The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine

The Christmas Killer by Alex Pine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

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.



My Review

A wee village, a killer on a mission and a whole load of snow to add to the mix, this town and villagers have no idea what has hit them. DI James Walker and his wife moved to the village to escape backlash from a previous case, a village where nothing much happens. That is until someone local is brutally murdered. Walker was warned, there was a "gift" with a Christmas card foretelling of this and promising other deaths. As with any small town there are secrets, grudges and many suspects. With a blizzard on route and a killer on the loose can Walker and his new team work together and find who the culprit is before they strike again?

Oh I forgot to say the town they move to Walker's wife grew up in so there is all kinds of issues to delve into. His wife had me flip flopping on her at times, she really annoyed me and was a bit....I don't think emotional is the exact word I am looking for but it fits, whiney/emotional. She has a back story and as the story evolves we learn more about her, her past and some of th efolk in the town.

12 days til Christmas, 12 murders promised. It has a good pace, small town gossip and shade, murder in between. This is the first in a new series and it is a good foundation book with more promised, I look forward to seeing where it goes, 3/5 for me.

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