A gripping, solid and highly entertaining police procedural that I found entertaining and well plotted.
It kept me reading and guessing till the end: well developed plot and characters, a twisty mystery that kept me on the edge.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is the third Alex Pine book I have read and I can’t wait for the next one. Another page turner that I found hard to put down. Lots of twists - I thought I’d worked out the ending, but I was wrong. Interesting characters - I especially like to keep up with James throughout the books. Great read, definitely recommend. I’ve actually bought a copy for a Christmas present.

It's that time of year again for a new DI James Walker mystery! This time, he's called to a wedding at The Fells, a posh hotel, on New Year's Eve where the maid of honour, who is also the bride's sister, is found dead. James and his team have the task of tracking down the killer with a hotel of full of suspects to choose from.

I'm already a huge fan of this series, so I was happy that DI James Walker was back for another outing!

As with the previous two books, the story has a fast pace, plenty of clues, red herrings and suspects along the way.

I appreciated the fact James is now a father. Having to deal with solving murders and being a new dad gave a different dimension to the character.

I had the killer down for most of the story, but it's nice to play amateur detective and find out that I'm right!

If you're looking for a Christmas book themed, that's not too Christmassy, with a murder mystery to boot, I would highly recommend this series to you! Can't wait to see more from this series!

Detective Inspector James Walker would have good reason to dread the Christmas season. In the last two years he has had a serial killer and a family murdered in their own home to contend with. This year however he thinks he has escaped . Until his phone rings on New Year's Eve night.
I really enjoy this series. Not only do we have a team of cops who work together without any of the petty jealousies we see in so many police procedurals but the main characters have settled relationships and home lives.. That's not to see there isn't plenty of excitement and this case in particular has a whole hotel full of suspects. Even Hercule Poirot might have difficulty finding the killer here. Fortunately James Walker has no such problem.
I look forward to the next book in the series but I have to say to the author it would be lovely to visit Cumbria when it isn't snowing

Description 🔖

Christmas has arrived in Cumbria and once again, DI James Walker is away from his family and investigating a murder. There is a luxurious wedding taking place at a local lakeside hotel, but it’s all due to end in tears.

Rachel was maid of honour at her sister’s wedding and disappeared after the Wedding Breakfast and before she had made her planned speech. Inevitably, her sister is fuming, but when nobody can find Rachel, everyone soon realises that something is very very wrong. Before the end of the night, the lake is being searched for a dead body. Who would do such a thing on someone’s wedding day? DI James Walker will certainly find out.

General Thoughts 🤔

I really like this series and I hope that it doesn’t stop at this third instalment. I find myself looking forward to the new release every Christmas and I know I’ll be disappointed if there isn’t more. I thought that The Winter Killer was the perfect blend between chilling and Christmas. The crime was awful, but the characters, setting and general vibe of the book still kept an air of “small town at Christmas” and it’s what I loved about this book and the two before it.

Characters 👫👭👬

Of course we’re back with DI James Walker’s team for this investigation, though I have to admit, I didn’t feel like there was that much about them included in this book. They were there for the police procedural work of course, but I didn’t think there was much included about their personal lives. I wasn’t mad about that, just meant that I didn’t really feel like I got to see where their lives had progressed to.

I had my strong suspicions about some of the characters in this story right from the off and I was right to stick with my gut feeling (I won’t give any spoilers). Some of the characters were shifty, but they were too obvious. Some of the characters were lovely; but everyone has their secrets.

Writing Style ✍️

Much like the previous book, I enjoyed the police procedural aspect of this book and I found it entertaining without being so heavy that I had to concentrate too much. I liked this balance and I think that the author has definitely found their groove with the tone of this series now.

One thing about The Winter Killer that I would have liked to have seen done better was the ending. Not the actual ending itself, I liked where the story wrapped up however I think it was a little quick and a touch rushed. I would have enjoyed a little more story to come after the reveal, but it felt like there was an arrest and then the book ended quite abruptly.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

This is a series that I have and continue to enjoy and I really hope that this isn’t planned to be the last that we all get to see of DI Walker and his team. It’s becoming a bit of a tradition for me to read these part cosy, part thriller police procedural books around this time of year and I don’t want it to end. I really enjoyed this third book and if you’ve already read the first two, I think you will too. Alternatively, if you haven’t read any of the books in this series, this could easily be read standalone. Overall a great Christmas read that I loved reading during the cold evenings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this police crime/ mystery offering from Alex Pine. Thank you so much to @avonbooksuk for my advanced e-book in exchange for review.

Whilst this is book 3 in the series following this police force, I didn’t need to have read the previous 2 books and it read really well as a stand-alone.

I thought the plot and characters in this one were really fleshed out, the pace moved quickly and I actually cared about who the killer was gonna be in the end. I thought the hotel setting made a nice change too and at first I was worried the scenes would feel stagnant taking place in one setting all the time but that simply wasn’t the case.

I almost wish I’d read the previous books first as now I’m gonna have to go back and catch up!

The Winter Killer is Available now.

I liked this book a lot. I'm an avid thriller reader so I appreciate when a thriller jumps straight into the mystery rather than a slow dragged out start.

This book had you intrigued from page one and the writing style was really easy to digest and burn through. The main characters were easy to like, but not enough to steal the attention away from the storyline which I really liked. I enjoyed the red-herrings throughout too, and the fact that they didn't just suddenly magic a random character out of the woodwork and declare them as the killer.

It was a clever mystery, which i found really difficult to put down. My only complaint is that there was not enough angst. I love it when a thriller/mystery creeps me out. Which I felt was missing for me with this read.

Nevertheless, it was a really enjoyable read, and a great instalment to the series.

I loved the first 2 books in this series, so I was super excited to read what this one has installed for us...it didn't disapoint.

I loved the setting and I loved getting to know the main characters in more detail. The plot had me guessing.

I am a huge fan of this series having buddy read the previous two titles so this was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it didn't disapoint. I loved the settings and that although we know our main characters they continue to develop. The plot was excellent this time around and kept me guessing. Although it is a thriller I found this book weirdly comforting. A great read and one I will read again.

I am loving Alex Pine's DI James Walker series and think it could be getting better with each book.

I was totally hooked on this investigation that was fairly quick paced, and had so many potential suspects that it was impossible to predict.

In fact while there are regular interesting bits of information to come out over the course of the investigation, making many people a viable suspects, I would never have guessed the final outcome!

I really enjoyed seeing how the police put together this case and discovering the truth about many of the characters. I was pulled in many directions and was kept on my toes as I was reading, eager to see just what would happen next.

It's another fabulous addition to this series, and I am already looking forward to the next book (assuming there will be one).

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

#The Winter Killer #NetGalley This is the 3rd in the DI James Walker series but it is perfectly capable of being read as a standalone. Slower to get going than the first 2 books and a little repetitive in places, nevertheless it was easy to read and there were plenty of suspects to keep you guessing until the end. I look forward to the next in the series which I hope is set in a season other than winter!!

I found this one slow and frustrating. It seemed to take ages to not only discover the victim but, also the killer. I was very disappointed in this one which is a shame. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was my favourite in the DI James Walker series so far, the detectives are likeable and professional. There were a good amount of characters and suspects in the picture, good twists and red herrings. I enjoyed the setting, although may have appreciated a little more detail because I was jealous of the wedding!

Ending was a little rushed, wrapped up in one chapter once ‘The Winter Killer’ was found but I enjoyed the journey to get there.

The story was interesting enough for me to listen to it throughout a couple of days.
An easy to read crime thriller.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.

When a bride's sister vanishes during the wedding, DI James Walker is called out to investigate. But when a body is discovered, it's obvious one of the wedding guests is a killer. 

This was my first DI James Walker book and even though it is the third in the series, they can be read as stand alones. This was a great introduction to the series. I loved how easy going our detective was, the case was interesting with lots of suspects and even though I did pick who did it, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. If you want to read a light mystery that will keep you guessing, definitely recommend giving this one a go.

The Winter Killer by Alex Pine.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK Audio, Avon and Alex Pine for an ARC in return for an honest review.

"Something old, something new. One guest is a killer. The question is: who?"

A beautiful wedding and a missing Maid-of-Honour. As time goes on the bride gets increasingly concerned and realises something is very wrong.

I love the DI James Walker series. Alex Pine is a very talented author and is instantly able to draw the reader in.
This is another crime thriller which has blown me away. It is dark and utterly gripping.
I don't want to risk a spoiler but you will not regret reading it.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the next installment.

This is the third book in the DI James Walker series but in my opinion it can easily be read as stand alone. A great murder mystery in which there are lots of twists and turns before we find out who the murderer is. I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.

The Winter Killer by Alex Pine

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Christmas has arrived in Cumbria, and wedding bells are ringing.
But an ice-cold killer is waiting in the fells…

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, DI James Walker receives a phone call that puts paid to his Christmas break. During the wedding of the year at a lakeside hotel, the bride’s sister has vanished.

When Rachel left the wedding breakfast before her speech, newly-wed Libby was furious. But as the night went on with no sign of her maid-of-honour, Libby started to realise something was very, very wrong…

Before the wedding night is out, the lake is being searched for a body.

Something old, something new. One guest is a killer. The question is: who?

My Opinion

One of the first books I ever reviewed was The Christmas Killer and it was such an enjoyable book that every year I look forward to the next Alex Pine book being released. I have read all of the books in this series in order but I do believe that each could easily be read as a standalone as whilst there are some familiar characters the cases are not linked.

Pine has written this book in such a way that will leave you guessing who the killer is as there are many suspects. It did take me a while and I think I had only just clicked who the killer was as we got to the big reveal. I was drawn in from the beginning and struggled to put the book down. With a fast pace you will be finishing this book before you know it.

Rating 4/5

A really good murder detective story, 3rd in the series but it can be read as a stand-alone, the character summary helps and the end of the book leads nicely into the next story

This is the third instalment of winter thrillers by Alex Pine and in my opinion the best of those three. I liked that this one was based outside of Kirkby Abbey as it differentiates it from the other two stories. I liked that Abbott got more of a staring role rather than Walker.
The plot was interesting and kept me wanting to read more. The one thing that annoys me though is how overly simplistic the writing is, sometimes it’s like a teenager could of written it.
Overall it’s a good solid thriller but without the bells & whistles of some other well established authors.