The Christmas Murder Game: The perfect murder mystery to gift this Christmas
£2.40£8.50 (-72%)
‘A DELICIOUS LOCKED ROOM MYSTERY’ VAL MCDERMID
Twelve clues.
Twelve keys.
Twelve days of Christmas.
But who will survive until Twelfth Night?
Lily Armitage never intended to return to Endgame House – the grand family home where her mother died twenty-one Christmases ago. Until she receives a letter from her aunt, asking her to return to take part in an annual tradition: the Christmas Game. The challenge? Solve twelve clues, to find twelve keys. The prize? The deeds to the manor house.
Lily has no desire to win the house. But her aunt makes one more promise: The clues will also reveal who really killed Lily’s mother all those years ago.
So, for the twelve days of Christmas, Lily must stay at Endgame House with her estranged cousins and unravel the riddles that hold the key not just to the family home, but to its darkest secrets. However, it soon becomes clear that her cousins all have their own reasons for wanting to win the house – and not all of them are playing fair.
As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, the game turns deadly. Soon Lily realises that she is no longer fighting for an inheritance, but for her life.
This Christmas is to die for . . . Let the game begin
READERS LOVE THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME:
‘I could not be more in love with this book if I tried’
‘An absolute must read’
‘Poetic, immersive and imbued with heart as well as an icy bite’
‘the perfect read to snuggle up with in the bleak midwinter!’
‘A wonderful read on a cold snowy winters day, sit back and enjoy the ride’
‘Cluedo in a book!’
‘An absolutely brilliant read for this time of year!’
‘My favourite book of this year so far!’
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Additional information
| Publisher | Zaffre (27 Oct. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 368 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1838774793 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1838774790 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.34 x 19.8 cm |
by hayley
I really enjoyed this book so much so I read it in a couple of hours. Great plot
by The Sleepy Reader
I saw this book recommended all over the place and decided to give it a go as a good Christmas read and a good distraction from visiting family!
The plot was interesting, the whole family returns to their family pad to work through several games set by their recently deceased Auntie, whoever wins will own the house and can do as they wish with it. There are allegiances formed, past relationships and issues come into play, dislikes and likes from their childhoods and they all work towards finding each of the twelve keys to win the game. Alongside there are several murders but who could be doing them in this snowed in and deserted area?
The plot builds well, there are many funny moments as well as the focus of the game, the clues are well developed and interesting. You can try to solve the clues yourself in this Cluedo style mystery, not that I’m any good at that! The plot is well-paced and holds your attention well.
The characters are varied and not all likeable. Lily, the main character, spends a long time agonising over life, the universe and where she is headed which can be a little tedious, the only thing she is sure about is that she doesn’t want to win the house, just to find out who killed her mother, if indeed anyone did. We spend a lot of time with lily memories which in some cases are wonderful and heart-warming, in others are a little boring. The other characters varied from the sarcastic and unlikeable to the truly loveable, but all are not who they seem to be at first glance (which is quite predictable) and there are a few twists I didn’t see coming.
I was confused as to why Lily was hiding her pregnancy and what real relevance it had to the story. The murders are a little unbelievable, but I didn’t feel that it necessarily had to be believable, it was a nice escape from reality for a couple of hours and despite being set at Christmas it could be read at any time.
by The Cookster @ Reviewer ranking #31
Rating: 3.2/5
Firstly, I would like to point out that although this is entitled “The Christmas Murder Game” it could equally well be read at any time of year and I hope people do not dismiss is as purely a seasonal read. In this respect it shares something in common with Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party”.
This is an enjoyable murder mystery with some fun elements that has its roots firmly in the “Golden Age” tradition, but with something of a modern day makeover. Following the death of her Aunt Liliana, Lily attends Endgame House, the manor house that will form the central part of the estate to be inherited. She is joined there by her cousins and their significant others. Under the terms of the will the potential beneficiaries must participate in one final version of the annual Christmas Game that Aunt Liliana loved to arrange when she was alive. It is a pre-condition of winning the ultimate prize that the participants must remain in the house for the full twelve days of Christmas – but will they all live that long?
There is more than a hint of Christie’s classic “And Then There Were None” to the format – though that observation could be made about any number of latter day locked room style murder mysteries. Alexandra Benedict has generally succeeded in transposing the action to a modern day setting, while still retaining the feel and atmosphere that is associated with a story from the “Golden Age”. The cast of characters are generally engaging, if not always likeable. The author has also tried to introduce an element of uniqueness by setting the reader some puzzles of their own to solve along the way, in addition to the usual “whodunnit?” question.
On the whole, I found this to be an enjoyable read that is well-paced and holds the attention. Stylistically it is a little awkward at times and comes across as a bit clunky on occasion, though this is a result – at least in part – of incorporating the reader’s challenge into the narrative.
Nonetheless, this is an interesting variation on an established theme and should provide fans of the genre with a worthwhile and entertaining read.
by STEVEN P BEARNE
Nicely paced cosy festive reading treat. Well defined characters and a good plot. All the cliches of Christmas gently mocked yet lovingly. Remembered. A must have stocking filler.
by SJH @ A Dream of Books
After the death of her Aunt, Lily Armitage returns to Endgame House, along with her cousins and their partners, to take part in a Christmas game which has always been an annual tradition. There are 12 clues to solve and the winner gets the deeds to the house. Lily however, is more interested in finding out what really happened to her Mother who died in the house’s maze.
I loved the setting for the book, with secrets hidden in every corner of Endgame and when bodies start to drop, the atmosphere becomes even frostier when a snowstorm cuts them off from any means of help or escape.
I liked the character of Lily but I didn’t really connect with any of the other family members and I certainly didn’t trust any of them either. Everyone seemed to have their own agenda. I partly guessed who was involved as the suspect list narrowed but there were also some great twists thrown in which turned everything on its head.
The interactive element of the book was great fun with some festive puzzles and anagrams for the reader to try and solve.
If you’re a fan of locked room murder mysteries and clever whodunnits then I would definitely recommend you add this one to your Christmas reading list.