The Christmas Murder Game

by Alexandra Benedict

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.