Scan barcode
A review by shanaqui
The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Christmas Murder Game is a seasonal mystery set in a country house, artificially rendered old-fashioned by the removal of mobile phones for the game, in which Aunt Liliana's heirs must decode a series of clues in order to win her house. The book contains a number of puzzles in itself, with answers in the appendix, and rattles along at a decent pace, introducing new clues to the characters and drawing them into a dangerous game -- someone amongst them is a killer.
I found the writing rather forced. The Christmas-related similes and metaphors were thicker than fruit in a Christmas pudding, and shoehorning the puzzles for the reader into the writing doesn't help one bit, cute as it might be as a concept. I didn't greatly enjoy the sonnets with the in-narrative clues, and thought the whole set-up just too contrived.
It's entertaining enough as a quick read, and there were some good bits -- the relationships between characters, especially Ronnie and Lily, for example -- but overall it wasn't a book I'd come back to or particularly recommend. More of a curiosity for Christmas; it'd make a good stocking-stuffer for a mystery lover, perhaps.
I found the writing rather forced. The Christmas-related similes and metaphors were thicker than fruit in a Christmas pudding, and shoehorning the puzzles for the reader into the writing doesn't help one bit, cute as it might be as a concept. I didn't greatly enjoy the sonnets with the in-narrative clues, and thought the whole set-up just too contrived.
It's entertaining enough as a quick read, and there were some good bits -- the relationships between characters, especially Ronnie and Lily, for example -- but overall it wasn't a book I'd come back to or particularly recommend. More of a curiosity for Christmas; it'd make a good stocking-stuffer for a mystery lover, perhaps.