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Editorial Reviews
Review
"There’s love trapped in this house too, and the word puzzles posed to the family (and anagrams listed in the foreword for readers to solve as they read the book) provide an intriguing and engrossing way to get to that warmth. Just the ticket for next winter." ― First Clue
"A perfectly plotted festive mystery." ― Susi Holliday, author of The Last Resort
"Curl up by the fire (and lock all the doors) for this Christmas cracker of a book." ― C.S. Green, author of Sleep Tight
"Utterly original and breathtakingly intriguing . . . A must-read this Christmas." ― Steph Broadribb, author of the Lori Anderson Bounty Hunter series
"The perfect updating of the classic Christmas Country House mystery . . . Fabulous festive fun." ― Derek Farrell, author of the Danny Bird Mysteries
"The perfect Christmas read . . . and puzzles galore for both readers and the players of the game." ― W.C. Ryan, author of A House of Ghosts
"It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in this fun contemporary British country house mystery...Puzzle-loving readers will enjoy searching for anagrams of the gifts mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and for the titles of 12 of the author’s favorite country house mysteries embedded in the text." ― Publishers Weekly
"Super brainy." ― Kirkus Reviews
"A perfectly plotted festive mystery." ― Susi Holliday, author of The Last Resort
"Curl up by the fire (and lock all the doors) for this Christmas cracker of a book." ― C.S. Green, author of Sleep Tight
"Utterly original and breathtakingly intriguing . . . A must-read this Christmas." ― Steph Broadribb, author of the Lori Anderson Bounty Hunter series
"The perfect updating of the classic Christmas Country House mystery . . . Fabulous festive fun." ― Derek Farrell, author of the Danny Bird Mysteries
"The perfect Christmas read . . . and puzzles galore for both readers and the players of the game." ― W.C. Ryan, author of A House of Ghosts
"It’s a snowy Christmas Eve in this fun contemporary British country house mystery...Puzzle-loving readers will enjoy searching for anagrams of the gifts mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and for the titles of 12 of the author’s favorite country house mysteries embedded in the text." ― Publishers Weekly
"Super brainy." ― Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Alexandra Benedict studied English at Cambridge and creative writing at Sussex. As A.K. Benedict, she published the critically acclaimed THE BEAUTY OF MURDER and THE EVIDENCE OF GHOSTS. She has composed film and television soundtracks and performed as a musician before becoming a full-time writer in 2012.
Review:
3.8 out of 5
76.67% of customers are satisfied
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun Christmas murder mystery
The thing that drew me in with this one was that it said it was for fans of Clue. I can’t remember the last time I read a murder mystery and not just a thriller. So what better than a Christmas themed one. I will admit this one started kind of slow for me. But it really picked up once the whole family got together. Literally nothing like a little family discord and rivalry to get you into the holiday season haha. The family always play a game each year, but this one is different. It’s a game within a game. I loved the way this was done because the aunt left little clues in poetry form and they had to decipher where to find the key based on the riddle. This one is a fairly quick and cozy read I think. It was real fun to watch all the pieces fall into place and to try and try and guess who the killer was. I really felt like I was playing a game of Clue sometimes haha. It’s fully of suspicious moments and suspicious family members. We have the clear rivalries and the more hidden ones. I think the range of characters was phenomenal and the overall plot was really well done. I will admit that at points it kind of lagged but by the last like five chapters it felt like things were moving super fast. It really is a great choice if you want mystery and Christmas together.
5.0 out of 5 stars Nine people trapped in an old house with lots of snow outside!
I've never heard of the author or the story BUT this is a murder mystery book to be READ!Bought book before Christmas and didn't get to read it until after Christmas imagine 9 people trapped in an old house with their phones removed before the The Christmas Games begin only to start seeing people being murdered!This book must be read and YOU the reader must tell others what U think of this author.
3.0 out of 5 stars Not a Christmas book
First reaction: So much for being a Christmas book 😒This book is about a annual Christmas Game at Endgame House. This year's prize is to die for: deeds to the house itself, but Lily Armitage has no intention of returning. She hasn't been back to Endgame since her mother died, twenty-one years ago, and she has no intention of claiming the house that haunts her dreams. When she gets word that her Grandmother has died and has set up this year's Christmas Game at Endgame with rules and regulations, Lily really doesn't want to go back but in the letter Liliana wrote, she has information lily wants: Information on how her mum really died and it wasn't an accident.My review: I agree with the rating of a 3.4. This is definitely not a Christmas book. This is a mystery and a little suspense. Some reviewers say it's predictable but I didn't find it to be predictable at all. I honestly didn't know who the killer was. With that said, some things didn't make sense. I can't clairify without spoiling. I just don't know all that did happened could happen. It's a bit far stretched. I think the book was okay in general. It's not the best but not the worst. The mystery was good and the suspense but other than that, it kinda falls flat.My rating is a 3 and nothing more.
4.0 out of 5 stars On the First Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me... MURDER!
A young woman is guilted by the final request of her deceased aunt into returning to her childhood home for one more round of Christmas Games. In the past, the Armitage children would solve puzzles during the 12 Days of Christmas in order to find their presents. But after the apparent suicide of her mother, Lily Armitage hasn't participated in the event in years. With the promise of revealing that her mom's death was in fact murder, Lily agrees to play the games one last time with her now adult cousins. The winner of the games gets the family mansion, which has been turned into a lucrative hotel. Lily just wants answers. However, someone is willing to kill off the competition for the home with no regard to helping Lily prove her mother did not commit suicide. Lily very well may have to win the game to not just get the answers she seeks, but to survive the holidays.This very British holiday murder mystery that promises a number of games, some of which are interactive. One mission is for readers to find passages of the book turned into anagrams of the gifts from The Twelve Days of Christmas. I misunderstood the rules of that game thinking that the phrase 'A partridge in a pear tree' was hidden in Chapter One. So I spent way too much time analyzing every unusual looking sentence. It was getting really tedious going back and forth trying to determine if I was right or not. Once I found out that there wasn't a single line of the song in each chapter, I settled down and just enjoyed the book for the complex thriller it was.This book is full of characters I liked- most of which died. This book also has a character that I absolutely despised. You'll have to read the book for yourself to determine if they lived or not. I kept going back and forth as to who the murderer was. At one point I thought it might be Lily doing the killing because her thoughts often would be expressed out loud in the next paragraph by one of the other characters. That train of thought got me thinking that maybe the whole thing is in Lily's mind. Alas, I must say, that sort of thinking is a red herring.To have a family member die and everybody keeps playing the games seemed a bit far fetched for me. The Armitage family get snowed in on the day of the first murder and of course, the phones go out and personal electronics and WiFi has been forbidden to prevent cheating in the Christmas Games. So I can understand why none of the characters make any attempts to go get the authorities as the nearest town is a long ways away. But I refuse to believe that a family, even as callous as the Armitages, would keep playing frivolous party games as the bodies begin to stack up. Promise of inheriting an expensive home or not.As much as I had difficulty with that aspect of the book, I kept on reading. I wanted to know more about these family mysteries that kept piling up. I'm pretty sure not all of them are ever fully uncovered. There's talk of one cousin who did something really bad to make them the black sheep of the family. But it's never fully explored. Another cousin has important things to tell Lily. Only they kick the bucket before saying what they know. Actually, I think this happened twice.Until I read this book, I didn't know that there was such a demand for Christmas set murder mysteries. However, it turns out that there are a bunch of such books. As I like a good mystery, I very much might consider making a holiday themed mystery novel a new annual Christmas tradition. (Actually, I read a Sherlock novel last year, so I guess I have already started such a tradition.) As much as this book had some implausible elements to it, this work by Alexandra Benedict did get my attention and it kept it throughout its whole 288 page length. Definitely a guilty pleasure sort of thing full of mind benders, deceits and a healthy dose of anglophilia. A passing knowledge of music theory helps. Though as I'm not very good at reading music or playing instruments, I was at a bit of a disadvantage there.
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, quick read! Fantastic.
Exciting story and a quick, easy read but very captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will def read more stories from this author! It is absolutely fantastic and highly recommended to anyone!
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Chosen for our book club. Premise was interesting. Characters were diverse. Seemed improbable when all was said and done. Somewhat entertaining.
2.0 out of 5 stars not at all what I expected
I was a bit disappointed with the characters in this. The murderer was too predictable - and I cringed everytime we saw the facade. I hated that there was little to no sympathy for the victims and everything was instead focused on finishing the game. However, I do admit that that’s very predictable as well regarding human nature and how greed will often win in times of hardship.
Good read
I enjoyed reading it. It was light and easy to read. A nice introduction to murder mysteries
L’intrigue est super
Très bon livre
Seltsamer Roman
Lily erhält von der Anwältin ihrer verstorbenen Tante eine Einladung Weihnachten (um genau zu sein: zwölf Tage) mit ihren Cousins und Cousinen im Endgame House zu verbringen. Sie soll an einer Rätseljagd teilnehmen, bei der man das Haus gewinnen kann. Da Lilly nicht sehr an dem Anwesen interessiert ist und es seit Jahrzehnten nicht besucht hat, wird ihr noch in Aussicht gestellt, dass sie erfährt, wer ihre Mutter ermordet hat. Als Zwölfjährige fand sie deren Leiche im Labyrinthgarten des Herrenhauses und ist seitdem traumatisiert. Trotz anfänglicher Zweifel reist sie an und trifft auf ihre Verwandtschaft plus Anhang. Jeden Tag erhält die Gesellschaft einen Hinweis in Gedichtform, der zu einem Schlüssel führt. Wer zwölf Schlüssel und das geheime Zimmer findet, gewinnt Endgame House. Es hätte eine spannende Story werden können, ist es aber leider nicht für mich. Dafür gibt es mehrere Gründe:Der Schreibstil und die Wortwahl der Autorin sind zum Teil gewöhnungsbedürftig. Weder Lily noch die weiteren Protagonisten sind mir sympathisch. Wir dürfen sehr oft an Lilys Gedankengänge teilhaben, die einfach nur langweilig sind und sich im Grunde ständig wiederholen. Irgendwann beginnen dann die Morde und einer nach dem anderen wird getötet. Aber das scheint die jeweils Übriggebliebenen nicht in Angst und Schrecken zu versetzen. Sie lagern die Leichen im Eishaus und rätseln munter weiter. Sehr seltsames, unglaubwürdiges Verhalten. Das Ende hat mich leider auch nicht überzeugt.
Fun
This was an entertaining book full of twists and turns and I did enjoy it even though I suspected who the killer was very early on. The one problem I had with the book was that the author started killing off family members and each death is brushed off without any emotional response from the people still alive. More should have been made of their grief. Other than that it was enjoyable.
good story but so much sadness
The plot is very good, the story is interesting but the book is oozing sadness.I always read cozy christmas murder mysteries around the season but this one was so sad that it didn't really help with the christmas spirit
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The Christmas Murder Game
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Product origin: United States
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