Hello! Welcome to JuliaPalooza for my stop on the Blog Tour for Murder On The Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict which is available now.
About the book
CAN YOU SOLVE THE CASE?
Eighteen passengers. Seven stops. One killer.
In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train to the Highlands is derailed, along with the festive plans of its travellers. With the train stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere, a killer stalks its carriages, picking off passengers one by one. Those who sleep on the sleeper train may never wake again.
Can former Met detective Roz Parker find the killer before they kill again?
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Having previously enjoyed Alexandra Benedict‘s The Christmas Murder Game I was delighted to be able to join the Blog Tour for her follow-up Murder On The Christmas Express. As in her earlier novel, she has included puzzles and quizzes through the book which adds a layer of festivity.
The prologue throws us straight into the start of the mystery before taking a breath and turning the clock back 24 hours so we can meet protagonist Roz and, through her eyes, the characters that make up the rest of the sleeper train’s inhabitants. The details about the sleeper make it sound super cosy and festive, whether that is snuggling down in your cabin with your duvet and eye mask or living it up in the club car with a coffee or a whiskey.
The plot is a slow burner, taking its time to catch up to the events of the prologue, and builds the tension gradually, with alternating chapters from Roz’s point of view – who is desperate to get to Fort William as her daughter is in difficult labour, as well as chapters showing Meg and her declining relationship with her unpleasant boyfriend. Some of the chapters are from the killer’s perspective, giving us an insight into their thoughts and motivations, although no clues to their identity.
The second half of the book moves along faster and I was engrossed by Roz’s makeshift investigation and wanted to know whodunit. The book covers some surprisingly dark themes and the solution itself is full of twists and left me unsure how to feel about it. I have a copy to read of Alexandra Benedict‘s The Christmas Jigsaw Murders and look forward to seeing what she has in store for us next.
Thank you to the publisher for my copy of Murder On The Christmas Express and to Random Things Tours for my spot on the tour.
If you enjoyed my review, please consider liking and/or sharing and, of course, buying the book:
Shelve on Goodreads | Buy from Amazon | Buy from Waterstones
About the author
Alexandra (AK) Benedict is a best-selling, award-winning writer of short stories, novels and scripts. Educated at Cambridge, Sussex, and Clown School, Alexandra has been a indie-rock singer, an actor, RLF Fellow, and a composer for film and TV as well as teaching and running the prestigious MA in Crime Thrillers at City University. She is now a full-time writer and creative coach. Her most recent novel, under the name Alexandra Benedict, was the bestselling The Christmas Murder Game. She is currently writing another Christmas mystery, a high-concept thriller and TV scripts. Alexandra lives on the south coast of England with writer, Guy Adams, their daughter, Verity, and dog, Dame Margaret Rutherford.
About the Blog Tour
Please check out the rest of the great posts on the tour for Murder On The Christmas Express:
juliapalooza.com 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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