DCI James Walker and is team are back, Christmas in Kendal and everyone is hoping for a quiet one after the previous ones. Christmas Eve passes by without incident and James and Annie enjoy helping their two children open their presents, then James phone rings. A body has been found and it belongs to Gordon Carver the journalist. What a book, one that I couldn’t put down, full of twists and turns and the pace never stops. An excellent read, what will next Christmas in Kendal bring? My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Journalist Gordon Carver is murdered on a secluded footpath near to his home and DCI James Walker’s Christmas Eve celebrations are put on hold when he’s called out to find the killer. Gordon Carver was due to publish an article in the Cumbria Gazette about estate agent Chloe Marsh who disappeared eight months ago and whose ex-boyfriend Daniel Porter was initially thought to be responsible. Did Porter kill Gordon to stop him publishing the article or was it someone else with a grudge against the journalist? ‘Cold Blooded Killer’ is another police thriller set in Cumbria where murder is committed around Christmastime and DCI James Walker is unable to spend the festive period with his wife Annie and young children as he must work with his team to find the killer. My thoughts have been with James’s wife Annie as she struggles with a health crisis which she keeps from James so that it doesn’t detract from his work. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this story that I’ve read in one sitting, so involved with what was happening that I couldn’t put my Kindle down. There’s been plenty of suspense, intrigue and twists and turns, and so many suspects who’ve been found to be innocent that DCI Walker wasn’t convinced he’d ever find Carver’s killer. This has been a fantastic book and my favourite in the series, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who wants a gripping thriller that they’ll be unable to stop reading.

Cold Blooded killer by Alex pine is book 6 in the DI James Walker series and the series gets better and better. Di James Walker hopes that there is no cases to be had this Christmas, and he can spend some time with his wife at Christmas. But he could have been more wrong. One of his informants Journalist Gordon Carver has been found dead, after being hit from behind. He was currently investigating the disappearance of Chloe Walsh. Some of the information he received might have been the reason he ended up dead. This death was a bit more personal of James as there was a missed call from Gordon on his phone. But he was too busy to take the call. The story included his personal life, when he must juggle his family with his job. With everything going on Anne has something to tell James but doesn’t want him to get distracted from his job. When I think of Christmas I always think of this series and I hope there is more to come. This is another great read for Alex Pine. With lots of twists that kept me guessing and a surprising ending. 5 stars from me,

Christmas time in Kirkby Abbey, and readers of this series will know what that means. Once again the festive season is thrown into chaos for DCI James Walker and his wife Annie, along with their two small children. Despite all the promises, wishes and finger crossing, the family have no time to celebrate, as the case of a murdered local journalist on Christmas Eve takes up all DCI Walker’s time and concentration. With the backing of his trusty team, Walker solves not one case but two, making him the local hero! I really like this series and looked forward to this new instalment. Honestly I’m not sure how much longer the theme can hold the reader’s interest, there is only so much snow and Christmas mayhem a series can take! However, the books are an enjoyable, escapist read and the characters and plot lines are always well executed, so let’s see what next Christmas brings