Thanks MetGalley! I found this a little hard to follow. Was a good mystery with some charming characters

Edie finds a present in her doorstep. Inside, there is a jigsaw puzzle that represent a murder scene. A note says people will die if you don’t solve the puzzle. Edie convinces her nephew to help in the investigation until a person is found dead with a jigsaw piece. With or without Sean, Edie decides she is the one to solve the case.

This gave me Thursday Murder Club vibes. For a Christmas themed book, it wasn’t very heavy on the Christmas feel. The book starts a little slow, but the suspense continues to increase. The killer was a total surprise with a very satisfying conclusion to the story.

Thank you to Alexandra Benedict, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While The Christmas Jigsaw Murders offers an intriguing premise, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. The concept of intertwining holiday themes with a murder mystery is appealing, but the execution felt a bit lackluster. The characters lacked depth, making it difficult to become fully invested in their journeys. Additionally, the pacing was uneven, with some sections dragging on while others rushed through critical plot points.

On the positive side, the atmospheric setting and clever twists kept me engaged at times. Benedict’s writing style has its moments of brilliance, but I found myself hoping for more complexity and depth in both the plot and character development. Overall, it’s an entertaining read for those who enjoy light mysteries, but it didn’t quite resonate with me as I had hoped.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict presents an intriguing blend of mystery and holiday cheer, featuring well-crafted characters and a compelling plot. The audiobook, narrated by Sandra Duncan, brings the story to life with her engaging voice and excellent pacing. Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for the advanced review copy of this captivating audiobook.

This is a clever, engaging story chock full of puzzles and clues and more mystery than any mystery I've read in ages. There's so much going on, both in the story and on the pages that the audiobook will not do this book justice. There are things for you to independently solve that are not part of the story. It's a puzzlers dream book!

That said, Edie is a complex character, and when people write her off for her abrasive behavior or shut her out for her brash forthrightness, we know where she she's coming from and cringe at her delivery. As we get to know her, we like her more and more. And her relationship with Sean is something special. But she's the recipient of clues involving a murder/murders and Sean is a detective, so they both are trying hard to find the killer and protect each other, to the other's detriment.

Murder mysteries should not be lovely, but this book certainly has its shining moments. Quite enjoyable, sinister, and amusing as well.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC! A Christmas surprise jigsaw puzzle reveals a murder, Edie O' Sullivan turns to her nephew, DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan to help solve the case. With twists and turns (and the revelation of Edie's past), The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is a Christmas Mystery that keeps you guessing until the big reveal. Themes of family and love bolster the body count as Sean and his partner work toward building their family and Edie reflects on the family she never had (and the one she did). The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is a great choice for those looking for a holiday mystery.

I never am really impressed with with holiday thrillers, however, this one kept my interest. I enjoyed it.

This was such a delightful mystery. I loved that the main character is a cranky old woman who doesn't like anyone besides her nephew, her friend, and her crosswords. I also loved that the mystery actually had some complexity and seriousness, giving the main character depth and not turning her into a joke.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Sadly this one wasn't doing anything for me and I ended up DNFing early on. I'm sure it will appeal to lovers of British cozy mysteries that involve puzzles more than it worked for me. I was looking forward to this one and disappointed that it didn't capture my attention. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

In Xmas Jigsaw Murder, we follow Edie, an old lady who is a puzzle master, trying to solve a puzzle that leads to clues in a series of murders. Edie has to solve the clues before her or her son/nephew is killed by the assassin. This book has many twists and turns and I find the ending really well done, because we get some time to try and figure out who the killer is by ourselves, before the narrator reveals the clues. It's really cool!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

In the book The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, author Alexandra Benedict follows Edie O'Sullivan who finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep with jigsaw pieces. The message included with the pieces promises that four people will die. Is the solution to unraveling the mystery in the pieces? And how is everything connected? This was a great story idea but the execution was not very good. This puzzle book was puzzling. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas Jigsaw Murders by Alexandra Benedict is a gripping, holiday-themed mystery that blends intricate puzzles with a high-stakes race against time. The story follows Edie O'Sullivan, a reclusive puzzle setter who becomes embroiled in a deadly game when a mysterious jigsaw puzzle is left on her doorstep, hinting at a series of murders. As the clock ticks down to Christmas Eve, Edie and her detective nephew, Sean, must piece together clues to stop the killer before more lives are lost. Benedict crafts a clever and atmospheric thriller, perfect for fans of puzzles and suspensful mysteries.

Thank you Alexandra Benedict, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

On the 1st of December, renowned puzzle setter, loner and Christmas sceptic Carla Murphy finds a hand-delivered present on her doorstep. Unwrapping it, she finds a jigsaw box with a question mark on the lid, and, inside, six jigsaw pieces. When fitted together, the pieces show part of a crime scene – blood-spattered black and white tiles and part of an outlined body. On the back of the pieces is a message: ‘His death takes place on the solstice, unless you can put together the pieces,’ along with a clue to the location of more pieces.

This book balances well the Christmas spirit with the grim reality of a murder mystery. Carla doesn't like Christmas because bad things seem to happen at Christmas - most notably her mother dying during the birth of her sibling. But her adopted son (who also happens to be her great-nephew) loves Christmas. So there is talk of holiday activities such as whether Carla will come for Christmas dinner and decorating for the holidays.

I liked that the curmudgeon is a female character, but that she isn't the typical Scrooge. She is quite kind - she adopted her great-nephew after his parents were killed and you can tell she truly loves him. While there is a set up for her to change her mind about Christmas, it isn't really a Scrooge-type story. For a reason I can't quite put my finger on, Carla reminded me of Susan Ryeland of Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.

I do the occasional crossword puzzle and if you enjoy riddles and crosswords, then you enjoy the clues and "fun facts" about crossword puzzle creations. Some of the things Carla reveals I've encountered and recognized in the puzzles I've done but some I haven't (I think I would hate and probably never figure it out if the clue is an anagram).

Sandra Duncan is a great narrator. She added another dimension to the characters and I had no trouble telling the characters apart when they had dialogue. I found that I had to limit distractions while listening to the audiobook and might have enjoyed the book slightly more if I had read it myself. But if you are just wrapping presents, then this would be a great book to accompany the activity.

The mystery is interesting and the clues are clever riddles. I didn't guess the killer but it made perfect sense when revealed.

The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is a stand-alone murder mystery, but if you enjoy it as much as I did Benedict has written a couple of other Christmas murder mysteries.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/10/2-christmas-capers-to-listen-to-instead.html

A delightful holiday mystery! Edie O’Sullivan is not the most lovable protagonist—she hates Christmas!—but she is highly intelligent, logical, and intrepid, which makes her the best person to solve this puzzle. I found the setting and characters very interesting, and the mystery abundantly complex. The relationship between Edie and her nephew (and almost everyone else) adds to this story, which I thoroughly enjoyed in audiobook format. It will definitely put you in the holiday spirit!

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend this it to everyone.
This book is about Edie O'Sullivan a renowned puzzler and an anti-Christmas person; however this can be explained by the many tragedies that have plagued her during Christmas past. Even though she is a loner, she has a great relationship with her nephew/adopted son, Sean. Sean is a Detective Inspector with a husband named Liam and he loves Christmas even though he didn't celebrate it as a child. He and his husband are in the process of hopefully adopting a child.
The mystery begins when Edie is given a jigsaw puzzle and anonymous note goading her into solving the puzzle before someone is murdered. The note explicity threatens Sean. With a serial killer targeting her family, Edie is trying to protect her nephew but is always a step behind the killer.
She needs to look into her past to find the answers to who the killer is. Can she do it? Or will the past swallow her whole?
I really like Edie even if she tends to push people away when things get tough. She is sarcastic and witty but also a deeply flawed individual.
Thank you to Net Galley and @DreamScape_Media for letting my read this in advance!

I really wanted this to be a cozy mystery, ala Hallmark Mysteries, but it ended up getting more violent and descriptive than I thought the little puzzle ladies deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexandra Benedict, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook. Narrated by Sandra Duncan, this was an engaging who-done-it mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the intriguing plot and the festive elements woven throughout the story.

Too a while to get into but well worth sticking with it. It was a fantastic read and a great Christmas book. The reader was wonderful.

So this one is being touted as a cozy mystery. Not sure I agree with that as there are some pretty gruesome murders going on here! 😮

Edie is an octogenarian who is known as the Pensioner Puzzler. She writes crossword puzzles for the local news outlet and is pretty well known around town.

DI Sean is her son/ great nephew. He’s always busy being a police officer. He’s happily married to his husband.

As Christmas is approaching, Edie is in her usual foul mood…but then, she has every right to be, as she had multiple tragedies happen throughout her lifetime that revolve around Christmastime…

One day she discovers a present on her doorstep. But as she opens it, she realizes that it is actually a miniature crime scene. In the form of a puzzle. And she is the only one who might be able to solve it. But the stakes are VERY HIGH, as peoples lives are on the line…

Interesting premise. Very descriptive scenes. Very funny 80 year old MFC! 😊
And, I have to tell you, the way it all plays out, well…I never saw it coming!

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which was released 10/8/24!!

#TheChristmasJigsawMurders by #AlexandraBenedict and narrated nicely by #SandraDuncan.

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When the famous puzzle maker Edie receives pieces of a puzzle at her doorstep, her brain refuses to ignore the sign that lives may be in danger. What she didn’t imagine was that solving this crime scene of a puzzle may push her to relive the memories she had long forgotten.

Edie's character throughout the book has been very entertaining to read as a reader I could savour all the flavours of a lively person. From her determination to solve puzzles to carving herself out of past trauma, she was someone who kept my eyes glued to the pages. The mystery angle was decent, the stakes weren't too high, thus I missed the feeling of being unhinged. Overall, it is a decent murder mystery that I enjoyed as an audiobook.

3.5/5 ⭐️