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This book has such an intriguing storyline, as it features a serial killer stalking a small village, killing his victims in a “twelve days of Christmas” manner; he leaves messages on Christmas Cards, and then goes in for the kill.
Think 12 days of Christmas ... promising a body for every day until Christmas. This was just the first. It's not too long before another body is found, buried in the snow. The cast of characters was large and everyone was a suspect. Unfortunately I guessed the identity of the killer about 20% in, but I did second-guess myself quite a few times as the story progressed. 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. 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. I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.And what is Annie's uncle Bill's role in the grand scheme of things, he's arrived early to spend Christmas with Annie and James but seems to be acting oddly?
So a very general statement…I really liked this book. It was a good police procedural book with a lovely Christmas quaint feeling to it too. I don’t know how I’ve managed to put quaint and murder together but I have. Kirkby Abbey sounded like such a lovely place to live but definitely not boring. Murders aside, I loved all of the secrets that were being held by the residents and they helped to make the story more thrilling. The story get straight to the point from the first word and we soon meet the villagers - Annie and James's new neighbours, who start dropping like flies - which one of his neighbours could it be? So much for being safer away from London! 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 guessed pretty early on who the killer was, but that didn’t deter me from carrying on reading and exposing if my theory was right. A village crime thriller, in the vein of The Midsomer Murders, it will keep you guessing right until the end.I genuinely didn't have a clue who was 'the Christmas Killer' and a little surprised when I did find out. Enough twists and turns in this book to keep you on the edge and guessing. The length gaps between each victim firstly raises the question if a serial killer is about, there's the odd situation where they needed the second body to discover that it just wasn't a coincidence. Maybe it’s because I am a complete Christmas Elf myself, but there is something about the atmosphere of an English Christmas that always appeals to me, and to me, Alex Pine captured the atmosphere of an English village at Christmastime beautifully. Granted, the language was sometimes a little bit stilted – I honestly don’t think people speak quite as formally as Pine’s characters do – but the book read easily and I zoomed through it, finding it an easy and engaging read all round. When one of DI Walker’s team is attending a wedding and one of the guest goes missing he is called in to handle the case. What starts as a simply missing person soon turns into a murder enquiry with many suspects. Never knowing what you are going to get when reading from a new author to me, I have to go in with an open mind. This book didn't disappoint, It was interesting, enthralling and gripping.
In twelve days, twelve deserving people will die. DI James Walker is on the case. He is new to Cumbria. He moved to Kirkby Abbey from London with his wife, Annie for their own protection. The story drags out and the pace is slow. I had not idea who the killer was and this always makes a book a bit more interesting. The clues are cleverly hidden. There's a mixed bunch of characters and they all had secrets. This isna promising start to a new police procedural series and I look forward to reading the next installment. 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 story moves along really well, and provided plenty of suspects to ponder on. The victims seemed randomly chosen, yet there had to be a link somewhere and it was fun trying to work out what that could have been. I honestly didn’t guess who the killer was and was pleasantly pleased that the identity was held off until very late into the book for maximum suspense!! The storyline certainly kept me hooked right to the end, although I did think the ending was a little rushed for my liking. There were a couple of parts of the storyline which I felt were forgotten about and whilst one was explained by the end of the book, I would have liked to have known more about the other one. However, this is the first book in the series, so hopefully future books will follow up this part of the storyline more! 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…*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. This book is well crafted with clue after clue given like bread crumbs throughout the story which build the suspense until it reach the big climax at the end. This is another great thriller by the author. What should have been the best day of her life, Libby's wedding turns into a murder investigation. All the potential suspects are her wedding guests. This is a fast paced, gripping read with plenty of twist and turns. DI James Walker and his team know they won't be spending the New Year holidays the way they had planned. I was pulled into this story at the beginning, and it held my attention throughout. This series gets better with each new book. This book could be read as a standalone. The Winter Killer is my first introduction to author Alex Pine. But it won't be my last. As this was such an enjoyable police procedural. That grabbed me from the start and never let go, and honestly, I felt like I was in the middle of a real-life investigation as the pace of it was so relentless.
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.
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This novel is a marvellous read – the pacing is comfortable, it is well-plotted and the story is intriguing.
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