The Christmas Killer

Written by Alex Pine

Narrated by Neet Mohan

The most chilling read of the Christmas season.

As the snow begins to fall, the body count begins to climb…

DI James Walker is ready for a quiet family Christmas in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey.
 
But when he opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.
 
As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….
 
Can James stop the killer before they strike again?

The first in a new series, Alex Pine has written a dark, atmospheric crime novel, set in a snowed-in Cumbrian village, for fans of Val McDermid, Ross Greenwood and LJ Ross.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Oct 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9780008402662

Alex Pine

Alex Pine was born and raised on a council estate in South London and left school at sixteen. Before long, he embarked on a career in journalism, which took him all over the world – many of the stories he covered were crime-related. Among his favourite hobbies are hiking and water-based activities, so he and his family have spent lots of holidays in the Lake District. He now lives with his wife on a marina close to the New Forest on the South Coast – providing him with the best of both worlds!

Reviews for The Christmas Killer

[Emma Drew · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book had so much promise - I love a murder book and I love Christmas. The perfect combination.

Let’s start with the audiobook - there are mistakes, coughs and mispronounced names left in it. That made listening to it quite difficult.

The story itself is great until the murderer is revealed. It is as thought the author though ‘oh I need to wrap this up in a few hundred words’ and it was done with.

I loved it until the last few chapters even with the mistakes in the audiobook

[gpangel_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine is a 2020 Avon publication. When a dangerous criminal is released from prison, who happens to carry a grudge against DI James Walker, his wife insists they move away from the city. Just as they begin to settle into the small Cumbrian village, and a much slower, and hopefully less dangerous life, an ominous package arrives on their doorstep with a note attached which threatens a twelve-day reign of terror ala the Twelve Days of Christmas. 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… This debut thriller is pretty rough around the edges. This is not an ARC copy, so I was surprised to find several glaring grammatical errors in the book, early on- especially as the book has a seasoned publisher. I could overlook that if the story was descent- but there isn’t much here for me to recommend. The characters and dialogue are wooden and stiff, and I guessed, not only who the killer was, very early on- but the motive was also apparent, which didn’t give me much incentive to hang around to see how DI Walker would connect the dots. But I did stick around, despite all that. The flow of the book did smooth out after a while, and honestly, the bare bones of a good crime novel are here- but the delivery needed a lot of work. That said, I think the author has some potential. The issues here can be worked out with some experience- and so I’m going to try the second installment in this series to see if things improve. Overall, this debut got off to a rocky start- but it might be a diamond in the rough. Hopefully, the next installment is a bit more polished! 2 stars

[vesper1931 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

DI Walker and his wife Annie have moved to Kirby Abbey, Cumbria to a house her mother left her. A move instigated because of the possible threats to them from released convicted killer Andrew Sullivan. The courts having decided after thirteen months in prison that he was wrongly convicted when another man confessed.
But as Christmas approachs they receive a parcel containing a dead bird and a threatening message inside a Christmas card. Threats that there will be twelve deaths during the twelve days of Christmas, deaths of twelve people who deserve to die.
Unfortunately I did determine who was the killer, and I really didn't care much for the character of Annie Walker.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[lostinalibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After moving his family to the quiet village of Kirkby Abbey, DI James Walker is hoping for a equally quiet Christmas. But, as the snow begins to fall, he finds a parcel on his doorstep containing a gruesome 'present' as well as a macabre promise - twelve days, twelve murders. Walker hopes this is someone's idea of a practical joke being played on the new DI but shortly after, a body is found frozen in the snow. As the snow continues to accumulate, isolating the village from the outside world, Walker must discover if this is just a coincidental accident or if the inhabitants of Kirkby Abbey are trapped here with a determined murderer and this is just the first of many murders.Ok, I know it's a little early to be thinking of Christmas even in books but I am a sucker for a good Christmas cozy mystery and The Christmas Killer is definitely that. It is the first in a series of murder mysteries by Alex Pine and I was pulled me in from the first page and fully engaged throughout. There's plenty of red herrings and twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. For fans of cozy mysteries, especially those set during the Christmas season, this one's for you.Thanks to Netgalley & Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

[vanessa_menez-453497 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When DI James Walker opens an early Christmas present left on his doorstep, he soon realises it is no gift. Inside is a gruesome surprise, and a promise – twelve days, twelve murders. Not long after, the first body is found, half frozen in the snow.

As the blizzards descend, panic spreads through the remote Cumbrian village – there’s a killer amongst them, and with eleven more victims to go, anyone could be next….

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.

It was so well written, that I was hooked on right from the first page and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Even though the main focus of the book was the investigation and finding the killer, I was more interested to find out who would be the next victim and discovering the reason behind it.

I had a guess as to who could be the killer and I was glad when I found out that my guess was right. There were instances when the investigation would slow down and some clues overlooked, but that didn't affect my reading experience. In terms of the main characters, I found Annie a bit annoying but DI James is a very likable detective and I would definitely look forward to read more of him.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of murder mysteries.

Thank You to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC!