I enjoy a good mystery. This story, although mostly character driven, does include setting elements that I enjoyed-snow covered cottages...from the beginning, the reader realizes a serial killer is lose. With so many red herrings, it is difficult to determine who that person might be-quickly. Try this one and answer the puzzle...who did it?

The Christmas Killer, Alex Pine. 3/5

As the snow begins to fall, so will the bodies..
DI James Walker is all set for a quiet countryside Christmas when a card arrives advises him he is about to have anything but. Twelve days of Christmas, twelve murders. Can James stop the killer before its too late?

Things that go together... Christmas and.... Murder?! Apparently so! The crime/thriller genre is a heavily diluted one and if you are a fan, like me, who reads A LOT of them it becomes very easy to work out the twists early on. I didn’t predict all the victims, or the various red herrings but sadly, i did peg the killer fairly fast!

However, don’t let that put you off! The most satisfying thing about the genre is when it all wraps up perfectly at the end, no loose ends or leftover plot lines that make no sense. The Christmas Killer was perfect for that, it is a completely satisfying story.

Lets talk characters, DI James Walker and his wife Annie are too nice, honestly, halfway through i was cheering the murderer to pop out and finish them off but again, don’t be put off by that. You don’t always have to like the protagonist, sometimes, especially in this genre, it’s ok to want them slashed.

If you like your Christmas to have some extra kick... this is the story for you. Grab a hot chocolate, get under a blanket and prepare yourself for a good slashing

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for my ARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon/HarperCollins for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas in August? This pandemic is making me wish 2020 away! But how could I resist that beautiful cover and a plot of a murder for the 12 days of Christmas?! This is right up my street which is why I requested the ARC.

The story follows DI James Walker who relocated to Cumbria from London with his wife following the release of a convict that Walker helped to put away. Cumbria would be safer for them both, away from the threat of revenge, only to be caught in the midst in the spree of a serial killer.

I loved the setting of the book and it was really refreshing to see a serial killer novel set outside of a big city. The snowstorm also supported the Christmas feel too. Everyone dreams of a white Christmas in the UK (unless you have to drive in it) and we usually get a wet and miserable Christmas. I also thought that the perpetrator was a clever choice and whilst I figured it out quite early on, I think many people will not. I thought it was a good twist.

That being said, the story is very slow and not much really happens. Annie Walker spends the whole novel wallowing in self-pity, we have the same points repeated over and over and the same suspects interviewed over and over with nothing new gained. Also, the amount of times James called Annie 'hon' really got on my nerves!

I think this will be a good stocking filler and could easily see this being on a display in Smith's over the Christmas period.

I had high hopes for this book after reading the description and got through the first few chapters rather quickly which I then started to lose interest and find it very boring.
Sadly I just did not enjoy this writers style and found it very dull.

I received this book on Netgalley. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down.

Was really hopeful start and I was sure it will be an all nighter however after about half of the book the excitement died down and felt rushed.

Quite disappointing after such promising beginning.

If you are into high-intense crime fighting drama this book is not for you. It is your standard straightforward story about a detective searching for a killer using standard police procedure. However, this is not a bad read. The pacing was very nice and the chapters weren't long. It kept me interested and entanced for hours. I do wish there was little bit more tension and less neatness involved. It would've made for a better story. But it was still a nice read. This is supposedly the first ina series and I personally would be interested in reading more.

I was given an ARC of this book in return for an honest review courtesy of Avon Books UK/ Avon and Netgalley

When Detective James Walker moves from the bustling city of London to small town Kirkby Abbey he expects life and his case load to slow down a bit, but when he wakes up one morning to an ominous package on his doorstep threatening 12 murders themed after the 12 days of Christmas, he must use all of his skills to track down the killer before they strike again.

I've been looking for a good Christmas themed murder mystery for years, so when I read the synopsis for The Christmas Killer I was ecstatic. While reading, I found myself invested as I followed James through the very well researched detective process. It felt like whoever wrote this book really knew their stuff.

As a main character, James Walker is likable enough, if only a bit on the bland side. It seems that his entire personality is revolved around his job.

I found myself losing interest in the book as it progressed. The same info is restated multiple times for the reader and obvious things are explained outright, giving the book a kind of distance to the reader and is thus not as engaging. I also felt like getting to see the murders from the victims POVs ruins the mystery, I wish the reader only got to know as much as James so that we can solve it with him. Instead the killer was not a shock at all and I correctly guessed who it was within the first third of the book.

My main issue with this book is that there weren't enough murders. It's selling point is the 12 day of Christmas murders, if we don't even get half that amount the reader feels a bit cheated.

Overall interesting read and a good setup to a future mystery series involving Detective James Walker.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

This is the first in a new crime series featuring DI James Walker and I’m quite intrigued to see how they will play out. James wants a quiet Christmas with his wife in their new home. They need it; it’s been a tumultuous few months and living the city for a remote Cumbrian village could be the key to improving their lives. That’s if the village hadn’t been hit by a blizzard and someone promises James that there will be 12 murders in 12 days. Grim. Can James and his team find the killer before they succeed in a series of murders? There are plenty of clues throughout, enough to put you on the right track but also some red herrings to keep you a bit confused.

The DI James Walker series is off to a very promising start in Alex Pine's The Christmas Killer. It certainly is a worthy addition to the previous mystery stories centered around the holiday season. I appreciated the focus on the police investigations and the demands placed upon the investigative team. The hunt for a serial killer is never easy and this is even more so when a small village realizes it's one of their own. In a nice touch, Pine describes the moments of the crimes through the eyes of the victims. Walker has a good team to work with and there is the potential to build a strong supporting cast like we see in the DCI Banks books from Peter Robinson. The Christmas Killer is a slow-build but it will keep you turning the page. Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. #TheChristmasKiller #NetGalley

The Christmas Killer is a cracking book. I devoured it in a single day. The story is told from the perspectives of Detective James Walker and his wife Annie, who have recently moved from London to Cumbria. Their characters are sharply drawn and I took to them both. DI Walker is tasked with finding a serial killer who embarks on a Yuletide rampage in a quiet village that's being lashed by snow. All the suspects are interesting and plausible and the ending took me completely by surprise. This is a terrific start to a crime series and I look forward to reading more by this author. My thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book and was caught off guard by the killer! This isn’t a super psychological mystery, nor is it filled with lots of gritty details; it reminded me a bit of Christie novels, so I liked it. I enjoyed the jump between husband and wife as it was nice to get the whole picture. Can’t wait for book 2!

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publishers #Avon Books Uk and the author #Alex Pine for providing me with a copy of #The Christmas Killer in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book the plot kept me hooked from start to finish. It is fast paced and full of suspense. I am so thrilled that it is part of a series and I will certainly be buying more of this series.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read and review this book.

DI James Walker and his wife Annie have to move from London to her old hometown when a convicted criminal is released from jail and seeks revenge. Little do they know that there would be a serial killer planning to kill 12 people on the days leading up to Christmas. DI Walker and his team are stumped, as they try to find the killer before he/she completes the murder spree.

The author keeps the level of suspense quite high, when there are no clues but several possible suspects. The added complexity of the winter weather makes it difficult to save the village from a disastrous Christmas.

I was excited about a thriller that is Christmas centered, but overall I thought it was just okay. There is not as much character development as I would want and I had trouble keeping my attention centered on the book and the plot.

Thanks to Avon Books UK & NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

DI James Walker is persuaded by his wife Annie, to move back to the small Cumbrian village she was brought up in when things start going badly for them in London. On arrival he finds work very slow after working for the Met police, but soon ends up, literally, in the middle of a possible serial killing spree. With the snow falling and roads being closed, he finds himself cut off in the village trying to find the killer before more lives are lost.

This was an interesting take on the usual murder mystery, with the action taking place in a small rural village and focusing on basic policing rather than just hi-tech. James is torn between trying to protect his wife, and finding the killer, with few clues to the killers identity. Well written and plotted, this pulls you in from the start, although I didn’t warm to Annie. It also shows that small village life isn’t all cosy and idyllic. A good read, I did guess who the murderer was, but that didn’t spoil this satisfying who-dunnit. I look forward to reading more by this author,

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book, as it sounded like it'd be right up my alley, but I did not enjoy reading it. The writing is simplistic and the author repeats the same type of descriptors frequently. The main character often tells his wife confidential information and he'd be fired for doing so in the real world. I had to stop rolling my eyes every time there was a chapter in the wife's pov. She's described as being so desperate to have baby that she cries when she sees children and she's practically hysterical throughout the book. Personally, I'm tired of this type of character, as it's so unrealistic and overdone. It's pretty easy to figure out who the killer is, as well.

A very easy read but not your typical murder/crime book as it isnt too gory. The backdrop of snowy cumbria is a good contrast to the blood/murders. The theme of 12 days of Christmas kept you counting how many murders there had been and how many more to go. The murderer reveal was unexpected however the storyline afterwards seemed rushed to wrap it all up. There was a section in the book where the questions in the press conference was formatted in the same font/way that the cards were and to me to make the cards and theme more significant that font should have been excludive to their contents. Also the word "hon" seemed americanised for a uk set book. However all in all I enjoyed the book, it was nice to read something based close to home. It wont let me auto post to goodreads so I've added my own review on there.

Occupying a real specific niche for me in particular, this had such promise. While strong in its setup, Pine's holiday murder mystery rather falls short in the second half for me.

The description sounded right up my street so I was keen to read it. A Christmas mystery with lots of snow and festive atmosphere, The characters are fairly stereotypical- a DI, his wife, a publican, an old duffer, a priest etc and the scene is set with snow storms, being cut off from civilisation.
The plot has been done before- xmas cards, all the same type are sent to various people and include malicious messages. The people killed are deemed to have deserved their fate.
If you want something light to read by the fire drinking a glass of mulled wine this would fit the bill.
The killer is as plain as pikestaff from quite early on- I won't say why because that would mean giving spoilers.
Other downsides - DI Walker calling his wife "hon" every 5 minutes! The overuse (ye gods I lost count) of the number of times stomachs were knotted/twisted/churning and the amount of times hearts pulsated/pounded against chests/pulses raced- It's a wonder the cardiac team weren't called! (Or gastro)
DI Walker is very unprofessional in telling his wife (why would you when she is an angst ridden highly strung individual who gives him no help whatsoever all the details surrounding the case Do the police really tell their loved ones so much? Needless to say she was not my favourite character- very irritating.
I did notice that male characters descriptions were- grey hair, short/tall/brown eyes but female characters were described as having good cleavage, looking better for a few pounds on, looking good in a tight sweater-I mean really? in 2020?
The killer is caught more by luck than judgement- but hey- they got a new carpet out of it 2.5/5 stars
There are typos that need addressing and doubtless will be including a name change- Drake to Blake