Book Review of ‘The Christmas Murder Game’ by Alexandra Benedict

Fancy reading something a little different this Christmas? Let me introduce you to ‘The Christmas Murder Game’.

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 the 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?

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From the onset, it is apparent that this is not your average murder mystery book. Whilst it is billed as being similar in style to an Agatha Christie, the author is a little more playful and plants quite a few ‘Easter Eggs’ for the reader to enjoy. As you read, you are invited to take part in your own little treasure hunt, finding the hidden Christmas-themed murder book titles in each section, along with anagrams of the lines from The Twelve Days of Christmas.

I enjoyed the layers of mystery in this book, lodged in both the past and the present, and enjoyed reading about Lily’s mother and her aunt. I did however, find that the responses to each death were rather lacking in emotion, although this didn’t get in the way of a ripping good read.

Overall, The Christmas Murder Game is a contemporary Christmas mystery in the traditional style, with lots of clever twists to keep the characters and readers guessing. This is just the thing to add to your December reading list, or as a Christmas gift for the reader in your life.