Sull'isola con l'assassino

Edie O'Sullivan #2

by Alexandra Benedict, Eleonora Motta (Translator)

Edie O’Sullivan ha smesso di odiare il Natale ma non di risolvere enigmi e omicidi.

È il periodo più pericoloso dell’anno...

Edie O’Sullivan è pronta a godersi una vacanza di tre giorni in un hotel su una remota isola scozzese e non vede l’ora di trascorrere un Natale da cartolina, ricco di passeggiate invernali, camini accesi con fuochi scoppiettanti, ottimi libri e whisky ancora migliore. Ma quando un ospite muore in circostanze misteriose, Edie capisce che il killer si nasconde tra i clienti dell’hotel. E l’incubo è appena cominciato. Con il mistero che si infittisce e la tensione alle stelle, per fermare la scia di omicidi Edie dovrà risolvere i complicati enigmi trovati nei cracker di Natale – i tradizionali piccoli gadget delle feste – che a quanto pare l’assassino ha confezionato per ciascuna delle vittime. Ma avvicinandosi alla verità, si avvicina anche pericolosamente a un killer astuto e ingegnoso. Edie riuscirà a risolvere questi delitti natalizi prima di diventare lei stessa la prossima vittima?

Genres: Christmas, Mystery, Audiobook, Crime, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2025

About the author

Also writes under A.K. Benedict.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Christmas Cracker Killer, by Alexandra Benedict, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Edie O'Sullivan thought she finally had some good luck, winning a hotel stay, but then people started dying. This was a little darker of aread then I usually like, not a cozy mystery at all.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was by far the most enjoyable of Alexandra Benedict's Christmas mysteries, so I'm rounding up this time.

All of my previous comments still stand. The metaphors are ghastly, the content corny, the 80 year olds read like 30 year olds, and there's not a grain of subtlety... and yet I keep on coming back for more!

The Christmas Cracker Killer was full of festivity, gaiety, drama, and action. If you have a higher tolerance for cheese than I do, you'll fall in love.

The whole thing felt a lot more well thought out than previous offerings. There was enough happening to keep me guessing this time. The ball kept rolling, the clues kept stacking, the characters that got murdered were so horrible that it didn't put a downer on the whole thing! And it FELT Christmassy.

We even get a little Christmas ghost story.

Usually, I would hate that kind of distraction from the plot, but I actually found myself leaning in because I could picture the characters gathered around in the library.

Murder on the Christmas Express is the one book by Benedict that I dissuade people from reading because of the tonally jarring sexual violence that overshadows the final third. Plenty dark motives underpin this story too, but they are alluded to rather than explored in depth, and it didn't marr the experience in quite the same way.

An enjoyable Christmas cosy to get you in the mood for the festive season.

Note: I've just seen that other reviews disagree and felt that (because of the darker content) this was not cosy at all, so do still check trigger warnings!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love watching other people solve puzzles.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, a big thank you to Likely Suspects in the UK for sending me this gorgeous hardback copy all the way to Australia.🇦🇺 I was so excited to open this and find a Christmas murder mystery. I do love a good murder at Christmas time.

Now I haven’t read this first book in this series, The Christmas Jigsaw Murders but I had no trouble with the story. I have read 2 other Christmas murder mystery’s by this author and really enjoyed them… Murder in The Christmas Express and The Christmas Murder Game. The idea of having clues in a Christmas cracker was very clever. Edie had her hands full, they were some cryptic clues.

Imagine spending Christmas in a luxury hotel on a remote Scottish island. Lots of walks in the snow, log fires and cozy festive fun. Sounds perfect right. Well it is until guests of the hotel start to die, and a storm comes in and cuts them off from everything. It was very Agatha Christie style and I was there for it.

A fun book to pick up and read this Christmas. Really enjoyable.

[Annarita_booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

La storia ha per protagonista la famosa enigmista Edie O' Sullivan insieme ad altri illustri personaggi, che sono stati invitati sull'isola per l'inaugurazione dell'hotel.

Durante la prima serata in albergo però si rendono conto che uno degli ospiti è venuto a mancare. Il figlio adottivo di Edie, un detective, capisce subito che la morte non è stata accidentale e cerca di allertare la polizia, con scarsi risultati.

Sono rimasti isolati con un killer che continua a colpire indisturbato tra un bicchiere di Cherry e i cracker di Natale, tipici gadget tradizionali, che l'autore degli omicidi ha appositamente fatto confezionare per ognuno degli ospiti.

Tra indovinelli riguardanti il Natale, segreti e bugie, Edie si troverà a mettersi in gioco per non rischiare la vita sua e della sua compagna.

Per capire meglio di cosa parlo dovete assolutamente leggere la storia.

Mi è piaciuta questa storia perché le vicende si svolgono in un arco di tempo molto breve e l'autrice è stata in grado di trasmettere ansia e apprensione prima e dopo ogni omicidio.

Il personaggio che spicca è sicuramente Edie O'Sullivan e mi è piaciuta moltissimo quando ha spronato Mara a farsi rispettare. Proprio Mara è il personaggio chiave per capire le motivazioni del killer che, strano ma vero, non è il maggiordomo (spoiler, non c'è maggiordomo in questa storia).

La storia mi è piaciuta anche se deve dire che ho intuito presto, forse troppo, chi è l'assassino, anche se a un certo punto ho dubitato di un altro personaggio che è poi diventato una vittima.

Lettura piacevole, ideale per gli amanti del cozy crime.

[Gayle (OutsmartYourShelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Octogenarian & crossword setter, Edie O'Sullivan, wins a three-day Christmas break at a luxury hotel on a remote, uninhabited Scottish island which has a tragic past. Taking along partner nonagenarian Riga, son DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan (whose partner & children will be joining them on Christmas Day) & dog Nicholas, they meet an unusual group of fellow celebrants.

Hotel manager, Mara, is nervous as this is the big opening for the hotel, the one her parents have sunk all their savings into. Understaffed & with a huge storm forecast, Christmas has to be a success. At first everything seems to be going well but at the Gala Dinner the first evening, the Christmas crackers are rather strange. They contain a gift & a party hat but also weird riddles rather than the traditional jokes. When over the next hours, the guests start being murdered one by one in ways pertaining to the riddles, Mara & Edie realise that there is a killer on the island.

This is apparently the second book to feature amateur detective Edie. I haven't read the first one but I don't think it made any difference as it works as a standalone. It started off well with the creepy crackers but suffered a common issue with mystery thrillers & became a little slow in the middle. I did like the fact that there are several optional word games for the reader to play as they read the book but they don't have any bearing on the mystery itself so they can be easily skipped. I did find that with so many characters it became a little muddled towards the end, but it just managed to keep my interest. 3.75 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Simon & Schuster UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

TW: murder, bullying, mention of paedophilia & adult/minor relationship

[Martine Tieleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nog verrassender dan deel 1! Een heerlijk spannend, kerstig boek. Kan zo in een spannende film worden omgezet. Je reinste Agatha Christie mysterie!

[Gianluca Ercoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandra Benedict è una garanzia. Per quanto mi riguarda, uno dei suoi migliori gialli natalizi. Avvincente, appassionante, originale, misterioso, suggestivo e la protagonista, Edie O’ Sullivan, si conferma un personaggio delizioso e indimenticabile.

[Britt Borchert-jørgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first and middle part of the book, but the end ruined everything for me. It’s a story very similar to “And then there were none” in setup, and I’m usually wary of those, but it works here, and seems almost like an homage to the classic detective novel… for the first three quarters of the book. But one very important detail ruins it for me. The author does not play fair. In a detective novel, the reader should have a fair chance of working out who the criminal is, and that isn’t the case here.We are told about all these different elements of the crime, and it is impossible to make that fit with any one or even two person(s) pulling it off. The explanation, of course, is that the criminal happens to have an entire network of likeminded toptrained spies who did many of those things she couldn’t have done, logistically speaking. I call that cheating. The reader has no way of working that out, and it’s too ‘easy’ to make an entire unknown network of spies the culprit. I understand the desire to make a whodunnit hard to crack for the reader, but it has to be fair and reasonable.

[Lee Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fiendish Yuletide game of murder.

A group of guests journeys to a remote Scottish island to spend Christmas at the exclusive pre-opening of a grand new hotel.

But amongst those gathered, a killer stalks, awaiting their moment to strike. Guests and staff are ensnared in a sinister scheme, calling upon the ghosts of their Christmases past.

Following the Christmas Eve reading of a ghost story, a guest is found dead in their chair. But they will be only the first, unless all present play the killer’s deadly game.

‘The Christmas Cracker Killer’ is a festive mystery thriller by Alexandra Benedict, the second novel featuring puzzle crafter Edie O’Sullivan, following ‘The Christmas Jigsaw Murders’ plus her appearance in short story “The Midnight Mass Murderer”, which featured in the ‘Death Comes at Christmas’ collection. An intricately plotted, tightly woven mystery in the tradition of cosy crime, with the dark, serated edge of a slasher; a psychological thriller glossed up in merriment for the Christmas season, set on an isolated island of the Scottish Hebrides, it’s both whodunit and whydunit with emotional character arcs and a killer with their own unique take on crossing people off the naughty-and-nice list.

Edie is a brilliant character, and I was very excited to learn she was making a return for a second novel. Since the events of the first, she has developed an affection for Christmas, if perhaps still holding a sliver of mistrust for the season. Edie may be softer, happier and more healed than in her first appearance, but she remains a bristling character, at times caustic and sarcastic, but her steely exterior hides an intelligent mind and abundant heart. It’s somewhat a rarity for an octogenarian to be a lead character, even in the realms of crime fiction where there have been notable stars. For her to be in a romantic relationship is rarer still, for that relationship to be with another woman even more so. Her relationship with Riga is a joy, often touching and poignant, leading to some of the novel’s most emotional moments.

Edie’s adopted son, police detective Sean, is also on the island with them, his husband Liam and their adopted children due to join them on Christmas morning. Lead guest character is hotel manager Mara, her doomed venture triggering a lot of unhealed wounds of her own, while we also gain insights into the killer’s scheme through intermittent monologues that allow us to be only slightly ahead of everyone else. Stranded by the worsening weather and the killer preventing them access to the mainland and summoning help, the guests and staff are isolated and afraid, a murderer in their midst. Edie and Sean are determined to identify them before more fall victim.

Benedict has crafted another cleverly-plotted mystery, fast-paced with sleight-of-hand twists, deft smatterings of clues, many laugh-out-loud moments juxtaposed with deeply moving ones, riddles and rhymes galore hinging on folkloric Christmas visitors, superbly stitched together and finished off with a tartan bow, as the killer implores each of them to confess their sins. As with many of the best and classic cosy mysteries, darkness lurks beneath the surface, with evil and tragedy at play, themes of past trauma and its enduring legacy playing a significant part, particularly in relation to the care of children, or the adverse neglect and abuse, against the tapestry of the season’s festive, haunted heart. This killer may be on a mission for retribution in a twisted morality game – but is this justice or vengeance?

Thrilling and captivating, ‘The Christmas Cracker Killer’ is a deliciously dark mystery for Christmastime. I very much hope this won’t be the last we see of Edie and the gang.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I have read all of Alexandra's festive thrillers and she is an author I get really excited about and so I jumped at the chance to read her new one.

Once again, she has set a few quizzes for the reader, things like working out anagrams, finding song titles in the story etc. things you don't have to do to enjoy the book, but just a little bit of added fun.

I loved Edie in the first book - The Christmas Jigsaw Murders - and whilst at the time I didn't necessarily think a sequel was coming, I am glad she brought the character back as she was so memorable and just fabulous.

It takes a little while before the tension rises, about a third, and then it's a little bit more before the first death hits, and at first that may seem like a long time but I think it's perfect. It isn't a slow opening, even without the deaths, it's still fast paced and exciting. We get to refresh ourselves with the old characters and get to know the new. And so by the time the stakes start to rise, we're invested and we really get involved with the whodunnit aspect.

This is slightly darker than her previous books. Less of a cosy crime novel and more of a proper thriller, but it still had the elements I've come to expect from her. But it definitely felt like a new angle and I'm intrigued to see what direction she goes in next.

To me, her books feel very Agatha Christie, particularly Murder on the Christmas Express.

I loved the ending - I won't spoil it, but if you're used to the likes of Agatha Christie and Miss Marple or Poirot, you always get that big final reveal at the very end, which I love, as it's just so dramatic, and would never work in real life but works perfectly in fiction.

And it doesn't matter how many of these books I read, I never see the reveal coming, and this was no different.

I read this in one day, when it was hammering down with rain outside and I was curled up under a fleeced blanket, with the lamp on and the darkness seeping in, it was just glorious.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Christmas Cracker Killer follows Edie O’Sullivan, who is looking forward to a picture-perfect Christmas when she wins a two-day Christmas break in a hotel on a remote Scottish island. But when a guest dies under mysterious circumstances, Edie realises that there is a killer amongst them. As more guests begin to die, it's up to her to solve the strange riddles found in the victims’ Christmas crackers and stop the killing spree. But as she gets closer to the truth, she puts herself in the way of a devious and clever murderer. Can Edie solve these Christmas killings before she becomes the next victim?

The Christmas Cracker Killer is a charming, cosy festive murder mystery and an absolute pleasure to read!

One of my favourite things about The Christmas Cracker Killer is its protagonist, Edie O’Sullivan, who brings warmth, intelligence, and emotional depth to an otherwise chilling mystery. She is an endearingly eccentric and sharp-witted character, and a joy to read. Aside from Edie, there are quite a few characters, but the list at the beginning is a thoughtful and helpful addition. Many of the characters become pretty unforgettable anyway - but it’s admittedly always easier when the suspect pool shrinks!

The narrative is a cleverly constructed, puzzle-driven mystery that held my attention from start to finish. The plot steadily escalates through a series of murders that follow the logic of the riddles, and I thoroughly enjoyed trying to decode the clues alongside the characters. Then, the final reveal is both dramatic and satisfying, providing the perfect ending to a truly wonderful book.

I haven’t read the first book in this series, and I was able to follow this one absolutely fine, but I’ll definitely be going back to read the first instalment after enjoying this one so much!

Thank you so much to Likely Suspects and Alexandra Benedict for sending me this copy of The Christmas Cracker Killer to read and review. My opinions are my own.

[Jeroen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable addition to the Alexandra Benedict series of Christmas themed (cosy) murder mysteries, and the second outing for Edie O'Sullivan and her adopted son Sean. With Edie's girlfriend having won a free Christmas stay at a hotel on Holly Island in Scotland, Edie, Edie's GF and Sean find themselves trapped with a murderer. The murderer is not only leaving bodies in their wake but also leaves clues inside Christmas Crackers. The cast of characters is mixed and interesting though there is not enough time to truly get to know all the characters. Edie and Sean work together to try to solve the crime. Due to the murders happening there is not a lot of festive spirit in the book, but enough to make it a nice Christmas read. The murder(er) itself is intriguing, though at least some of the riddles that surround the overall mystery are not too hard and at least one of the 'big' reveals at the end is painfully obvious from the start (though one was not, and that was the more interesting and fun one). I'd wished that the characters were a bit more developed. This could have helped with the murderer being more likeable. Though murder is never a good thing, there is a redeeming feature to these murders and I did not mind the final ending.
I hope Alexandra Benedict continues writing Christmas themed murder mysteries and I'd not mind if some (but maybe not all) will continue to feature Edie. I highly enjoyed the reference to the 'Murder on the Christmas Express' book early in this book, showing that at least that book and the Edie O'Sullivan novels take place in the same shared universe. What I could live without is some of the language, with AB going out of her way to create the most horrible metaphors and comparisons.

[Tyler Phillip Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Another fantastic read! I just love these characters! It was lovely seeing how much each character’s relationship has developed from the last book! Especially with that ending!

It had the same incredible writing, pacing, characters, light hearted funny moments and Christmas murder mystery vibes as the previous book but in an isolated house story. It has a fantastic cast of new characters that you will end up loving or loving to hate. Some really not so nice characters. But they were all written amazingly. As well as the story. It was so visual in my head I just loved it. That helps you get sucked into the story.

One scene in particular made me laugh calling Edie Agatha Christie! Maybe, just maybe I’ll have to give her books another go and read “And Then There Were None”… I was absolutely not expecting these twists at all! I’m not the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to these riddles of figuring out who the killer is…

I really liked how eerie it was having the doll house with all of the characters having a little figure of themselves and they get moved every time something has happened…

Edie, Sean and Riga are at the grand opening of a beautiful hotel. Lots of new and mysterious characters. But one of them is a killer. Can they stop the killer and figure out the festive cracker riddles before the body count starts to rise?

The only I was sad about was it was shorter than the first one. But regardless another absolute must read for your Christmas TBR! Now I need to go buy the other Christmas books Alexandra has wrote ASAP!

[Nicola Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexandra Benedict, the queen of the Christmas cosy mystery, is back. She did not disappoint! What a wonderful story. It was a pleasure to read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The cover is beautiful. I love the blue and red combination. It's very eye-catching! The writing is excellent and flows beautifully. Alexandra has included puzzles and games for us to play along with as we read. They're really fun! The main setting was the Aster Castle Hotel on Holly Island up here in Scotland. The island itself is fictional. I loved this setting; it made the read more claustrophobic because of the single setting. It made it more eerie in a way. I loved all the characters. Even the killer. They had good morals, but they went the wrong way about dealing with it. Edie is back, which I love. She's a brilliant amateur sleuth. I do hope we see more of her! There's definitely more that can be done with her after the ending. I really recommend the book and all of Alexandra's other Christmas mysteries. They're fun to read!

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Se siete amanti dei gialli, state lontani da questo libro. Scelto in libreria solamente per il tema natalizio e senza alcuna reale aspettativa, si è rivelato una delusione dalla prima all’ultima pagina. Gli eventi si susseguono senza alcuna logica, se non quella di eliminare un personaggio personaggio ad ogni capitolo, in una pessima imitatzione di “Dieci piccoli indiani”, per poi svelare la surreale soluzione nelle ultime pagine e chiudere con un epilogo senza senso. Forse la traduzione italiana ha contribuito a rendere meno chiaro l’intreccio, che ruota attorno ad indovinelli e giochi di parole. In ogni caso, 250 pagine facilmente dimenticabili, anche durante la lettura stessa 👎🏻

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read this was! A Christmas mystery from Alexandra Benedict has definitely become a staple of my festive reading. It was nice to see our octogenarian sleuth from the jigsaw puzzle killer book return for this tale of Christmas cracker carnage. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

There’s two parts to this, one is the mystery, the other is the puzzle solving! This book has puzzles hidden throughout every chapter so you’ve got a bit of extra fun! For that reason I prefer to read physical copies of these books so I can jump back to the front of the book while reading to look at the clues.

The mystery is entertaining. It’s all themed around Christmas crackers and there are riddles thematically woven through. The story takes place on a remote island, at a luxury Christmas dinner experience taking place at a newly launched hotel. It’s isolated, at the mercy of the elements and rife with schemes!

I had a really good time reading this. It’s of course a murder mystery but there’s fun little touches and it’s a cool setting.

[Marloes D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edie O´Sullivan (80+) is met haar vriendin in een hotel. Haar zoon - die politieman is - is er ook en zijn man en gezin zullen nog komen. Er is natuurlijk ook de familie die het hotel runt en er zijn andere gasten. En een moordenaar, die een statement wil maken met christmas crackers. Edie heeft het gelukkig net niet te druk met haar vriendin zoenen om de zaak op te lossen.

- De personages zijn te ongenuanceerd en te woke. Daarom is het moeilijk om doorheen te komen.
+ Benedict heeft verschillende puzzels in het boek verwerkt.
+ De setting is een hotel op een afgelegen Schots eiland met een geschiedenis.

[Rosie Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, page-turning, and definitely cheesy, read with a cosy festive feel. Did have some darker themes which I wasn’t expecting.

[Christina-Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

Another fun mystery whodunit from Alexandra Benedict set during Christmas. I love Edie and how her brain works. Also the fact that the main characters are over 80!!

This novel was clearly inspired by "And then there were none" from Agatha Christie, but there were a few unexpected twists.

I will be reading the next one in this series during Christmas 2026 if the author chooses to continue.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Cheesy and somewhat predictable, but a fun, quick read nonetheless. Perfect for Christmas.

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an utterly silly, completely untrue to the genre, not clever, and tedious read. It reads like ai generated text, packed with nonsensical sentences such as “his voice came through the speaker system, giving the eerie feeling that he was everywhere at once” (written, presumably by someone not familiar with how speakers work?) and “there was a little note next to the dollhouse corpse that read “dead om scene at 6:32, cause of death unidentified poison, resuscitation not possible”.

The amount of exposition is staggering and boring, and no one seems able to act within character for more than a minute at a time. The killers are happy to spill every detail of their stupid plan without the smallest bit of pressure to do so, which is the laziest way of explaining a plot. All devices are ripped from “and then there were none”, but have been made more complex and more stupid in an effort to hide the plagiarism. The statuettes become a convoluted doll house, the gramophone verdict becomes Christmas crackers, bad rhymes and plastic fish, and the nursery rhyme becomes a ghost story which completely breaks up the flow of the book and adds nothing.

I wish this genre would have higher guard rails.

[Lili Dodderidge · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audiobook. Big flop for me - I find fault with murder mysteries that lean on stereotypes/trauma tropes, have plot holes from the larger mystery series canon, or pin the murders on someone who seemed purposefully left out of the readers’ puzzle-solving purview for the sake of a “surprise” reveal. And this book had all three pet peeves. I enjoy a cozy holiday mystery this time of year, but I won’t be willing to try another one from this author anytime soon.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our favourite puzzle setter Edie O'Sullivan is back in a Christmas mystery that is devilishly clever and totally and utterly entertaining from start to finish. Having won a break away at a remote yet exclusive hotel in Scotland, Edie natural scepticism about the festive season is only heightened when it becomes clear that the troubled history of old Astor Castle seems to destined to leach into the present day, and the picture perfect Christmas she envisioned, surrounded by her loved ones, is just not going to happen. With a guest list that covers everything from influencers to travel critics, the break is meant to be a est run for the hotel's grand opening. The very last thing any new resort wants is bad publicity, but as the guest start dying, one by one, it seems to be all they are going to get. The big question is whether or not Edie will be able to get to the root of the death's before she and her family become the next victims. So much for a merry Christmas ...

Yet, having said that, if you are looking for a fun, festive mystery to snuggle up with over the Christmas break, then this is one that will give you a very merry Christmas. I mean, yes, there are murders. The title gives away pretty clearly that this book is not a tale of people succumbing to death by natural causes. But, as was the case with The Christmas Jigsaw Murders, Alexandra Benedict has delivered a book that is high on mystery and mirth, a collection of puzzles just waiting to be solved by readers who find themselves just the right side of merry on the sherry, or those who just like to pit themselves against the myriad little challenges and easter eggs (or should that be Christmas crackers?) that the author has festooned throughout the book. It's a two fold mystery. Can you find the killer and uncover and solve the various little puzzles that feed into each chapter.

That is one of the things I love about these books. They challenge in more ways than one, and I feel I could read once to solve the mystery of who committed the murders - or at least see if I can get to the conclusion before Edie reveals all - and once again to go back and find all the clues and puzzles I missed on the first turn around. And, being honest, just because it is a really fun book to read. What makes it so much fun? Well, the second reason I am loving these books - the characters. In Edie O'Sullivan, her son, Sean, and her neighbour and partner in late life love, Riga, we have such a wonderful cast to spend time with that it makes navigating the twisted, and often treacherous, story an absolute joy. The quick, down to earth witticisms, the canny observations, and the way in which they interact with each other, just had me smiling from ear to ear right from the start. Sean, a serving Police Officer, makes a perfect partner in crime solving for Edie, but it is often the clear and logical mind fo Edie that proves to the real risk to the killer, something we are made acutely aware of from the off.

I love the moments of mirth between Edie and Riga, but the tender moments between them are equally as joyful, heightening the sense of jeopardy that slithers through the story as we know with every page turned, the risk that they are to become one of the victims grows ever greater. And it is perhaps as well that we are invested in them so completely, as I have to be honest, I wasn't struck on many of the other characters, although my heart did go out to Hotel Manager, Mara, so keen to make a success of the hotel, but stimied at nearly every turn it appeared. She sets up a perfect christmas, with themed meals, specially ordered Christmas crackers (as of the title), spooky stories around the fireplace blending the history of the castle in an attempt to create atmosphere, and commissioning a doll's house based on the hotel, and its first occupants, all to make that first festive season unique and memorable. And the doll's house that soon comes to play a sinister part in the foreboding that the author weaves into the whole atmosphere and tone of the book, just adding to the creepiness and chill factor of the story.

The setting is perfect, allowing for some more convenient plot moments perhaps, but playing perfectly into the hands of a killer whose motives are well hidden right until the last. It is the ultimate locked room mystery - or cut off island mystery in this case. A finite number of suspects, stormy weather keeping help at bay, and unreliable comms that make gaining any outside help, if not quite impossible, then at least extremely difficult. If you are canny enough, you will pick up on some of the themes of the book as I did, but there are still so many elements that surprise, and although I got part of the puzzle right, the who and, well, who, of it all that I came up with was completely misplaced. The ending is super, the reveal borrowing from the some of the best ploys of the genre and proving to be totally satisfying.

Another absolutely brilliant puzzle based mystery featuring characters I am coming to love more and more. I can't wait to see what Edie gets wrapped up in next as this surely cannot be the last we have seen of her. If you love christmas, crime, and puzzles, then this book is an absolute (Christmas) cracker and totally recommended.

[Eilidh Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently read and loved Alexandra Benedict’s middle grade debut Christmas mystery The Merry Christmas Murders which immediately had me excited to read more from her and the first one of her adult books I decided to read was the one that had interested me the most before I read her middle grade was The Christmas Cracker Killer due to its remote Scottish island setting.

The Christmas Cracker Killer follows Edie who has won a two day Christmas break in a new luxury hotel on a remote Scottish island, and is looking forward to an ideal Christmas with her family and roaring fires. But when another guest dies on the first night Edie realises there is a killer within the group and as more guests are killed Edie needs to solve the strange riddles in the victims' Christmas crackers and stop the killer.

It took me a wee bit of time to get into this story but as soon as I hit the 100 pages mark I was completely hooked and could not stop reading. I was really interested in Edie’s character from the very beginning and that only continued throughout the story, so reading other reviews I am excited to read the other book she is in closer to Christmas, I have already added it to my physical TBR. I found many of the other characters interesting but none so much as Edie.

Something that is quite nice about Alexanadra Benedict’s books is that she includes puzzles for the reader to solve which just adds to the experience and how good the mystery feels. The mystery itself in this story felt well developed but was a bit darker than the mysteries I would typically reach towards, however that didn’t stop me from really enjoying this book. I was very much suspicious of a lot of the characters and while I do think there could have been a bit more development of some of the other guests overall I did feel as though I got to know who most of them were. I also did not see the twists coming throughout the book, particularly at the end and I was definitely left with questions thinking back, so I do think I would have loved this if it had had more overall development but I did definitely really enjoy it with the amount of development it had. If you are someone who needs answers to everything that happens in the book, I don’t know if this would be for you.

The setting was so cosy, perfect for Christmas and somewhere that I would definitely want to visit if it didn’t feel so haunted. The island the book is set on is fictional however with Alexandra Benedict’s descriptions I really did feel as though I knew what the place looked and felt like, with it being somewhere that I could easily visit.

I am definitely glad that I have gotten to one of Alexandra Benedict’s adult Christmas mysteries so soon after loving her middle grade because normally it would take me ages to do so and I will definitely be reading more from her before the end of the year. If you are looking for a cosy, slightly dark murder mystery for Christmas this would definitely be one I would recommend picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley & Simon and Schuster UK for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[The Cookster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.3/5

Alexandra Benedict's Christmas-themed mysteries have become a regular annual read for me. This is the her fourth such seasonal offering and includes the second outing for octogenarian cryptic crossword compiler, Edie O'Sullivan. I commented in my review of "The Christmas Jigsaw Murders" that I thought the author had created a central character in Edie that could easily warrant going on to figure in a series of books and it seems that Alexandra Benedict agreed - at least sufficiently to give her another outing this year.

Besides its central protagonist, "The Christmas Cracker Killer" has other elements in common with previous books in the series too: As with those earlier publications this one does not need to be restricted to being read at Christmas. Yes, the events take place over the festive period, but this would make for entertaining reading at any time of year. The author also continues her trademark approach of incorporating additional challenges to the reader in addition to the usual "Whodunnit?" question. This time around Alexandra Benedict sets five puzzles at the start of the book, which the reader can choose to play along with whilst reading, or alternatively, seek to solve separately after completing the book. Also stylistically, as in the earlier books, the influence of writers from the "golden age" is clearly detectable.

If there is a downside to the author's clever inclusion of additional reader challenges, it is that it can sometimes have an adverse effect on the storytelling and become slightly stilted or clunky. In last year's festive mystery, "The Christmas Jigsaw Murders", the writer skilfully managed to avoid that potential pitfall, but I felt that it was again evident on occasion this time around.

As I mentioned earlier, I was very impressed by the character of Edie O'Sullivan in "Jigsaw Murders" and was looking forward to being entertained by her wit and investigative style once more. Unfortunately, her character was not allowed to shine quite so brightly in this latest mystery. There are glimpses of Edie's enigmatic appeal, but not to the same extent.

The mystery itself is neatly plotted and the remote setting on a Scottish island in keeping with that "golden age" feel. Although there is a sense of cosy mystery about this book, there is also an edge and a degree of darkness that moves it away from that description. This is consistent with the three previous season stories from this author too.

Overall, this is another solid and enjoyable read, even though it didn't impress me as much as "The Christmas Jigsaw Murders", which was one of my favourite reads last year. That said, providing she sticks with the same timetable, I will be back this time next year for Alexandra Benedict's fifth Christmas mystery.

[Andrea Hulme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture the scene, you are invited to a luxury hotel on a Scottish Island for Christmas. The hotel is brand new, all sparkly and beautiful. There's a select group of clientele for the grand opening, plus killer in the midst. This was a cosy crime thriller but with a edgier, darker twist.

This was a really great locked room mystery, but trapped on an Island. There's only one way on and off the Island but there's danger and tension with every twist and turn.

We are introduced to the characters right at the beginning of the book, the owners, staff and guests of the hotel and there's a motley crew to get to grips with and I enjoyed this. Suspicion was cast on every single character, with red herrings, clues and back stories to pull you into each person.

Mara and her parents have bought and restored the hotel but there's even disturbing folklore and tales about the island and the hotel. I loved how the humble Christmas cracker, a thing of jokes and silly hats were used as part of the puzzle. At the first Christmas Gala Dinner, everyone receives a Christmas cracker and the mystery and mayhem develops from there. In amongst the glittering setting, the delicious Christmas dinners, the wild snowstorm, a killer begins their work.

Edie is one of the main characters. She is in her 80’s, a crossword puzzle setter, with a sharp mind and tongue. She is there with her love, Riga, who is in her 90’s and has her own buried secret. Edie and her son (a Detective Inspector) soon get to work unravelling the murders, terrible secrets and stories of each and every person on the Island.

The setting is glorious, the characters are fantastic. At the start of the book the author even sets us puzzles to find as we are reading the book. So the super sleuths amongst us are not only trying to work out who was responsible for murder on the Scottish Island, but also working out clues set by the author. That was a lot of fun.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Silvia Devitofrancesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione presente nel blog www.ragazzainrosso.wordpress.com
Edie O’Sullivan è pronta a godersi una vacanza di tre giorni in un hotel su una piccola isola scozzese, un anticipo di Natale, che non vede l’ora di festeggiare col figlio Sean e i nipoti che quest’ultimo ho adottato con suo marito. A rendere il soggiorno sinistro è la morte improvvisa di uno degli ospiti della struttura. No, non si è trattato di un malore, ma tutto farebbe pensare a un omicidio orchestrato con precisione, la cui chiave sembra essere nascosta nei tradizionali cracker di Natale che ciascuno riceve in regalo. Nessuno può ritenersi al sicuro, l’assassino è uno di loro e specie quando le vittime iniziano ad aumentare, le grandi capacità di risoluzione di enigmi di Edie sono richieste per risolvere il mistero.

“ʻInsieme da soliʼ. Se fossi con qualcuno che amo, vorrei stare ʻinsiemeʼ in compagnia.”

Sono essenzialmente due gli elementi più “inquietanti” di questo romanzo: l’isola sperduta dal passato misterioso e la miniatura dell’hotel con tanto di ospiti-personaggi in stile “casa di Barbie” che diviene ben presto riproduzione degli omicidi stessi.

A differenza del primo volume della duologia nel quale erano centrali gli enigmi risolti da Edie, qui il focus si focalizza sui personaggi e sulle dinamiche familiari che muovono le redini dell’intera trama.

Personalmente ho trovato l’idea di nascondere la verità nei cracker di Natale davvero originale anche se avrei preferito vedere più iniziativa da parte di Edie o comunque più azione, invece, almeno per quanto riguarda il primo 25% del romanzo, appare piuttosto lentino e scarso di eventi.

Lo stile della prosa è fluido e scorrevole, soprattutto da metà in poi diviene più incalzante e si è curiosi di scoprire il volto del misterioso assassino che sembra voler vendicarsi di qualcosa che ha subìto in passato.

Nel complesso si tratta di un romanzo piacevole e ben strutturato, ma, secondo me, non “bello” e accattivante quanto il primo.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, like previous books by this author, there is fun stuff to do while reading it. It spells it all out at the beginning. To be honest, I don't particularly indulge in this kind of stuff as I find it distracts me too much away from the story and, well, OK, I'm also rubbish at it! But it doesn't matter either way...
So... we start with an eclectic bunch of people setting off on a boat ride to a remote, isolated island to stay at a new hotel. It's Christmas and they are looking forward to fun, frolics, and other Christmas shenanigans. But, as they say, it's all fun and games until someone loses... well, in this case, their life... And then another one's gone.... and another... and, having now been completely cut off, with a killer running amok, it falls to the rest of the guests to work out who is the killer amongst them...
Edie, who we met previously in the Christmas Jigsaw Killer, along with nephew DI Sean Brand-O'Sullivan are welcome returning characters and I enjoyed re-connecting with them. But boy do they have their work cut out for them this time... Especially give the cast of characters they have to work with - victims, innocents, and murderers alike! And all delivered in a Christmas atmosphere, well, what they managed to get in before the proverbial hit the moving blades...
And yeah, I kinda guessed some of it early. But there was so much interconnected and coincidental, with red herrings aplenty, that I had to eventually give up trying to second guess and just leave it to them to sort out! There was also a lot of humour, laugh out loud, and dark...
It did get a wee bit messy at the end though, a wee bit out of control as it escalated. But, when all was eventually said and done, I did leave the book satisfied, having been thoroughly entertained.
I do wonder what she will serve up for next time though...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Agatha Marplewood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mara and her parents have bought a castle on Holly Island, off the Scottish coast, and transformed it into what they hope will be a go-to 5-star destination. In a bid to drum up some positive buzz before the hotel officially opens, a select number of guests have been invited for a two-night stay, over Christmas.

Once everyone has settled in, a killer strikes, and as the bodies begin to pile up, it is up to crossword creator Edie and her detective son Sean to figure out the who and the why of it all.

Maybe the riddles in the Christmas Crackers will help them put the pieces together...

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I initially struggled with this book only because there was a flurry of characters introduced in such a short period of time that I had to keep stopping to check who they were and how they fit into the narrative. That said, author Alexandra Benedict does give you a handy list at the beginning of the book, so you do have a reference point if you need one.

Once I had the lay of the land, I was properly hooked. Kudos to the author because the plotting is incredible. I have no idea how she created so many riddles, clues, and hints that all ultimately reveal both the killer and why they targeted various characters in the story.

The Christmas Cracker Killer is a modern-day nod to the classics, and with its locked-room set-up, on a snowy, atmospheric island, you really have to engage your brain to work out whodunit. Despite my best attempt, I did not.

For added fun, there's even a list of puzzles and games at the start of the book, with the answers hidden in the story - think you can spot anagrams of famous Christmas films in the book? Give it your best shot...

With thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in return for an honest review.