The Advent Killer - Alastair Gunn

★★★★

Read : December 2013

"Christmas is coming. One body at a time.
Three weeks before Christmas: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is drowned in her bathtub.
One week later: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is beaten savagely to death, every bone in her body broken.
Another week brings another victim.
As panic spreads across London, DCI Antonia Hawkins, leading her first murder investigation, must stop a cold, careful killer whose twisted motives can only be guessed at, before the next body is found. On Sunday. When the clock strikes one..."

Alastair Gunn's first novel is a dark crime thriller in which DCI Antonia Hawkins of the Metropolitan Police, muddling through her first murder investigation, is faced with catching a serial killer who seems intent on imposing evermore gruesome and creative deaths upon his unlucky victims. In a very British setting, but in no way similar to a traditional British murder-mystery where the gardener did it with his pitchfork after a disagreement, this killer proves he is something else entirely and whilst his attacks seem random on the surface we're allowed a brief glimpse into his psyche which reveals an awful lot more.

Gunn cleverly builds suspense throughout his fantastic debut novel and switches well between the Metropolitan Police Force, the Killer and snippets of his past - opening up the inner workings of his mind and giving us an idea of what's going through his head as he commits these horrendous crimes.

The Advent Killer had me feeling like I knew who the killer was and then, within a few pages, changed my mind completely. Although I had a slight inkling for the last 100 pages or so of the novel who the killer would turn out to be I chopped and changed so much that I couldn't be sure; Gunn kept me guessing and doubting myself until the final revelation.

The climax of the novel was brilliantly put together and pulled bits from throughout the novel which left you wondering how you'd missed a couple of obvious hints. It was a fast-paced, frantic read to find out what would happen to all the characters involved, after the final event takes place and in their lives beyond.

The Advent Killer was a well written read from this debut novelist, who shows a great promise of things to come. The characters were believable, relate-able and put together well. It was a fantastic Christmas read (although I'd recommend it all year round) for lovers of crime thriller and for anyone who fancies something a little different to the sweetness and fairylights that surround the Holiday season. I'm currently passing it around my family for them to enjoy too.

Disclaimer: An advance copy of this book was kindly sent to me from Penguin Publishers via Goodreads First Reads for me to read and review. All thoughts and opinions on the book are my own.