The holidays and a whodunnit…count me in. This is why I picked up The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine, the first in the DI James Walker series of books. The novel offers an alternative to the romance holiday novels that are plentiful during this season, even if the book didn’t live up to my expectations.
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?
Alex Pine crafts an intriguing narrative set amidst picturesque snow-laden landscapes during the holiday season. Pine does a fantastic job paying meticulous attention to setting and atmosphere in The Christmas Killer. He paints a vivid picture of locations and places that helped me immerse myself in the story. I could almost feel the chills from the weather sweeping through the streets.
While the premise held great promise for me, I found myself yearning for a quicker pace to kick-off the novel. The first murder doesn’t occur until about a quarter through the book, leading to the initial chapters seeming a bit dull and slower paced. This made for a struggling start. Despite this, patience paid off as the plot twists finally came and came plentiful.
Some may have had a more difficult time guessing who the killer was in The Christmas Killer, but sadly I was able to nail it down about halfway through the book. This lead for a disappointing ending. However, the journey was worth completing and was not a complete letdown.
The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine is a tale that blends the warmth of the holidays with an icy murder mystery. Pine delivers on a worthwhile novel for those murder mystery fans during the holiday season. While not a perfect display of whodunnit fiction, The Christmas Killer was a great book to curl up next to the fire and dive into.
This book is part of Alex Pine’s DI James Walker series of novels.
The Christmas Killer is available on Amazon with an audiobook, narrated by Neet Mohan, available at Libro.fm!
