that was exciting, Gotta love a good come novel filled with blood at Christmas time!
I really enjoyed this, I needed to get my last book from my currently reading shelf read by the end of this year and thought it was gonna be a struggle to finish it but I couldn't put it down! Should've gone to bed a couple of hours ago but that went right out the window.
The reason i haven't given this astar rating was because I needed more information at the end, more of the backstory, more loose ends tied up, I like things tied up if it's a stand alone so I'd like either another book that explores the backstory or even a novella, At first I was rather disappointed with this novel as the blurb suggested much more than the early portion of the novel provided, The first half of the novel is limited with characters that couldn't be engaged, such as Jake/ Bruce who has serious anger issues and is rather difficult to engage, At times in the first half I was just reading to attempt to finish so that I could move n to something different, The story became gripping in the second half and became difficult to put down as the pace of the story line picked up and there were some unexpected twists I had worked out several of the plotlines early on that did add to the novel.
Overall I rated the book three as the second half was as good as the first half was poor which equates to an average read, Not for me
I tried hard with it but I couldnt summon up enough interest or curiosity to persist with reading, I didnt find the characters particularly sympathetic and eventually I skipped to the end, Wow, the whole book kept me on the edge of my seat, I never knew who the killer was until the author revealed it in the book, Also the other twist and turns amazing, Suspenseful Not the antidote to Xmas tat that I was hoping for,
Barely preferable to The Nativity,
This was a funny mix of a book for me, It started off slowly but did get going, I found some of the actions of the main character implausible, On the whole I did enjoy it, There is a killer on the loose, Its all gotta be wrapped up excuse the pun before the New Year to catch the killer, hence, The Christmas Killer,
I have a vivid imagination and I really shouldn't read these kind of books in the dark evenings/nights, eyes popping out of their heads is not the last thought before you go to sleep that you should have!
I did enjoy this book, more than I thought I would actually, but although it kept my attention, its not the best book I have read in this genre.
Buts its OK.
Its slow to start, then winds up a bit, then slower again until the climax, But its predictable. Nothing that I haven't really read about before, but there is that certain something that just keeps you turning the pages, so, because of that I have give itstars.
I didn't put it down, I had to read until the end, so that must be something right
First book I have read by Jim Gallows, I would certainly give another book of his a try.
Really enjoyed this well written Quite a good read but it didn't keep me glued to my seat, Okay so on the face of it, this book was right up my street a killer murdering his victims in a gory way amp a detective who seems to have some quirky ability to see the victims final moments.
Jake Austin is the said detective, he's also coping with a stroppy teenager, a young baby amp a mother with alzheimers at home , while at work has trouble with his boss, seems to be contemplating a fling with his psychiatrist.
you get the picture, nothing new! None of these characters seemed very substantial to me amp while the basis of the storyline was a good one it just didn't come off as very credible, by the last few chapters I was losing interest amp just glad to finish it.
I think the biggest problem for me is that the lead detective has this "gift" to know how a murder played out amp the murderers thoughts just by being in the crime scene but then the kicker is when things come to him amp his life he can't see the simplest connections.
Also the way he yells at everyone else about not contaminating a crime scene he does it quite often himself, At one point it pissed me off because he went into a suspects house without a warrant i guess he didn't care if he found anything because it def would get thrown out as evidence
Last but not least this man mentions his ulcer so damn much like pleeeeeaaase stop we get it.
liketimes. we get it. you're stressed. take some tums. . Easy to guess the killer prior to the reveal, and the last third was bordering on the ridiculous, I have read worse though, There's a killer on the loose who's crushing people's heads until their eyeballs pop out, Detective Jake Austin, a big city cop now living in smalltown America, is almost at a loss with the investigation, Okay, so some parts of this were rather predictable and it was somewhat cliched at times but it was still a rattling good yarn and perfect escapism for the dark winter nights in the run up to Christmas.
brilliant read, very much looking forward to the next from Mr Gallows! Such a good read, I did know pretty early who the killer was, But still a very good read, This is an extremely good book, it's not a rollercoaster it feels more like being shot into orbit, great characters which hold you from the start as the plot builds until it explodes, I'm hoping that there is a follow on book, this definitely deserves a.
I love the cover of this book, It only took mehours or so to read, I had thought it was set in UK but it was actually America, I dont normally like US based thrillers no idea why, The story was a bit gruesome in parts and quite gritty, If you like murders like that am sure you will enjoy this one Most books start slow and then slowly build up the suspense and pick up the pace, Jim Gallows starts slow and then BANG!! he picks up the pace after the firstpages and then slows down again and then the cycle repeats, By doing that, Gallows has got the reader's attention and now they are hooked and in for the long run, The Christmas Killer keeps you hooked with the way Gallow writes, The way he gives you information at
exactly the right moment and the way he slowly builds up to the killer, midway through the book we all have our ideas on who the killer is but the way he takes us down the road itself is worth the ride.
Like a cocktail, with the spirit at the bottom, this novel gets stronger and stronger as it nears the end, The final chapters are so compulsive that I found it impossible to put down until I had finished! A great first book, . Wow, what a fantastic book,
Literally could not put it down and couldn't wait to continue and read more,
So many twists and turns, and this is the first book that physically made me cringe at the description of the murders I have a bit of a thing about eyes.
I guessed the murderer but only slightly before it was actually revealed,
Great book highly recommended Relentlessly thrilling, At the start, I wasn't impressed with the writing but after a while I got used to Gallows's style and was soon within its clutches, The ending is very well put together and resolved, with a neat twist that doesn't push too hard against the realms of believability, Would make an interesting partnerread to Val McDermid's quietly harrowing novel A Place of Execution,
Date read:December,
Published by Penguin Random House through Penguin Books UK, Read this one while on vacations and was entertaining enough, but not a very good book, lots of cliches and could have been shorter, If your in the mood for a good thriller, this is the book for you, I could not put this book down, The killer was not who I expected and the book keeps it a secret till very close to the end so you have no idea until after the mother goes ramping the second last time.
I was not bored reading any part of this book and I like how the chapters are short, The end of each chapters makes you want to read on which is very clever, So ya it was a great thriller, Not for those with weak stomachs, As Christmas approaches a terrifying killer must be stopped, . . As the snow falls the mutilated body of a young woman is discovered on a construction site, With it, good will becomes the last thing on Detective Jake Austin's mind, . . Then, when the demolition of the old Chase Asylum reveals further human remains it becomes clear that there's a link between the two deaths, And to the asylum's old warden who disappeared decades earlier, On the hunt for a clever, twisted killer, for Austin and his partner, it's going to be anything but a peaceful Christmas time, . . Jim Gallows lives in Chicago, The Christmas Killer is his first novel, .