Synopsis:

The hunt is on for a serial killer in this thrilling festive crime novel.

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.

Praise for “The Deaths of December” 

‘The Deaths of December is a festive cracker of a crime novel’ Cass Green, author of In a Cottage in in a Wood

‘The perfect Christmas gift for crime fans’ C.L. Taylor, author of The Escape

‘Creepy, tense and twisty-turny as hell. I loved it!’ Steph Broadribb, author of Deep Down Dead

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“The Deaths of December” by Suzi Holliday is available as paperback, eBook and audio.  Published by Mulhoholland Books.

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My Thoughts:

This is such an intriguing book at the start, an Advent calendar delivered to a police station, but not like any sort we would be used to seeing.  Upon realising that the pictures are actual crime scene images, the hunt begins to identify the crime scenes and the bodies as well as the identity of the killer.  It is the job of DI Becky Greene and her boss DS Eddie Carmine to discover who is behind this macabre calendar, along with other members of the police.

Wow, what a concept, what a story, what a book! I loved the angle with the calendar and the fact that the story is told via four people, Becky, Eddie, Carly and the photographer.  As the story develops, so does that of the characters and who they are and what they do.  Only the photographer is told in the first person and this adds so much more to the character and what is in their mind and thoughts. It is well laid out so that when the story flits between the characters there is no confusion, they compliment each other.

Then midway through …….blindsided or what !?! I did not see that one coming.  Suzi has thrown in an amazing plot twist that actually made me shout, enough to make the dogs jump and get them barking, which in turn made me jump, scaring the hell out of me, talk about the unexpected plot twist !  What a beauty it is, a deeply twisted, festive murder, thriller, mystery with a good psychological twist to it.

There was a lot I loved about this book, the dynamics between Becky and Eddie, as well as some of the other characters in the police station.  A glimpse into their individual families and a brief look at their own personal story.  There is the suggestion of there being more to these two particular characters than meets the eye, and I would be interested to read more about these two.  (HINT, HINT Suzi 🙂 )

This is a deliciously deep, twisted festive delight.  A book that highly recommend to readers of thriller, crime, mystery, suspense and murder.

Oh, almost forgot, I loved the TV show that is mentioned in the book.  I though t it was blooming brilliant.

I would like to express my thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland books for my eARC copy of this book.  My opinions are unbiased and my own.

 

 

About the Author:

  Susi (S.J.I) Holliday grew up in East Lothian, Scotland. A life-long fan of crime and horror, her short stories have been published in various places, and she was shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham prize. She has written three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: “Black Wood”, “Willow Walk” and “The Damselfly” – all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray.

Her festive serial killer thriller “The Deaths of December”, featuring Detective Sergeant Eddie Carmine and Detective Constable Becky Greene will be published in November 2017.

You can find out more at her website:Website and on Facebook and Twitter Sign-up for updates and giveaways here: Readers Club

Book Details:

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mulholland Books; 01 edition (16 Nov. 2017)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1473659361
• ISBN-13: 978-1473659360
• Purchase from Amazon UK

Many thanks for reading my post.  If you liked it, please give it a share. Better still, go and buy the book.