Christmastime, a wonderful time of year that is often associated with joy, warmth, gifts and family gatherings. However, the festive season also provides a perfect backdrop for thrilling tales of mystery and murder. The contrast between the holiday cheer and the dark, suspenseful elements of a murder mystery creates a captivating and immersive experience for readers. Combining the cosiness of Christmas with the intrigue of a whodunit, these stories keep readers on the edge of their seats, making them perfect for a winter’s night read. Welcome to Alexandra Benedict’s The Christmas Murder Game; an exciting murder mystery with the addition of puzzles for the reader to solve while reading.
The Christmas Murder Game is a thrilling festive murder mystery set in the grand and eerie Endgame House in the snowy Yorkshire countryside. The story revolves around Lily Armitage, who reluctantly returns to her family’s ancestral home after receiving a letter from her late aunt. The letter invites her to participate in the annual Christmas Game, a tradition that promises not only the deeds to the house but also to reveal the truth about her mother’s death; was is really suicide or was it murder?
As Lily competes with her estranged cousins over the twelve days of Christmas, she must solve riddles and uncover clues hidden throughout the mansion each day. However, the game quickly turns deadly, and Lily realises that not everyone is playing fair. With the snow piling up outside and the phone lines down, the stakes are higher than ever, and Lily must keep her wits about her to survive and uncover the truth while facing ghosts of the past.
Twelve clues.
Twelve keys.
Twelve days of Christmas.
But who will survive until Twelfth Night?
Overall, The Christmas Murder Game is an exciting and thrilling murder mystery. Every family has secrets, and the Armitage family has more than most, and more deadly!
It is not just a murder mystery, it has themes of family secrets that reveal the complexities and tensions that lie beneath the surface, issues of trust, betrayal, survival, resilience and puzzles.
The writing is very engaging and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the eerie and suspenseful mood of the story. The vivid descriptions of Endgame House and its surroundings create a sense of place that draws readers into the narrative making you almost feel that you are there. For me, I found it slightly slow to begin with, but once the scene was set (and to be fair it didn’t take too long), the pacing is well-balanced, with moments of tension and suspense interspersed with quieter, reflective scenes, never feeling rushed into the clues or revealing its secrets.
The characters are well-developed, each with their own complexities, motivations and secrets. Lily Armitage as the protagonist is troubled, damaged, very relatable and determined, whose journey of discovery and survival keeps readers invested in her story. The supporting characters add depth and intrigue to the narrative, with an eclectic gathering of wonderful personalities – characters readers will love and hate but ones that will also surprise.
And it even comes with an added bonus for puzzlers. Throughout the story, on each day of the twelve days of Christmas game, are two games within the game for the readers to solve. The first game are anagrams of the twelve days of Christmas gifts embedded as sentences in the prose – can you find them? Personally, I only found one because I was so engrossed in the story and forget to look out for them. The author has also sewn the titles of 12 of her favourite country house mysteries set at Christmas throughout the book, can you spot them as you read? And the final game is not part of the story, but there is a wordsearch puzzle at the back of the book with the names of people the author wants to thank.
The Christmas Murder Game is a captivating and atmospheric story that combines the festive cheer of Christmas with the suspense and intrigue of a puzzling murder mystery. With its engaging plot, well-developed characters, and eerie wintery setting, this book is a perfect read for fans of both Christmas-themed fiction and thrillers. Whether you’re curled up by the fire or looking for a thrilling escape, The Christmas Murder Game is sure to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat.
I loved reading this book. I found it intriguing and thrilling and a refreshing take on a locked room murder mystery with plenty of depth.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £12.99 (Hardback) / £8.99 (Paperback) / £4.99 (Kindle)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
