After a crime boss gets his conviction overturned, DI James Walker and his wife Annie make the decision to relocated to Cumbria for their own safety and peace of mind. And then the murders began… after a creepy card is delivered to James in a box with a dead bird, warning of 12 murders for the 12 days of Christmas to come.
There are a lot of characters in this book and an awful lot of red herrings thrown out. The villain did actually make sense as regards motivation, but the biggest problem I had with it is that the author doesn’t seem to understand the differences between the Church of England and Roman Catholic churches and their traditions. The priest in the story was an odd hodgepodge of both and as such, entirely unbelievable.
James Walker, as the protagonist, was frankly dull. When a police officer’s biggest internal conflict is that he’s concerned country policing might be a bit boring, it’s difficult to feel any empathy with him. His wife Annie was a bit more interesting - at least she had a Past - but she’s written as simpering and one-dimensional too.
The story here has potential, but the writing is flat and dull. I really struggled to get through it. Two stars.
Disclaimer; I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
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