The hunt is on for a serial killer in a thrilling festive crime novel.
Description
It looks like a regular advent calendar.
Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors…and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one.
The police hope it’s a prank. Because if it isn’t, a murderer has just surfaced – someone who’s been killing for twenty years.
But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station?
As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them…
It’s shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas.
Review
I would like to thank Mullholland Books via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.
An interesting premise, good characters and set in a wintry wonderland of December – this is a great start as I so enjoy crime fiction, a good story, good characters and snow!
Mind you don’t think this is the cosy mystery it might first seem because it isn’t. It isn’t very dark but it is a police procedural with DC Bekky Greene and DS Eddie Carmine tracking down a serial killer. Written from various viewpoints, not something I always enjoy but is quite fashionable and I didn’t seem to mind it too much, it was well done by Susi Holliday. You know ‘whodunnit’ pretty soon but it’s about whether Becky and Eddie can figure it out and find the killer – and can they do it before more are killed?
I enjoyed the inclusion of the various characters that made up the investigation team in the broader sense – crime scene, analysts and support staff. I liked the Christmas market link and Carly is a good character too, although her three children (they are older teen/young adults) seems to be all to realistic these days in that they need a good kick up the backside (sorry if that’s not very ‘PC’!) tending towards that spoiled brat type – but that’s a very minor element.
Deaths in December keeps you engaged, builds up tension towards the end and finishes with the strong possibility of a further book – which might be interesting I wouldn’t mind getting to know Becky and Eddie better, along with several others in the book.
This is a terrific read and one I would certainly be happy to get in my Christmas stocking.
Rating: 3.5/4* Recommended
Information
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Mulholland Books; 01 edition (16 Nov. 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1473659361
ISBN-13: 978-1473659360
Author: http://www.sjiholliday.com/
