The Christmas Murder Game
- Downloads：4921
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-30 11:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexandra Benedict
- ISBN：1666614483
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Casey Bynum
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Gives Knives Out vibes， loved it！！
Monika
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1。5 ⭐️ Miałam duże oczekiwania wobec tej książki bo uwielbiam takie klimaty。 Niestety。 Było to nudne， do bólu przewidywalne i poczynania bohaterów były dalekie od logiki。 Polski audiobook: -100⭐️ najgorszy audiobook jakiego kiedykolwiek słuchałam。 Jakby robot czytał książkę telefoniczna。 Koszmar
Rude Kadry
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Nie dla każdego święta kojarzą się z zapachem świeżo upieczonych pierniczków， świerku z lasu， czy pomarańczy。 Niektórzy święta kojarzą tylko z bólem， przed którym starają się uciec， odkąd sięgają pamięcią。 Tak jak Lily… Okoliczności zmuszają ją do powrotu do miejsca， gdzie straciła bezpowrotnie beztroskie dzieciństwo i matkę， którą kochała całym dziecięcym serduszkiem。 Rodzina Armitage od lat organizuje tradycyjne poszukiwanie skarbów， ale w tym roku nagrodą jest cała posiadłość， Endgame。 Zmarła Nie dla każdego święta kojarzą się z zapachem świeżo upieczonych pierniczków， świerku z lasu， czy pomarańczy。 Niektórzy święta kojarzą tylko z bólem， przed którym starają się uciec， odkąd sięgają pamięcią。 Tak jak Lily… Okoliczności zmuszają ją do powrotu do miejsca， gdzie straciła bezpowrotnie beztroskie dzieciństwo i matkę， którą kochała całym dziecięcym serduszkiem。 Rodzina Armitage od lat organizuje tradycyjne poszukiwanie skarbów， ale w tym roku nagrodą jest cała posiadłość， Endgame。 Zmarła ciotka w liście wyznała， że tylko biorąc udział w grze， dziewczyna dowie się， co naprawdę wydarzyło się 21 lat temu， gdy zmarła Mariana， jej matka。 A gdy ostatni raz przekroczy próg Endgame rozpocznie się mordercza gra o spadek。 Niesamowity świąteczny klimat， a zarazem duszna atmosfera starej posiadłości， zwaśniona rodzina i wielki spadek do zgarnięcia – a na dokładkę burza śnieżna， która skutecznie odcięła uczestników od reszty świata。 Alexandra Benedict zachwyciła mnie swoim piórem， wykreowała niesztampową wciągającą fabułę， okraszając to niezwykle ironicznymi i piekielnie dobrymi dialogami。 Zagadkowa porywająca， zabójczo dobra， z motywami， które bardzo cenię: tajemnica z przeszłości， ograniczona liczba bohaterów， odcięcie od świata – idealny świąteczny thriller， który rozbudza szare komórki， wzbudza przerażenie， a jednocześnie zachwyca bożonarodzeniowym przepychem。 Książka obfituje w bohaterów， a każdy z nich ma swoje za uszami – kto zabija？ Na szczególne uznanie zasługują zagadki ciotki Lilianny， których rozwiązanie nie jest wcale takie proste， ale skoro nagrodą jest akt własności domu， to nic dziwnego。 Uwielbiam książki， które zmuszają mnie do kombinowania， a „Świąteczna mordercza gra” do nich należy。 Alexandra Benedict uraczyła nas prawdziwą kryminalną zagadką， a do tego dodała dwanaście pomniejszych do rozwiązania， więc gwarantuję， przy tym tytule nie da się nudzić。 To również powieść o rodzinie z problemami， traumie z przeszłości， a także świadectwo przemiany， jaką przeszła Lily， aby w końcu odkryć prawdę， ale czy będzie miała w sobie tyle siły？ Czy da radę przełamać swój strach przed labiryntem？Prawdziwa literacka uczta！ Z ręką na sercu przyznaję， że mogłabym spokojnie zakończyć swoją recenzję słowami „Bierzcie i czytajcie wszyscy！”， ale lubię opowiadać Wam więcej i zaostrzać apetyt na lekturę！ Jeśli szukacie książki， która rozbudza wyobraźnię， zapewnia dreszcze emocji， z trupami pod choinką， to koniecznie musicie przeczytać ten tytuł。 Niezapomniane emocje！ 。。。more
Valerie Blankenship
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Wow。。Loved this book！ This story had me hooked。 Really enjoyed this author。 I can't wait to read more from Alexandra Benedict。 I loved the mystery and suspense of the story。 Definitely won't be able to put this down once you start it。 Wow。。Loved this book！ This story had me hooked。 Really enjoyed this author。 I can't wait to read more from Alexandra Benedict。 I loved the mystery and suspense of the story。 Definitely won't be able to put this down once you start it。 。。。more
Elizabeth McFarland
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Lily must return to Endgame House， where her mother died when she was a child。 The house will go to whoever can win the game of clues between Lily and her cousins。 They will play over the twelve days of Christmas。 I loved the games and clues in this book。 It was all really well plotted and planned out。 I did figure out the twist pretty early on， but it was still a very enjoyable journey。 I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。
Elizabeth DeGroate
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The Christmas Murder game was a great IDEA for sure: A select few members of the family are chosen to play a game， they arrive to play said game full of riddles and keys about the family's past history， and after the 12th day of Christmas passes （Jan。5th）， the winner wins a massive prize- The Endgame House。 But during the game， things go south and family members are eliminated- only for real。CONS:Unfortunately， the book didn't end up being as great of a book as I anticipated。 I have read many re The Christmas Murder game was a great IDEA for sure: A select few members of the family are chosen to play a game， they arrive to play said game full of riddles and keys about the family's past history， and after the 12th day of Christmas passes （Jan。5th）， the winner wins a massive prize- The Endgame House。 But during the game， things go south and family members are eliminated- only for real。CONS:Unfortunately， the book didn't end up being as great of a book as I anticipated。 I have read many reviews， some loved the book， and others were so-so on it。 I'm in the middle-I like the book which is why it's a 3。5/5 rating， but I just wanted more。 The riddles are unable to be solved by the reader （unless you know the backstory of the characters and their family as a whole-which isn't given in the novel， there is no way to solve the riddles）。 I didn't like how the characters were written either as they all felt one-dimensional and flat （ex: Sara is the angry one， Lily is the trauma-filled one （I mean， her mother was murdered， so there's that）， Tom is a counselor- they mention that multiple times as if that's a personality characteristic， etc。）。 The biggest con was the ending。 There was very little uplift to the ending。 It felt unfinished （you never know what happens after the fact with the murders）， and you don't really know what happens to the house- you know， the whole point of the story。 PROS:I liked the idea of a riddle-based game for an inheritance。 I think something like that would be interesting to 'play' in real-life- without the murder （obviously）。I liked the real-life challenges discussed in the book。 Some examples: Lily's struggle with her bi-sexuality and impending single-motherhood， Tom's a counselor and yet he struggles with what to say and do in certain situations， Sara's inability to come to terms with her mother， Liliana's， emotional abandonment of her to have a preference for Lily， her niece， to name a few。I loved that Lily had a career that was different than the usual careers we see in books: she created replicas of historical outfits。 All in all， I think The Christmas Murder Game is worthy of a read， but I do not think it's one that I will read more than once as there's no re-read ability in my mind。 If you're interested in this title， I would recommend borrowing from a friend， purchasing cheaply on an E-Reader， or borrowing from the local library。 。。。more
Felecia
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Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review this book。 Christmas has arrived。 The Armitage family has gathered one more time to settle who inherits Endgame， the estate home。 Lilliana， the recently deceased matriarch， set forth a 12 Days of Christmas themed puzzle game to determine who inherits。 Lily is returning to her childhood home for the first time since her mother's death when she was a child。 She is there at her aunt's behest only。 There are so many memories and hints that t Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review this book。 Christmas has arrived。 The Armitage family has gathered one more time to settle who inherits Endgame， the estate home。 Lilliana， the recently deceased matriarch， set forth a 12 Days of Christmas themed puzzle game to determine who inherits。 Lily is returning to her childhood home for the first time since her mother's death when she was a child。 She is there at her aunt's behest only。 There are so many memories and hints that things were not as she always believed。 Things get tense when one of them turns up dead。 Can Lily solve the riddles and figure out what is going on？A well done locked room style mystery with intrigue， family drama， and thoughtful puzzles。 The characters are engrossing。 Very well paced。 A fun holiday read。 。。。more
Cindy
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The Christmas Murder Game is a most unique holiday book。 Not cozy by any means， this book offers the reader a chance to be interactive with the clues， riddles and anagrams。 While the overall theme may seem familiar- houseguests snowed in and being murdered one by one- there is a freshness to the tale。 The characters have some surprises in store for us。 The writing is well crafted and appealing。 The author makes the most of the sinister atmosphere without becoming horrific。 It is a Christmas tale The Christmas Murder Game is a most unique holiday book。 Not cozy by any means， this book offers the reader a chance to be interactive with the clues， riddles and anagrams。 While the overall theme may seem familiar- houseguests snowed in and being murdered one by one- there is a freshness to the tale。 The characters have some surprises in store for us。 The writing is well crafted and appealing。 The author makes the most of the sinister atmosphere without becoming horrific。 It is a Christmas tale， after all。 The mystery was solid but not totally unexpected。 Lily is warned at the beginning of the story to trust no one。 Wise advice to readers。 Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC of The Christmas Murder Game。 。。。more
Lauren
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3。5 stars， I read this in an evening and I think it's a good Christmas crime 。I knew who the murderer was early on but it didn't take away from my enjoyment。 Good if you want a simple not gruesome murder mystery。 3。5 stars， I read this in an evening and I think it's a good Christmas crime 。I knew who the murderer was early on but it didn't take away from my enjoyment。 Good if you want a simple not gruesome murder mystery。 。。。more
Betty Stoneking
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cute story if you what good book to read 。i like murder game you will like it 。
Michelle
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Christmas Murder Game is an intriguing murder mystery set in an isolated locale with a closed circle of suspects。 This book reminds me of the movie Clue without the hilarity and Ready or Not without the complete destruction of everything at the end。 Our main character， Lily， returns to her childhood home for the annual Christmas game。 She hasn't been back at the family home where her mother died since her death。 But now that her aunt has passed and the game is not for presents but for the deed o Christmas Murder Game is an intriguing murder mystery set in an isolated locale with a closed circle of suspects。 This book reminds me of the movie Clue without the hilarity and Ready or Not without the complete destruction of everything at the end。 Our main character， Lily， returns to her childhood home for the annual Christmas game。 She hasn't been back at the family home where her mother died since her death。 But now that her aunt has passed and the game is not for presents but for the deed of the house， Lily feels compelled to go back。 But not for the house。。。。for the promise of discovering who killed her mother。 All that are left of the family are the cousins。 Isolated in the home by a huge snow storm with no access to phones， the estranged cousins must solve the clues given on each of the 12 days of Christmas in order to get themselves closer to finding the deed to the house。 But， there are people who don't plan to play fair and Lily has to fight to stay alive after the cousins start to be found dead。 This is a real who dunnit。 Was it the cruel and bristling cousin， the quiet unassuming one， the one who seems so kind， or is it the housekeeper who is there overseeing the family during the game， or has someone else made it onto the grounds unbeknownst to the others？ I did have my suspicions throughout。 But there were things that threw me off the trail。 I did not completely figure it out， but ended up being right on a few things。 I read through The Christmas Murder Game fairly quickly， it definitely kept my attention。 There were a few parts that felt a little suspensful， but overall it was fairly mild。 Although， in a book it takes quite a lot for it to feel really scary or suspenseful for me。 The author has hidden puzzles throughout the story， so that's a pretty fun aspect of the book。 I'm no good at puzzles like that so I didn't figure any out， but it was fun to try。 I enjoyed the premise of this book and that it was set during the 12 days of Christmas。 If you are looking for a Christmas Murder mystery， I'd recommend this book。 Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an opportunity to read this book！ 。。。more
Tess Barnes
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audio-cutsie BUT the end was just a cop out by the author-no closure。
Alexis Mills *from the heart of a bibliophile lair*
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honestly i loved this book i couldn't put it down at all and i plan on rereading this book big time， what caught my eye big time was the blurb and also i thought that this some what fits into the show only murders in the building。 i really want more of this book because i couldn't put it down。 I didn't want it to end。 5 star book and i may know a friend that might like this book big time。 highly recommend this book honestly i loved this book i couldn't put it down at all and i plan on rereading this book big time， what caught my eye big time was the blurb and also i thought that this some what fits into the show only murders in the building。 i really want more of this book because i couldn't put it down。 I didn't want it to end。 5 star book and i may know a friend that might like this book big time。 highly recommend this book 。。。more
Dawn Stahl
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A classic， tense， atmospheric whodunit with a dysfunctional family and a rising body count during a snowed-in， country-mansion inheritance game full of clues， puzzles， and the weight of the past， present， and future。 Not entirely my cup of tea （I like my Christmas murder mysteries to have at least a little Christmas warmth and cheer 😆） but a good one for word-puzzlers who like to play along at home。
Heather
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Concept great。。。story weak
Naseeba
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3。5
Bridget
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A brilliant whodunit。 A holiday-themed mystery game with twelve riddles， a country estate， Endgame House， the Armitage family's grand seventeenth-century manor house and even a map to track all of the clues。The main character in The Christmas Murder Game is Lily a clever and complex lass who makes her way from London to the Yorkshire Dales after opening a letter from her dead aunt， and adoptive mum， Liliana Armitage-Feathers。 Lily hasn't been to Endgame House in twenty-one years not since her mu A brilliant whodunit。 A holiday-themed mystery game with twelve riddles， a country estate， Endgame House， the Armitage family's grand seventeenth-century manor house and even a map to track all of the clues。The main character in The Christmas Murder Game is Lily a clever and complex lass who makes her way from London to the Yorkshire Dales after opening a letter from her dead aunt， and adoptive mum， Liliana Armitage-Feathers。 Lily hasn't been to Endgame House in twenty-one years not since her mum mysteriously died。 I had oodles of fun with this book though I couldn't solve the anagrams。 The writing is good and the setting is really well and evocatively described。 Well worth a look。This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley。 。。。more
Liz Helfrich
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Overall: want to feel better about your next family reunion？ This is your book！ Lily Armitage currently works as a costume designer in London， specializing in recreations of vintage corsets。 She wants to start her own line but can’t quite escape the trauma of her childhood。 Lily’s Aunt Liliana raised her after her mother’s apparent suicide; her father was never in the picture。 Every Christmas， her mother， aunt， and grandmother would put together a Christmas game for the children。 Whoever solved Overall: want to feel better about your next family reunion？ This is your book！ Lily Armitage currently works as a costume designer in London， specializing in recreations of vintage corsets。 She wants to start her own line but can’t quite escape the trauma of her childhood。 Lily’s Aunt Liliana raised her after her mother’s apparent suicide; her father was never in the picture。 Every Christmas， her mother， aunt， and grandmother would put together a Christmas game for the children。 Whoever solved all the clues got a bonus gift。 But following Aunt Liliana’s death， the now-grown cousins have been invited to one final Christmas game。 The prize？ The aptly named Endgame House itself。 But someone isn’t willing to wait and starts murdering the competition。 Add in a snowstorm that traps everyone in the house with the killer and you’ve got the classic ingredients of a thriller。Likes: This is a clever whodunit where the violence mostly occurs offstage。 There are plenty of shifting alliances along with a spooky subplot about Lily’s mom。 Lily’s competitors are her cousins， including Tom， Ronnie， and Rachel， the children of Lily’s Uncle Edward， along with Liliana’s nasty daughter Sara and enigmatic son， Gray。 Liliana’s attorney Isabelle and Endgame’s housekeeper Mrs。 Castle have been enlisted to organize the game。 All the players have something they’re hiding， including Lily。 There’s a family tree and a map， both of which I love， and the author has sprinkled in bonus puzzles （including a fun one for the acknowledgements）。 A pair of relationships， one developing and one revealed at the end of the book， made me smile。Dislikes: Lily occasionally got on my nerves。 A few characters are a little one-note or have backstories that aren’t fully explained。 I did spot the big twist in advance， but that may be because I have an overly suspicious mind。 These are minor criticisms and shouldn’t keep you from picking up The Christmas Murder Game if you like English country house murder mysteries， thrillers， or both。FYI: murder， suicide， some acts of violence。 One character expresses prejudice against LGBTQIA characters。Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my advance reader copy。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Ana Santos
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Great book， the whole building up a d the mistery very well done。 This book to me enwrap and I couldn’t put it down。 Definitely will recommend
Amy
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I picked up The Christmas Murder Game because I was intrigued with the concept of a murder mystery set at Christmas that also included puzzles to solve。 The book was a solid three star read to me。 It had a lot of potential and had a very strong start。 The middle and the ending were predictable and most of the characters felt a little flat。 The puzzles were well thought out but way above my ability。
L。D。
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The Christmas Murder GameAlexandra BenedictFirst things first。。。I am a huge Christie fan！ This story is in her traditional English style of writing， a mystery in the Dales。 Is this a Christie book， no absolutely not。 But it is a wonderful mystery written in a style I find greatly enjoyable。 It is also ready for a featured book club position， with diagrams， multiple mini mysteries， and a word search。 Our main character is Lily Armitage。 Lily’s mother Mariana is believed to have committed suicide The Christmas Murder GameAlexandra BenedictFirst things first。。。I am a huge Christie fan！ This story is in her traditional English style of writing， a mystery in the Dales。 Is this a Christie book， no absolutely not。 But it is a wonderful mystery written in a style I find greatly enjoyable。 It is also ready for a featured book club position， with diagrams， multiple mini mysteries， and a word search。 Our main character is Lily Armitage。 Lily’s mother Mariana is believed to have committed suicide by most。 Aunt Liliana is a former professor and Lily’s adopted mother。 She sets a Christmas game to be played after her passing。 By successfully completing the game and claiming the keys will Endgame House be bequeathed and a murderer unmasked！ Lily and the other contestants will remain at the estate without any links to the outside world。 Mrs。 Castle， aunt Liliana’s longtime companion and housekeeper will also remain to care for the house and its guests。 A surprise for Lily comes in the form of Isabelle， her childhood friend， and crush。 Isabelle is aunt Liliana’s attorney and the executor of her estate。 She does her job， setting the game in motion。 12 clues， 12 days， and 12 keys。 Are you ready for the game？！4****Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Laura
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This was not the book to read on my Kindle！ Why？ Because there are anagrams and puzzles written in the book and a print version might have made that easier to solve。 But that's me。As for the plot， there were times when it felt just wholly unbelievable。 I'm not sure I can explain this without spoilers， so I won't try。 Let's just say that I'm not sure updating the locked room/remote manor genre to the modern day worked in this case。 My disbelief wasn't suspended enough。 And the final reveal， the K This was not the book to read on my Kindle！ Why？ Because there are anagrams and puzzles written in the book and a print version might have made that easier to solve。 But that's me。As for the plot， there were times when it felt just wholly unbelievable。 I'm not sure I can explain this without spoilers， so I won't try。 Let's just say that I'm not sure updating the locked room/remote manor genre to the modern day worked in this case。 My disbelief wasn't suspended enough。 And the final reveal， the Killer Reveal？ That felt just a bit too obvious and I picked the right person pretty early on。 Still， for those who love themed mysteries and have the ability to solve the anagrams and puzzles， this might be a better read。eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more
Chelsea
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Rating: 1。5 I liked the beginning， but it got boring quickly and I didn't care about the plot or the characters。 Rating: 1。5 I liked the beginning， but it got boring quickly and I didn't care about the plot or the characters。 。。。more
Jessica Heatherly
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This book was so much fun and I read it in one sitting！ If you’re looking for a cozy mystery， this is NOT it though。 Full of murder and deceit， this locked-room mystery is a nod to Agatha Christie’s 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦。 What makes it different is the inclusion of games for the reader！ Two games are listed in the beginning to work on （if you want） while reading and the acknowledgements include a word search。 The story itself is packed with riddles for the estranged cousins to solve in order This book was so much fun and I read it in one sitting！ If you’re looking for a cozy mystery， this is NOT it though。 Full of murder and deceit， this locked-room mystery is a nod to Agatha Christie’s 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦。 What makes it different is the inclusion of games for the reader！ Two games are listed in the beginning to work on （if you want） while reading and the acknowledgements include a word search。 The story itself is packed with riddles for the estranged cousins to solve in order to find twelve keys， one on each of the twelve days of Christmas。 The amount of thought that went into the clues alone made the read so much more fun。 Grief， acceptance， and suicide are some of the tough topics many of the characters work through during their twelve day lock-in。 The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because I felt the last few days of the game were more rushed than the first few。 I wanted more which is a good thing！ I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Agatha Christie and， more recently， Alice Feeney’s 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳。 I received an advanced copy and all thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Sarah
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3。5*this was a fun lil holiday “whodunit” book mixed with interesting family dynamics！ this book follows lily who is going back to her childhood home in yorkshire to participate in the last "christmas game" to determine who will inherit the house after the recent passing of her aunt。 however， lily's real motivations for being there are to figure out who killed her mother years prior and faked it to look like a suicide。 i will say that some of the reveals were very predictable and not very surpri 3。5*this was a fun lil holiday “whodunit” book mixed with interesting family dynamics！ this book follows lily who is going back to her childhood home in yorkshire to participate in the last "christmas game" to determine who will inherit the house after the recent passing of her aunt。 however， lily's real motivations for being there are to figure out who killed her mother years prior and faked it to look like a suicide。 i will say that some of the reveals were very predictable and not very surprising but i loved the vibes of this book。 it was set during christmas and i think that helped with the overall enjoyment of this。 it was fun to watch lily solve each of the riddles and make her way through the mystery and i truly did not trust one person in this book besides lily lol i think this was a really fun holiday book but i don't think it was anything too outstanding！ a silly goofy murderous time 。。。more
Sarah
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The Christmas Murder Game is an entertaining seasonally-themed read， drawing on the long tradition of the snowed-in country house murder mystery， echoes of the board game "Cluedo" （"Clue" in the US） and the crime fiction trope of the deadly treasure hunt。After the death of Liliana Armitage， the last surviving member of her generation in the family， six cousins， two accompanied by partners， are invited to the family's Yorkshire mansion， Endgame House， for one last round of the traditional "Christ The Christmas Murder Game is an entertaining seasonally-themed read， drawing on the long tradition of the snowed-in country house murder mystery， echoes of the board game "Cluedo" （"Clue" in the US） and the crime fiction trope of the deadly treasure hunt。After the death of Liliana Armitage， the last surviving member of her generation in the family， six cousins， two accompanied by partners， are invited to the family's Yorkshire mansion， Endgame House， for one last round of the traditional "Christmas Game"。 The stakes are high， as Aunt Liliana's will dictates that the game's winner will become the heir to Endgame House itself。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。 Everyone must surrender their phones and other communication devices， and agree that to leave the grounds of Endgame House at any time during the game will mean instant disqualification。 They'll each be given a succession of twelve cryptic clues， one on each of the twelve days of Christmas， each clue leading to a key hidden somewhere on the property。 Using the keys found along the way and considering all twelve clues together， they'll also need to find a secret room somewhere within Endgame House by 4。00pm on Twelfth Night （5 January）， where the title deeds to the property await the winner。 After Isabelle the lawyer leaves， their only company is taciturn cook-housekeeper Mrs。 Castle， who is responsible for ensuring everyone plays by the rules and that the clues are handed out on schedule。The various resentments， alliances and shared histories of the protagonists immediately become clear as the cousins reconnect and settle into Endgame。 For our heroine， Lily Armitage - a costume designer hiding an important personal secret - being at Engame again is a confronting experience， as it is the location of her mother's death on Boxing Day， twenty-one years previously。 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。 If not for this tantalising prospect， Lily would never have been tempted to return to Endgame， whatever the prize。It doesn't take long before events prove that someone is taking the game very， very seriously， and is prepared to kill in order to get their hands on Endgame House。。。After an introductory sequence that sets the scene and introduces the cast of characters， the narrative is structured around the twelve days of Christmas， with a clue in the form of a sonnet-riddle being provided at some point on each day。 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。 Alexandra Benedict adds additional investigative delight for the reader by hiding an anagram for each of the verses of the traditional Christmas carol The Twelve Days of Christmas （"seven swans a'swimming"， "five gold rings" etc。） within the narrative for the appropriate day。 The titles of twelve of the author's own favourite Christmas murder mysteries are also entwined into the text。 Even her acknowledgements are presented in the form of a word search！While this was a fun read， and I enjoyed the cryptic clues， I felt that the plot became a little repetitive and the identity of the villain didn't really come as any great surprise。 Lily was well developed as a complex and sympathetic character， as she contends with her personal trauma associated with Endgame House， but I felt that the majority of the supporting characters seemed fairly superficial as they dashed back and forth in search of clues， constantly sniping with each other。 Perhaps that made it easier not to care so much as they began dropping like flies。。。 Certainly， in The Christmas Murder Game， Alexandra Benedict has captured the slightly camp， colour-saturated vibe of modern "cosy mystery" adaptations， but without the accompanying gentle humour of series such as Agatha Raisin and Marple。 The setting， a remote Yorkshire pile isolated by snow drifts and featuring such classic settings as an icehouse， a hedge maze and a woodland chapel in its grounds is extremely well described and evocative。In summary， The Christmas Murder Game is an enjoyably macabre Christmas romp of a read， employing many familiar and beloved tropes of the genre。 I'd recommend it as a seasonal read to any reader who enjoys modern interpretations of traditional formats and cryptic puzzles sprinkled throughout their mystery reads。My thanks to the author， Alexandra Benedict， publisher Poisoned Pen Press， and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title。 。。。more
Karen Fan
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This was pretty fun for me！ I liked the Christmas details and the little mysteries sprinkled in that the characters were solving。 The big mystery was also good and the setting and characters gave me a bit of an old school mystery vibe。
Karin Van duuren
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It started out as a nice murder mystery with even some extra puzzles for the reader。 But unfortunately it ended up pretty predictable and the story felt repetitive。 I also found the way everyone dealt with the murders unrealistic。 I mean there is a murderer in the house and they continue with the game like nothing happened。I got this arc in exchange for an honest review。
Jennifer Koerten
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The Christmas Murder Game is a great locked room mystery with the feeling of a classic Agatha Christie novel。In The Christmas Murder Game， we meet Lily， a young dress designer who is called back to her childhood home by the wishes of her recently deceased Aunt。 Lily finds her self snowed in with her cousins and their spouses trying to solve clues in order to locate keys and， ultimately， a hidden room within the old mansion。 The game begins on Christmas day and one clue to locate a key is given e The Christmas Murder Game is a great locked room mystery with the feeling of a classic Agatha Christie novel。In The Christmas Murder Game， we meet Lily， a young dress designer who is called back to her childhood home by the wishes of her recently deceased Aunt。 Lily finds her self snowed in with her cousins and their spouses trying to solve clues in order to locate keys and， ultimately， a hidden room within the old mansion。 The game begins on Christmas day and one clue to locate a key is given each day for twelve days （the Twelve Days of Christmas）。 Lily's motive for being at the house， however， is to solve her mother's murder。 As the days go on， Lily's cousins and their spouses begin disappearing and dying。 The killer must be one of them， but Lily doesn't know who to trust anymore。 Can she live to solve the final clue and find her mother's killer？There was a LOT going on in this book。 We have three really big plot points from the get go。 The first: Solve the clues， find the secret room， win the house。 The second: Solve the clues to find out who murdered Mariana。 The third: figure out who is murdering the cousins。 There are also a bunch of subplots: Lily coming to terms with being in the house where her mom died， Lily wanting a family and hoping desperately to bond with her cousins， Lily's bean。。。。 THEN we also have the puzzles the author has laid out for us！ Despite everything， Alexandra Benedict did a fantastic job organizing everything and keeping the story line straight。I really loved her descriptions of the house and grounds。 I had such a vivid picture in my mind of how the house looked and found that even as we entered rooms later in the book that had only been entered once previously， I still held original picture solidly in my mind。I will admit - the clues in iambic pentameter and sonnets were COMPLETELY over my head， but I also didn't spend much time on them as I was so quickly trying to finish the book and figure out who the murderer was！This book was a lot of fun and a very enjoyable Christmas Mystery！ 4 Stars from me。 。。。more
Aly
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