was let down. I continued to push myself through the novel, thinking it would get better, but it never did. As the beginning of the novel started, you learn of an individual who had recently been released from prison after being “wrongfully a accused” of a crime. After reading the entire novel, I ask myself, why was that part even added? Was it added to fill up space in the novel? Was it going to divert my focus on who the suspect possibly was? For the most part, that character and entire portion of the novel could have been completely omitted.

Most of the books I read consist of female detectives, so it was nice to change it up a bit and have a male detective as the lead. While DI James Walker was dedicated to his job as a Senior Detective, I didn’t get the vibe I typically get when I read other crime novels containing female detectives. However, it could have been the fact that the story line did not keep my attention and most evenings, it put me to sleep more than anything. I will say I was completely caught off guard when the Christmas killed was identified. That individual not once crossed my mind as a suspect. However, after the suspect was identified, the book just ended, which was yet another disappointment.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine. I greatly appreciate it.

This, for me, was a 2* OK read.

It's such a good premise; a couple move from London to Cumbria, escaping the hustle and bustle of the Capital as well as a recently released gangland killer who blames the MET policeman husband for his incarceration. Things seem idyllic until a mystery package with a strange warning arrives and then a murder takes place... and more are due.

It's not a bad read, I just struggled to maintain interest as it has little depth and few interesting characters. Plus, the lead character's wife is extremely self obsessed and irritating - which didn't help.

Overall, an easy read that could have been much more.

This was a brilliant book I couldn't put it down . Defiantly recommend buying this book well worth it .

Not sure if this is a series but first I have read. Would be happy to read more featuring this guy. His wife seems to drink a lot though. Set in a pretty small village so hope they don’t kill off too many residents. Guessed murderer pretty early on but an easy read for a quiet few hours.

Thank you for the ARC of the Christmas killer. Strong start to book. Good development of characters. I enjoyed the plot and didn't actually see who the killer was until the very end, enough plausible characters to keep you guessing. Well worth a read and I will try the authors other books. I do not include spoilers or references to the book in my reviews

I did like this book but I felt like it could have been adapted more. It was very predictable and that isn’t something I like with regards to this genre. Just didn’t hit the spot for me

The Christmas Killer is book 1 in the DI James Walker series.

Detective James Walker and his wife Annie are forced to move to a small Cumbrian village because of a threat to their life in London. But just when everything feels perfect and plans to enjoy Christmas with the family, DI James Walker is sent an early Christmas card telling him there will be 12 murders in 12 days!

I really liked this thriller. It had me suspecting almost everyone and I had my reasons why each person might have been the murderer (and in the end I was right!). Although I did find the second half of the book to be slower and sometimes just dragging. But overall, a great first in a series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an advanced copy.