The Christmas Killer: The debut thriller in a gripping new British detective crime fiction series (DI James Walker series, Book 1)

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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. The side characters are a mix of good and bad and unreliable ones. They made the whole puzzle much more interesting and added character to the story. I like the main character and I would read another book in his series for sure, I’ve developed a nice bond with the character and Kirkby Abbey that I want to continue but with a bit more drama! As DC Abbott is spending a relaxing New Years Eve with her fiancée Sean; attending the wedding of a mutual friend at a posh hotel on the shore of the gorgeous Lake Windermere. When she finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation after the maid of honour disappears during the reception and is later found floating in the lake.

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Avon and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased. 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… 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 ending also feels a bit rushed, I wish it was a bit more fleshed out cause I would like to know more of what happen next.

Overview: This was a great festive read with my reading buddy. I read the first two books in this series last December so was excited to see that this came out last month. As usual I didn't guess the killer. I never do with these books because the author is very clever at throwing numerous red herrings and constantly throwing new suspects into the mix.

Christmas Gifts

Gripping and utterly entertaining, this is a mystery that is very well crafted, like an artfully decorated gingerbread house. Detective Inspector James Walker and his wife Annie move to a quiet village in Cumbria after a notorious criminal is released from prison and may pay them a visit for putting him in there! I needed more. The story was often repetitive with the reader constantly reminded of the progression of events. And several of the twists, including the final reveal, were quite predictable. I also didn't see the point of the detective being so uncharacteristically worrying as it served no real purpose in the story. Let this trait hinder or compromise his investigation or, better yet, let it be an asset in solving the case.

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. It begins with a present and a Christmas card; a dead and bloody partridge and a card featuring the well known carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas; inside is a threat - Twelve Days, Twelve Murders, Twelve Victims and they all deserve what's coming to them. With a snow storm on they way and likely to cut the village off from civilisation, it is a race against time for DI Walker to catch the killer, before the body count mounts up and panic in the village overwhelms him. So DI James moves his family from London to the Cumbrian village his wife grew up in, in the anticipation of a safer life. There had been threats – or so he believed – against his family in London and his wife was increasingly nervous living there. Her home village was small – less than 1000 people, and set in a lovely part of the world – Cumbria is great – if you can take the weather – another wet, windy and cold area of the world. 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. Annie and James are a young couple who re-locate to a village in Cumbria, Annie's family home, to get away from the "bright lights of London" and a criminal who James, a police inspector, had put away. Little do they know that days before Christmas, a serial killer is "on the loose" in the Cumbrian village, but who is the killer and why "the twelve days of Christmas?"

Toys

To be honest, I find there is more suspense with opening an advent calendar than there was in Pine’s murder mystery. I could not get a sense of danger and the perpetrator was too obvious. Welcome to the small rural Cumbrian village of Kirkby Abbey where DI James Walker and wife Annie have recently relocated. Formerly a Met officer, this couple have made the difficult decision to leave their London life behind, following the early release from prison of criminal gang lord Andrew Sullivan who blames James for his incarceration and may have an axe to grind. Swapping city lights for glorious countryside views, James is anticipating a very quiet life compared to the one he’s been used to. As Christmas approaches with his family descending on Kirkby Abbey to help the couple celebrate their new home and the festivities, life is calm, peaceful and maybe a touch boring! 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.