The Christmas Murder Game: The must-read Christmas murder mystery

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The problem is the author also started killing off those characters and despite them being one family, each death is simply brushed off by everyone and every day they go back to solving riddles, as if no one died. But in following her deceased aunt’s cryptic and sardonic clues, Lily begins to drag the past out into the open – a past that not everyone wants exposed. Thank you to Eleanor at Zaffre Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted copy of the book.

Despite being a crime mystery fan it was very hard for me to read a book where characters are blank and deprived of emotions (at some point it was deemed sort of a quality for the main character, as if to explain why she doesn't display any feelings, but sorry, it doesn't work like that) so it seems like their relatives dying is like every other Tuesday for them. In Lily, Benedict gives us an inspirational heroine to shout for – brave, determined and intensely human – as she sets her sights firmly on digging out the truth even as the bodies mount and her chances of surviving the twelve days of Christmas seem to recede by the hour. Lovers of cryptic crosswords and brainteasers like myself will enjoy the liberal use of anagrams, literary and musical allusions and word association with which the participants must contend. I did guess most of what the ending would contain and did find the trajectory a little predictable in places, but this did not detract from the fun I had whilst reading it, nor did I feel let down by all the conclusion consisted of. At first, Lily finds the house and the memories it brings suffocating, but as she gets closer to discovering the truth of what happened to both her mother and her aunt, it’s as if the house changes and shifts with her, becoming less of a threat and more of an ally.She is currently writing scripts, short stories, a standalone psychological thriller andthe sequel to The Beauty of Murder. And when Lily and her cousins are stranded at the house by a snowstorm, things soon turn deadly, leaving Lily not only fighting for answers, but her life.

Interactions are depicted as containing "the restful quiet of two people who can be silent with each other settl[ing] over them like an extra duvet. While the family generally regard Mariana Armitage's death as a suicide, Aunt Liliana communicated to Lily prior to her death that her mother was murdered, and suggests that Lily might ellucidate the mystery of who was responsible via the clues in the Christmas Game. Including additional scavenger hunts for the reader, this clever murder mystery is the perfect gift for fans of classic mysteries, festive Christmas books, and armchair detective work. ABOUT 'THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME': The annual Christmas Game is afoot at Endgame House, the Armitages' grand family home.If you like your mystery stories cheesy, predictable and totally implausible then this is the book for you. Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict for review.

As the guests converge at Endgame House on Christmas Eve, the weather outside grows more foreboding and Aunt Liliana's lawyer sets out the details of the task that awaits them. But the hints of other crimes Tempe’s identification uncovers, particularly crimes against children, spur her on to redouble her efforts despite the new M.Lily describes a family member as "talk[ing] so quietly, as if he doesn't want his words to disturb the world. Alteras mis alertas y desde los altares relatas letras sin lastre mientras cortas la costra de una herida que adherí en esmerados desamores.

It's always obvious when an author is focusing only on one aspect of the story and instead of writing cohesive, quality prose, they just cater to one element and entirely ignore the rest. Lily will have to keep her wits about her, because not everyone is playing fair, and there's no telling how many will die before the winner is declared. Her debut novel , The Beauty of Murder(Orion), was shortlisted for an eDunnit award and is in development for an 8-part TV series. If you love books with bickering families, dark mysteries, uncomfortable truths and a trail of intricately weaved clues that keep readers guessing from one chapter to the next, then Alexandra Benedict’s The Christmas Murder Game is the perfect winter-time book to curl up with.Lily really doesn't want to go, but is enticed by Liliana telling her Mariana was murdered, and if she wants to know more, then she must spend Christmas at the manor. But having said all that, I did actually find it rather entertaining, just not really my cup of tea.