I really enjoyed this book, read it in two days. The setting was rural, a village which sounded picturesque, at Christmas time but with a serial killer on the loose. The plot is what drew me in and kept me reading for the first half of the book. With a book like this, most of the characters feel like extras/fillers, we don't get to know them in depth because their role is that of suspect or future victim so we only have the main characters but I didn't feel attached to them at first. The main characters are a detective and his wife, who I found likeable but I didn't know enough about them. I feel like the author barely scratched the surface with these two. I'm hoping that's because they're planning on using them again. By the end of the book I was hooked, I want to know what will happen next in their lives. I would love a book explaining their history with an enemy who's briefly touched upon in this book. I honestly wish the book had gone on a bit longer, I felt the ending came around a bit too quick. I would have liked more of a build up. I didn't want it to end. I didn't guess the culprit which is great. This is the first book I've read by this author but I enjoyed it that much, I Googled and discovered they've written previous books in other names so I intend to read more by them. I only gave four stars because I would have liked to know more about the main characters personalities but I'm hoping there's a good reason for this. Otherwise it's a great read.

I always love reading new authors to me, but even more so new authors completely and a new series to boot! Alex Pine sets a good plot in the Christmas Killer. The police officer Walker relocates to the north after fearing for his family in London, and escapes up north for the quiet life. Well sadly the quiet life isn’t going to happen. Suddenly Christmas cards start to land with sinister messages planning to kill 12 people before Christmas. It’s up to Walker to solve the mystery before more lives are lost. I did really enjoy the book and pace of it, I felt it moved along quite nicely. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, well it may have been a small thing for others but for me, it annoyed me. The lead character Walker continually throughout the whole investigation tells his wife every day what is happening and all the details. Now I’m not a police officer but I know some and that rarely happens and they don’t bring their work home with them, even if they partners are interested. It was a small thing but an annoying one for me. Sorry that aside it was a good read! Thank you @netgalley for the ARC in return for this review. #BookReview

Absolutely loved this book. Had been given a teaser but hadn’t noticed it wasn’t the full book until the end of it and was so disappointed. So when I got the chance to read the full book I jumped at it. What a great book. I loved it from start until finish. It had me hooked from the off. I couldn’t put it down , interesting range of characters. Great plot to get your mind racing. It was fast paced and very well written. I didn’t want it to end. Was so disappointed when it can’t to an end . Will definitely be looking out for the author again

One thing they described Robs house as a bungalow. But said the police came back downstairs. This needs editing

27/7/20 updated review based on full copy of book!
DI James Walker and his wife, Annie, have moved from London to A small village in Cumbria. A different pace of life for James and the threat of an old case is hanging over him. Just before Christmas a package arrives that could spell the end of the peace and festive season. Someone is going to kill everyday over the advent period and it’s James’s job to find out who is doing this and why?
The characters are great. James and Annie are likeable and there is a massive opening for a sequel but this has the bones to be a great series and I look forward to reading more. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book grips you from the begining with plenty of twists you will not want to put this book down.It has great characters that make this story.Well done to Alex Pine.5*

This book starts off with married couple Annie and James having a brick thrown through their window following the release of a convicted criminal. Annie and James move da to Cumbria to the house Annie’s mother left them, hoping for a fresh start. Soon unpleasant gifts begin to arrive for them and others promising more deaths and they wonder if they are being targeted by a certain someone. Fast paced and easy reading. Well worth a read

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine. A police procedural with an intriguing mystery occuring during the holiday season. Really wouldn't want to receive one of the 12 Days of Christmas cards. Solid crime solving in the first of a new series featuring DI James Waller.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

After reading and reviewing the teaser courtesy of the publishers and netgalley I was excited and eager to read and review the whole book.
DI James Walker and his wife Annie have relocated to a small village in Cumbria from London with the threat if an old case hanging over him.
The Christmas theme is played out through a series of threatening Christmas cards being sent by a serial killer who is planning to kill 12 people over the 12 days of Christmas. The Christmas theme continued with a snowy backdrop.
I loved this book but if you are a fan of brutal grisly and detailed murders this may not be for you as it focuses mire on the 'whodunit part than the grisly details.
I look forward to reading more if the series in due course

The Christmas Killer - Alex Pine
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I received this book from NetGalley and the publishers and as a lover of everything Christmas related I was excited to try a Christmas thriller and wow I was not disappointed!

If you are wanting a cosy, hot chocolate in front of the fire, listening to carols kind of vibe this is not for you!! Instead there is plenty of snow in the Cumbrian village of Kirkby Abbey and the Christmas theme is played out through a series of threatening Christmas cards sent by a mysterious would be serial killer, planning to kill 12 people over the 12 days of Christmas. DI James Walker has the task of discovering who is sending the cards before the body count starts racking up.

I loved this book! I have never read a thriller set around Christmas and I thought it worked perfectly. The book was fast paced and kept me guessing right till the end. I couldn’t put it down and am so glad to hear that it is the start of a series - I will definitely be looking out for the next one!

#TheChristmasKiller #NetGalley
Suspenseful. Definitely recommend.
The story starts with Annie Walker who heard her husband car's home. They have a home in Tottenham.. She's freaking because fifty eight years old Andrew Sullivan is free from jail. The one who was behind the bars because of James. She thinks that he will definitely take revenge from them.
Sullivan served thirteen months of a life sentence in jail for the murder of a nightclub owner, Brendon Fox. Although he's denying of it.
Now one by one the bodies are turning up.
Twelve Days, Twelve Bodies. Who's doing it? What's their motive?
I adored this thriller. I loved its characters and narration. Give it a go.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advance copy of this awesome suspense thriller.

An enjoyable book in many ways but not as tight as I would have liked it to be. Good concept and many winding paths to follow. a killer on the loose at Christmas starting with a partridge in a box.

This is another cookie cutter mystery novel featuring Christmas and snow. The dialogue is stilted. There is nothing new in the plot. Everything is repeated through the book.

The same ensemble of characters that are regularly seen. A police, his wife, the priest, the village store manager, ex- convict, village pariah, the old man with all the gossip. All those characters are added to the stew with nothing new.

Christmas themed murders? Sign me up. I was initially attracted to this book because the premise sounded so promising and fun. The story itself was a bit light and not as exciting as I would have hoped. The main plot revolves around a detective who has to move away to his wife's hometown after one of his criminals is released from prison. What was meant to be a nice holiday in a small town turns upside down once he receives a dead bird and a 12 days of Christmas themed card in which the writer promises to kill 12 people. Sounds interesting right? Welp for some reason I found myself lagging and not fully invested in the characters or the murders. Usually I am on board and interested, but this killings and the procedure just was so mundane compared to what I was expecting. The overall plot was all right and the characters were okay, I guessed the killer halfway into the book and was was right. It wraps up fine and this makes a fine Christmas themed mystery thriller.

This is an wonderful mystery that just pulls you in right from the start. We are introduced to Detective James Walker and his wife Abbie and the lovely English countryside town of Kirkby Abbey and its inhabitants. A serial killer is on the loose and everyone is both a suspect and a potential victim in this small town. I truly was hooked and found this an enjoyable read from start to finish. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a different kind of a thriller with more of a focus on the "whodunit" part than the grizzly murders. Part of what makes crime novels so appealing is the depths killers will go when it comes to--ahem--brutally and maliciously killing their victims. Readers are always appalled and horrified at the lengths people will go, for whatever the reason may be, to kill a person. And deep down we all love that shocked feeling that comes with being horrified and intrigued by the sick minds of a murderer.

Here, another interesting aspect has been added to the crime/mystery genre, which is the tedious investigations and meetings police must have to find the best course of action of finding a murderer/serial killer. Which may sound boring to some, bad when a killer claims to be hunting down twelve victims and a winter storm isolates a tiny village from outside help, pressure builds and nobody is safe, the novel becomes fairly chaotic.

For those who rely heavily on those terrifying and grotesque corpses showing up one after another to get through a crime novel, you may find this one doesn't satisfy those needs. Yet, if there is a desire to seek out a different perspective on crime and serial killers with an emphasis on the "whodunnit," then this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Alex Pine is a talented writer who brings a seriously complex crime to an unsuspecting and seemingly innocent village where anyone could be the killer or the next victim. "The Christmas Killer" is definitely on my list of book recommendations as I was entirely pleased with the suspenseful and mysterious events that kept me second guessing my list of suspects. I'm very excited for others to read this and hear what they think. Check it out!

The expected publication date is October 29th, 2020!!

D.I. James Walker recently relocated with his wife to Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria, when a murder takes place in the village. The murderer delivers Christmas cards to the villagers, saying like the Christmas carol, the twelve days of Christmas, he will be killing someone over the twelve days. DI Walker has a race against time as the bodies are discovered in the deep winter snow. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and putting my detective hat on, I am glad I got the right suspect! A cozy Christmas mystery.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley.

After reading the teaser, I was really excited to read the book. It pulled me in and I didn't want it to let me go.
The cover of this book is beautiful. It has that Christmas charm with the sense of something dark lurking around as well.
I was hoping that the plot would continue down the thriller path and keep me at the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the murdered is, but the plot started lacking. Seemed like all the action was in the first half of the book and then everything kind of dragged in the other half, with the end rushed. Sure, the killer was a surprise - and that was awesome because I thought back and realized how much it made sense, but it was all just packaged up super fast and before you knew it, the book was over.
The Characters fell on the flat side with the lack of growth from everyone. I'll focus on James because he was the main character. He was doing a great job following leads and trying to figure out the killer, his character was good, but his conversations left me feeling like it didn't fit, in a way. Power to him for dealing with a town's panic and then going home to his wife, who was BARELY keeping it together. He was a good character, but there was just something missing.
I know it sounds like I dragged this book to filth, unfortunately, it just didn't hit the spot for me. I honestly believe Pine has the potential for some fantastic work. Keep at it and I will most likely give him another go in the future. 2.5/5

The Christmas Killer - Alex Pine

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley.

At first I was apprehensive as to whether I would enjoy the book, as it seemed to get off to a slow start. However, very quickly the story developed and I was hooked.

On the approach to Christmas in the quiet village, James arrives home to find an unexpected Christmas present waiting for him, with the promise that there will be 12 deaths in the village. As the body count rises, it is James’ job to apprehend the killer whilst being cut off from the rest of the team during heavy snowstorms.

I had a few suspects lined up as I was going through the story, and one by one they were eliminated until I had absolutely no idea who the killer was. When the killer is revealed at the end of the book, it was interesting to see how the clues had been there but cleverly hidden by the author.

I would recommend anyone that is a fan of murder mysteries or crime to get themselves a copy of this book when it is released in October 2020.

The Christmas Killer
Rating: 4.5/5
I believe that this is Alex Pine’s first novel, but I am looking forward to reading more of this series when it is released.

Great introduction to the characters and would like to see the main characters get their own series of novels. Mystery and intrigue throughout

Loved this!
I cannot say anything negative about this book. This is definitely in the top ten books I’ve read this year.
I’ve been gripped, there’s tension!! I absolutely need to read more by this author