Christmas in July – Library Book Review – The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict

Library Book

Genre: Christmas Mystery

No of Pages: 400

📖PLOT SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS 📖
Follow the clues. Find the fortune. Solve the Mystery. This Christmas is to die for. Let the game begin…

‘Endgame has kept our secrets for half a century, now it’s time for it, and its secrets, to have a new owner.’

When Lily returns home to her aunt’s manor house, she discovers that in order to inherit, she and her estranged cousins must stay together over the Christmas week and take part in a family tradition: the annual treasure hunt.

But as they are drawn deeper into the game, the clues seem to point not to the deeds to the manor house, but to the key to a twenty-year-old mystery: what really happened to Lily’s mother?

As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, it becomes apparent that the game has turned deadly and that Lily is fighting for more than just an inheritance: she is now fighting for her life. Does she have what it takes to survive?

12 clues, 12 keys and 12 days of Christmas for the heirs of Endgame House to find their inheritance, but how many will die before Twelfth Night?

💭THOUGHTS💭
I saw this and had to try and get it read in July. Who doesn’t want to read a Christmas Murder Mystery in the Summer?! Christmas stories are often romances and whilst there was a bit of romance in it, it focused on the mystery. I loved it!

The writing was from the main character’s point of view, but there was also outside narration mixed in which was quite interesting. I had my suspicions as to who it was, but I was still only partly right because the characters were so convincing! I loved how we were with the main character solving the clues and seeing her thought processes. It was an excellent writing style that made me just want to keep on reading!

The chapters were fairly long with the occassional shorter one in there to keep the story moving. I didn’t feel the length of the chapters though as I was so engrossed in the story.

I liked the way that there was a timeline running through together with mini games and bits for us as the reader to play. I also liked the riddles and letters that were in the story to give the format some interest, not that it needed it as the story itself was enough!

The characters were excellent and I loved how they were all suspicious at one point in the book. It was very cleverly written and kept my interest throughout wondering how it all fit together. There was a lot going on, but I never felt lost.

Lastly the settings. I loved the isolated estate covered in snow. The house itself was it’s own character and you were never quite sure whether it was good or bad. There were lots of memories and history running through it which made the story more interesting.

Overall I loved this book. The descriptions, the puzzles and the characters all made for a brilliant read. I highly recommend!

⭐Rated 5/5⭐

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