All they want for Christmas is you . . .

Book blurb

In the picturesque village of Kibblesworth, DI Tom Stonem is dreaming of a quiet Christmas alone.

But in the shadow of the Angel of the North, a body lies waiting. The dead man is posed with a child’s Christmas list in his pocket, and the first mysterious item – 1. No angel – is crossed off.

When a second body is found – a woman, stabbed in the abdomen after her work Christmas do – Stonem is convinced there’s a grim connection between the crime scenes and the seemingly innocent list. 2. Red partee dress. Could this be a murderer’s twisted code?

As a blizzard rages in the Tyne & Wear countryside, the body count is snowballing. Can Stonem stop the killer before they get everyone on their Christmas list?

My thoughts

A thoroughly enjoyable read over the festive season. This is no cosy mystery but a rather chilling crime fiction serial murder but nor is it gory it has a good balance between which I think makes it a book that can appeal to a wider audience.

The child’s list is ultimately a clue that will bring a huge impact on finding out who the murderer is and why they did what they did.

But will D I Stonem figure it out? And how many people will die before the killer is found out?

This is a book well worth reading and I’ve bought the second in the series which I look forward to reading in 2026.

Book: Purchased

Information

Published: HarperNorth | 23 November 2023 | ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0008616304 | 300 pp

Buy: Amazon | Hive | Bookshop.org (affiliate link)| Your local bookshop | Your local library

Author

Chris Frost grew up in Northern Ireland and now lives in the appropriately-named Marple. He is the author of ten crime books, including the Erika Piper trilogy and The Stonebridge Mysteries. He is a scriptwriter, and a regular voice on The Blood Brothers Podcast and Friends Of The North. He is a fan of football, heavy metal and dogs. He is cofounder of Stockport Noir now in its second year in partnership with Serenity Books.

Books

Erica Piper series (as Chris McDonald)

A Wash of Black | Whispers in the Park | Roses for the Dead

D I Tom Stonem series (as Chris Frost)

The Killers Christmas List | The Christmas Tree Killer

The Stonebridge Mysteries (as Chris McDonald)

Other work

Little Ghost