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. So I feel so guilty rating this so low because I really did enjoy the other books in the series, especially the first. But I did compare the third to the rest. The first two books had such better storylines in my eyes and were more exciting. This one seemed really basic and although there were a lot of suspects, the plot didn’t get going for me. The Christmas Killer tells the story of DI James Walker and his wife, who have left the stresses of life in the Metropolitan Police. Threats linked to a previous case of DI Walker's persuades him to move to the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria, his wife's childhood home. They are soon to discover that Kirkby Abbey has many deep and dark secrets - and there is a killer on the loose who is set on taking the lives of the holders of those secrets. A cat and mouse game is on with DI Walker who is taunted by the killer's use of Christmas cards to hint at what is to come. I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. This is the third book in the DI James Walker series but haven’t not read the previous two books, I can confirm it works very well as a standalone. DI James Walker is ready for a quaint family Christmas with his wife and extended family in their quiet village of Kirkby Abbey. But those plans are soon scuppered by the arrival of an unexpected gift on the Walker’s doorstop; a gruesome surprise and a promise in the form of a note – twelve days, twelve murders. Shortly after, the first body turns up half frozen in the snow.

There were also some odd character changes in the book. The investigation begins with James being partnered up with a disgruntled officer by the name of DS Stevens, who was overlooked for promotion because of James’ transfer. But halfway through the investigation, DS Stevens suddenly became a desk officer and a new partner was brought on the scene to help James through the second half of the investigation. I’m not completely sure why this was done, and it didn’t feel necessary, but it didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of the book itself. I enjoyed the style of Alex Pine's writing, which flowed nicely and kept you interested in finding the killer. I have read many thrillers this year, and I must say that this was one I definitely enjoyed, and admittedly even more so because its a Christmas thriller. There’s just something about holiday stories, whether it be a cozy romance or a suspenseful thriller, that makes it that much more fun and enjoyable to read.Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The sleepy small village setting worked so well as news of the murders quest caused panic, the novel really excels at selling this point. 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. To all intents and purposes Kirkby Abbey is a rural idyll with a population of barely seven hundred. However it is a village slowly dying thanks to the threat of closure facing both the local primary school headed by Lorna Manning and the local church presided over by Father Silver. As the place where Annie, a primary school teacher grew up, she is already familiar with a few faces. Good friend Janet Dyer is a resident, alongside Charlie Jenkins, landlord of The White Hart pub and giver of Annie’s first ever kiss. Like any small village it would seem to be a hotbed of gossip and barely kept secrets, providing James and his team with a few avenues to explore as they begin their murder investigation. With extremely bad weather forecast and the possibility of being cut off from the outside world James is keen to apprehend the killer before he/she strikes again. Very much procedural driven we follow Detective James Walker step by step through his investigation while he follows up leads and conducts his interviews. Even with the heavy detail, the story still skips along pretty rapidly.DI James Walker and his wife, Annie, have just relocated to quiet Kirkby Abbey from bustling London seven weeks ago. Intending to escape the job-related anxiety, Walker discovers that in even the quietest of locations at the happiest time of the year, evil continues to percolate. The Christmas Killer is the first instalment in the Detective Inspector James Walker series and is a book as chaotic as the time of year it evokes. DI Walker has relocated to Cumbria CID, where he and wife, Annie, have moved into Annie’s mothers home bequeathed to her 18 months earlier, believing it'll be a change of pace from his previous police work in London, but little does he know, the serenity of the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey is about to be shattered. One of James’s most high profile and dangerous convictions, Andrew Sullivan, has been released from prison unexpectedly, it having been deemed that he had been wrongly convicted. And on his mind is revenge against those who put him away with James and family being at the top of his list. Soon threats are being made. The decorations are up, the nativity is underway, the villagers are full of festive cheer and a blizzard of snow is predicted to be on its way. As Christmas approaches, James receives a present and card left on his doorstep. A dead partridge accompanied by a note stating that one villager, deserving of death, will be murdered for each of the 12 days of Christmas. As the snow begins to fall, and most are sipping mulled wine by the fireside, the body count begins to climb. The minute I saw this book and its cover, I knew I had to read this one! I love holiday mystery & thrillers, and this book didn't disappoint me at all. Although the third book in the series, the book can easily be read as a standalone and there's even a character list at the start of the book to introduce you to who's who which I always find very useful.

This novel is a marvellous read – the pacing is comfortable, it is well-plotted and the story is intriguing. In blizzard like conditions a body is found in the snow – the potential first victim with eleven more to follow if the killer isn’t stopped… While I like most of the parts in the story with short chapters, great setting and likeable characters, I found the story a bit dragging during the middle part. Just that there is nothing festive about it. His ambition is to kill 12 people in 12 days. In his mind they all deserve to die and by doing this he’s giving the community the greatest Christmas gift ever. It takes a long time for the story to truly get going. It was only until I was 20% in did the first body appear. Consequently, I found the narrative quite mundane up until this point and this was a feeling that never truly disappeared, even as the tension is supposedly rising in the plot. There’s a lot of detail included in the story that I found was unnecessary and really slowed the pace down. I was left feeling bored and frustrated that there was not enough suspense and grit that the blurb appeared to suggest.

Creative Play

The multiple POVs - The book shifts between James, his wife Annie, and the victims of the serial killer! I thought it was so cool how the victims’ weren’t identifiable from their POV, so you were left guessing about who was next! I felt like some plotlines and characters didn’t lead anywhere. However, this is the first in a series, so I’m hoping those pan out in the future If you're into mystery, crime and detailed police procedural story, then you can give this one a try. And with tremendous pacing, appealing characters and lots of detail. This was a really enjoyable read and introduction to the series. Which I'm definitely going to read more from including the two books I've missed out on. The Christmas Killer was so fun to read just as the weather was turning cooler! In this holiday thriller, Detective James Walker, a London transplant to the sleepy village of Kirkby Alley, is taunted by a serial killer who promises to kill twelve people over the course of twelve days in a gruesome spin on The Twelve Days of Christmas. To top it off, the village is in the midst of a massive snowstorm, cutting it off from the rest of the world.

We usually think of warm toasty reads when we think Christmas. Love stories and happy endings. Well not this Christmas read…..12 days of Christmas and 12 dead bodies, bring on my next thriller read. The novel opens with a Prologue to establish what made James and his wife, Annie, move to Cumbria. However, this rapidly becomes a red-herring in the story and does not really feature. Indeed, I suspect this will become the basis of a future story in this series and I am sure the criminal will feature again. This book is a must-have on your Christmas reading list! You’ll never sing ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ nor sing another Christmas card again without thinking about Kirkby Abbey. Special thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK Audio, Avon, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.James was such a vivid main character. I absolutely felt his mounting anxiety as the investigation dragged on and I enjoyed seeing the story through his eyes. 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. Moving from city life to village life is going to be so different for DI James Walker. He's moving for an easier pace of life. Just knowing that you know that where ever he goes it is not going to be quite. He's going to be dragged into something. That is exactly what happens.