Happy publication day to this Christmassy crime novel!
It always feels a bit weird reading Christmas books in early autumn, but I couldn’t wait to immerse myself in the latest book in the series featuring DI James Walker of Cumbria Police. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this before publication – as always, opinions are entirely my own.
This novel opens with the Christmas Eve disappearance of four men in the Cumbrian fells. They’re experienced hikers and – as local residents – pretty savvy about the danger of being caught out in the mountains and hills in icy temperatures and snow. The police mount a search, but soon it is clear that there is a more sinister reason for the men going missing. When the first body is discovered, the police realise they have a killer on their hands – and a race against time to find the other men before the murderer strikes again…
Gosh, DI Walker has had a run of bad luck at Christmas! All the books so far in the series feature festive killers, so I feel desperately sorry for DI Walker’s wife who seems to always tuck into Christmas dinner solo!
As with the previous books, I enjoyed the bleak and remote Cumbrian setting – particularly dangerous at Christmas – and the contrast between the gritty crime and the joy of the season. The Cumbrian fells sound lethal and I was rooting for the brave search and rescue teams who put themselves in danger to find the missing men. Once the police team swing into action, I thought the team dynamics were well-presented – those who want to do the press conferences, those happy to stay in the background, the hard-workers and team players, the specialists, the rookies and the been-there-seen-it all!
The mystery is intriguing and kept me reading, even as it veered into a topic that I find less interesting (no spoilers here). There are some interesting twists and I managed to accuse all the wrong people and totally missed the killer, so I guess that’s good crime writing!
If you’ve read and enjoyed Alex Pine’s previous books, there’s more to enjoy here. This isn’t my favourite of the four novels so far, but it’s well-plotted, engaging and a worthy addition to a good police procedural series. It would also work as a standalone as the characters and relationships are introduced and explained as the story unfolds.
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Header photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash.
I really enjoyed your review. This book sounds great. I’ve been in the mood to read some Christmasy books and I think this one sounds like one I would enjoy quite a bit.
Thanks for reading my blog – hope you enjoy the book too. It is a good series x