Her debut novel , The Beauty of Murder(Orion), was shortlisted for an eDunnit award and is in development for an 8-part TV series. Her second novel, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts(Orion), was published inFebruary 2016 and The Stone House, a tie-in novel for Doctor Whospin-off Class, was published by BBC Books in October. I recently attended a book buzz event at a local bookstore and this book caught my interest, as it has all the ingredients for an intriguing mystery! Highly recommended by the publisher, I decided to give it a shot. Alexandra Benedict serves up a traditional country house Christmas mystery set in the Yorkshire Dales as the snow falls heavily, threatening to cut off Endgame House. 33 year old Lily Armitage lost her mother, Mariana, as a child in an apparent suicide in the famous maze at Endgame House, an event that scarred her, which she has never got over, as she keeps the world at bay, not allowing herself to get close to anyone so that she would never be hurt again. She is a gifted dressmaker, rustling up copies of whatever her clients desire, living in a tiny place in London. Her adoptive mother, a professor of poetry at Cambridge, Aunt Liliana, has died, leaving behind instructions that Lily must go to Endgame House, a place she has avoided after her mother died there. So many classic murder mysteries take place in imposing manors full of traditions. There’s just something undeniably eerie about a large country house with so much space for hiding things – be it bodies, clues, keys or secrets. Benedict makes Endgame House a character in itself – alive with the family’s shared history. At first, Lily finds the house and the memories it brings suffocating, but as she gets closer to discovering the truth of what happened to both her mother and her aunt, it’s as if the house changes and shifts with her, becoming less of a threat and more of an ally.

The idea of The Christmas Murder Game is great but the execution is horrendous. What should be a fun, Agatha Christie type book is serious and overly complicated (yet the 'who' of the whodunnit is obvious from about the 50% mark). The characters are weak, generally 1-dimensional. Lily really doesn't want to go, but is enticed by Liliana telling her Mariana was murdered, and if she wants to know more, then she must spend Christmas at the manor. Her cousins will be there, and a Christmas puzzle game has been set up for them to solve with 12 clues, 12 keys they must get, with the prize, Endgame House itself. However, they have to stay for the entire 12 days of Christmas, looked after by the housekeeper, Mrs Castle, but they have to give up their phones and any device that might provide them access to the internet. All of them are welcomed by a familiar face, Isabelle Stirling, a lawyer who sets out the terms of Liliana's wishes which they must abide by, after which she leaves. It is not long before the first murder occurs, and everyone is trapped with a ruthless killer among them intent on ensuring Endgame House will be owned by them. 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.The plot initially captured my attention, but it was the quality of the writing that entirely captivated it. This may not be a style for all readers, as it relies heavily upon simile and metaphor throughout, but I adored how inventive Benedict was with her prose and how vividly she conjured each scene, setting, and character for the reader. Lily has no desire to win the house. But her aunt makes one more promise: The clues will also reveal who really killed Lily's mother all those years ago. Despite being a crime mystery fan it was very hard for me to read a book where characters are blank and deprived of emotions (at some point it was deemed sort of a quality for the main character, as if to explain why she doesn't display any feelings, but sorry, it doesn't work like that) so it seems like their relatives dying is like every other Tuesday for them. The plot was also very repetitive and I guessed who is the killer around 30% of the book. Although it took me months of plodding through, while finishing one book or another in the meantime, I actually really did enjoy this story . If not, I would surely have hit the pilot eject button early in the game.

La originalidad de la propuesta por parte de la autora al plantear juegos y enigmas tanto a los personajes como a los lectores. The author uses the word 'obvs' in the prose. This would be okay if it were a character speaking, but it's not, it's just the author being...idiotic? Trying to be cool? Trying to appeal to the youths? Or just to wind me (and specifically me) up? She started writing early, and her first publication was in the school magazine when she was 7 and involved a creepy old house. She loves Golden Age crime. The explanation at the end is just making me angry as these people conceived of this game for a mansion and just let a whole family be murdered over it. Once the first body shows up... would you not stop the game? As far as I'm concerned, they should all be in prison.Los adioses eran odiseas debido al ausentismo de entusiasmo, cuando penetré de repente en tu diáfana y afinada vida de diva. The book is twisty and cute. If the reader's attention span is greater than mine. It is likely to be devoured in one sitting. 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. I had absolutely no idea who the killer was until it was revealed, and even wondered if there was an unknown entity hiding within the house.