This was a very good book. I read it in one day. It had me on the edge of my seat and oh my! The twists and turns! A must read! I will definitely recommend this book!

This book was really good and gripping. It hard me hooked all the way though wondering who the killer was. The 12 days off Christmas with 12 murders. It was interesting trying to think who it could have been.

James and his wife Annie move from London to a small town, to escape a mob boss that James had a hand in putting behind bars. This sounded right up my alley, because I love reading murder mystery books from the detectives perspective. But I found it very hard to remember all the characters that were in this book. Maybe it was because there was too many of them or maybe it was because I didn’t care enough about them to remember them.
I also didn’t enjoy the reveal at the end, or who the killer was. It just fell flat for me. It being the priest and he was killing people because he thought they scorned god. The book kept mentioning the twelve days of Christmas but it never went anywhere with that. It was mentioned at the start when James and Annie got a dead partridge as a gift. I wanted so much more and I didn’t get that. But thanks to netgalley for letting me read an arc of this book.

After a promising and enjoyable start, unfortunately this became extremely repetitive and unexciting: we don’t need to witness a conversation, then have the detective reflect on it and then have him tell others about it; Annie was two-dimensional; sentence after sentence stated the obvious; and the killer was clear from the first time they appeared. This had promise but needs tightening up in the middle half.

I found this book an ok read but it didn't really stand out for me.

The plot had a lot of potential: detective in a small Cumbrian village receives a note warning of twelve deaths to come, along with a dead bird representing the partridge from the Twelve Days of Christmas. As the murders begin, the weather worsens, trapping everyone in the village with a killer.

However, I found the execution left something to be desired. The writing suffers from a problem I've seen in many other crime novels: it's very flat and seems to exist just to move the characters through the plot. Even though we are told the characters feel emotion, none of it resonates. At times it's almost like reading a summary of events rather than being immersed in the book.

That could all be forgiven if the plot were a really clever one, but the plot here is also quite flat. I guessed who the killer was very early on, and the fact that the police didn't even think of it made them seem pretty incompetent. The Twelve Days of Christmas also have nothing to do with the plot, which was a bit of a disappointment.

OK as a light holiday read, perhaps, but I wouldn't rush to recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the arc of The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine.

4 star read like wow just wow! i loved this book so much! This follows DI James Walker who is all ready for his christmas with his family until there is an early christmas present left on the door step in which he opens to find out it is a promise from somebody for the 12 days of christmas there will be 12 murders.... not too long after he read this the first body was found in the snow half of its body is frozen... it leaves residents of the village in fear as no one knows what 11 victims he kills next.... can he find it before its too late?

A great read to begin with. The start and middle were good and had me gripped in but 3/4 of the way in and i started to lose interest. There wasn't a big build up to who the killer was and once the ending came it just stopped adruptly with quite a flopped ending.

**This review will be posted on my book blog close to publication date**

A DI moves to a small village, hoping for a new, peaceful start but soon bodies start appearing, one for each of the 12 days for Christmas all while a raging snowstorm is impending. But the investigations are all going in a loop since everyone in the village has a nasty secret to hide, some secrets, very close to home.

This is a pretty good police procedural, gripping, straightforward, and quick with a satisfying yet kinda predictable end. It took its time to get started though, the first few chapters made me want to dnf it so hard, because really, ‘the whining wife of a good detective’ is so typical and old, also why is the character’s inability to conceive overshadows everything else that’s going on in the story! Like I said, typical and old. But thank heavens I carried on and it was such a good decision.

It takes off after the first few chapters, the pace remains good, and the short chapters helped keep the interest up. I really liked how the whole process of investigation was told, how one point of interrogation lead to another, and this was the best part of the story imo. This the perfect thriller for the jolly season, and quite enjoyable. Much recommended.

I was interested from page 1 of this book! I connected immediately to DI James Walker who has been transferred from the Met in London to the small village of Kirkby Abbey, Cumbria, after the release of gangster, Andrew Sullivan. After Sullivan's release, James and Annie were receiving threatening letters, suspected to be from Sullivan, hence their move to Cumbria. Sullivan has served 13 months in prison for the murder of Brendon Fox until his release after an unnamed man confessed to the murder. Sullivan has always denied murdering Fox.

James's wife Annie, grew up in Kirkby Abbey and has a secret of her own, unbeknown to her husband. There are twists and turns, murders, infidelity, revenge all the things you would expect from a murder mystery with Christmas thrown in!!

I enjoyed the style of Alex Pine's writing, which flowed nicely and kept you interested in finding the killer.

I would recommend this book and have given a 4 star rating

I WANT TO THANK NEWGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

Despite being a Christmas themed book I really enjoyed reading this book in the middle of July! It was a tense and entrapping read that I managed to read in a couple of sittings.

I liked that the book came from the perspective of the victims. It felt a little different to normal murder type suspense novels.

A great read for people who like the whole whodunnit type books

An excellent Christmas “who dun it”.

Enjoyable read with plenty of mystery and suspense.

5 stars, recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of The Christmas Killer, the first novel to feature DI James Walker, recently transferred from The Met to Cumbria.

When James returns home in the small Cumbrian village of Kirkby Abbey he finds what he thinks is an early Christmas present on the doorstep. Instead it’s something gruesome and a card promising 12 murders for the 12 days of Christmas. Then the killing starts.

The Christmas Killer is a plot driven novel with a linear timeline. It is told mainly from the point of view of James and his wife Annie in the third person with several notable exceptions. I don’t think I’ve seen a first person narrative from the victims giving their thoughts just before they die. It is surprisingly effective as a device, especially as there is no hint of the perpetrator’s identity so they remain a mystery until the denouement, unless you guess correctly like I did.

The plot has a good premise but I didn’t like the delivery. I found the writing style stilted and prone to stating the obvious. It just didn’t flow for me and I eventually found it annoying. I also didn’t like the characterisation of Annie as a stereotypical nervous, neurotic woman and James’s depersonalising of her by constantly referring her to as Hon. Turns out I’m more of a feminist than I ever knew!

It would appear that The Christmas Killer is a debut novel and it obviously has teething problems but I would certainly consider reading a follow up before making a judgement.

Annie and James are a young couple who re-locate to a village in Cumbria, Annie's family home, to get away from the "bright lights of London" and a criminal who James, a police inspector, had put away. Little do they know that days before Christmas, a serial killer is "on the loose" in the Cumbrian village, but who is the killer and why "the twelve days of Christmas?"

The story get straight to the point from the first word and we soon meet the villagers - Annie and James's new neighbours, who start dropping like flies - which one of his neighbours could it be? So much for being safer away from London!

We also" hear" from each victim just before they are murdered - which I thought was an interesting addition since it's usually the killer.

With each murder James and Annie learn more about each victim's life, and how intertwined with each they were - this reminded me of the Miss Marple books.

Will Annie and James spend their first Christmas in the village without another murder?

And what is Annie's uncle Bill's role in the grand scheme of things, he's arrived early to spend Christmas with Annie and James but seems to be acting oddly?

I found the pace of the story okay, in that it kept reading to find out more about what was going to happen next, and I liked how we learnt about Annie's backstory, growing up in the village.

For some reason I was expecting more gory details, perhaps due to the title.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and HarperCollins for the eARC.

An interesting tale that keeps you interested right from the start, until the final reveal. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading a good detective story.

DI James Walker and his wife Annie move up from London to the sleepy little village of Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria in the hope of a quiet life and to leave behind the threats of a recently-released prisoner who has promised to have his revenge on James.

Expecting a boring life with the local police force, James is more than a little surprised to find himself in the middle of a hunt for a serial killer who appears to have a personal vendetta against half the village. The killer has promised to take the lives of 12 people over Christmas - can James stop them before it gets that far?

I loved the premise of this book and there were aspects that I really enjoyed. I liked how the murders were told through the eyes of the victims in the first person, so that we are kept guessing as to who they are until the body has been discovered. And I enjoyed trying to work out who the killer was.

However, I felt like the story could have been so much more. It seemed to end a little abruptly after meandering along for a long time whilst the police force interviewed the same handful of people over and over again and didn't seem to know how to find suspects other than thinking 'that person didn't really like him - let's go talk to them again!'

With only a handful of characters really ever mentioned, it didn't take me long to decide who I thought was the killer and I was a little bit sad that I was right. I wanted to be taken by surprise - but it may just be that I read a lot of thrillers and may be getting immune!

Overall, the Christmas Killer was very readable and entertaining, but just didn't quite hit the spot for me.

Detective Inspector James Walker and his wife Annie move to a quiet village in Cumbria after a notorious criminal is released from prison and may pay them a visit for putting him in there!

Things are not as peaceful as they hoped after a 12 days of christmas card is sent along with a dead partridge to their new home. Inside there is a promise 12 murders are to occur and every victim deserves it. Snow is falling fast and thick, worsening every day, the list of suspects are shrinking fast and the press is hot on DI Walker's heels! Using his police experience from London he must act quickly to prevent the christmas killings.

Using the twelve days of christmas was a creative way to keep the novel at a steady pace and hints at a dramatic ending, the book did not disappoint! At times I was second guessing who the murder might have been as there are plenty of red herrings and clues throughout.

My only critique is the professionalism and procedures of the investigation. It all seemed to be informal, based on visiting peoples homes. I wonder if the reality would be quite the same or would these interviews would have made more of an impact in a police station with lawyers.

If you are after a good seasonal thriller this year for the approaching winter months I would whole heartedly recommend this one! It wasn't too detailed and definately more about the investigation than the murders but I enjoyed it so much will definately be keeping an eye out for the rest of the series! 4/5 stars

This is a great 'who done it' book with a Christmas theme. DI James Walker, and his wife Annie have recently moved from London for a safer lifestyle, to the picturesque Cumbrian village of Kirkby Abbey. However, when the Walkers receive an anonymous 12 Days of Christmas card and nasty packet, indicating there will be 12 murders over Christmas, the Walkers are nervous. Then the bodies start appearing.
This is set over Christmas with seasonal blizzards. The story was a real page turner and I didn't guess the murderer until the end.
A perfect seasonal read. BUT the style of writing was rather 'DI reporting' rather than grabbing the opportunity to set the scene, atmosphere and intrigue. Also, why on earth does the dashing DI Walker stick with Annie, who seems to moan and be anxious all the time!
But this is a perfect read over the Christmas holiday season! Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC version of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

It’s 9 days before Christmas and D.I. James Walker is looking forward to spending time with his wife and extended family in their new home in a sleepy little village in Cumbria.

However an unexpected and gruesome gift left on his doorstep is the start of a series of murders. The note says to expect twelve victims... can D.I. Walker discover the killer in time?

This had me hooked from the first chapter. I was on the edge of my seat.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different.

DI Walker and his wife Annie have moved to Kirby Abbey, Cumbria to a house her mother left her. A move instigated because of the possible threats to them from released convicted killer Andrew Sullivan. The courts having decided after thirteen months in prison that he was wrongly convicted when another man confessed.
But as Christmas approachs they receive a parcel containing a dead bird and a threatening message inside a Christmas card. Threats that there will be twelve deaths during the twelve days of Christmas, deaths of twelve people who deserve to die.
Unfortunately I did determine who was the killer, and I really didn't care much for the character of Annie Walker.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.