Book Review – The Advent Killer by Alastair Gunn

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Publication Date: 26^th November 2013

Format: ARC eBook

This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review

About the book:

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 . . .

What I Thought:

This is the first rather delayed review from books I read in 2017! I was lucky enough to receive and email inviting me to read Cold Christmas, the latest novel in the DI Antonia Hawkins series, as part of this I was also offered the chance to read The Advent Killer. Those of you that follow me will know I love my crime and in the lead up to Christmas what better book to read than one about someone who is committing murder during advent.

Antonia Hawkins is a Metropolitan Police detective who gains a promotion to Acting Detective Chief Inspector and finds herself leading her first murder investigation when a woman is found drowned in her bathtub, over the next two weeks two more bodies are discovered brutally murdered and Antonia finds herself hunting a serial killer who is terrorising London and in a desperate race against time to avoid a fourth murder.

Antonia herself is an interesting character – as an acting DCI she finds herself leading her first murder case, she finds herself having to deal with the increasing pressure of a serial killer case playing out in the media, while at the back of her mind worrying about what failing to solve the case would mean for her career. We’re also introduced to the rest of her team, from the junior officer she once gave a lecture to, to the grumpy male detective who doesn’t think a female should be leading the team and isn’t afraid to let her know what he thinks about it. At the same time Antonia is dealing with the end of her relationship, a situation complicated when a former colleague and love interest is brought back from Manchester, with the senior officers keen to have someone on board who works well with the media.

The plot caught my attention, I managed to make my way through a large section of the story during a commute to and from Glasgow for a training course for work. No spoilers here but parts of it were perhaps a little predictable, but for me it was enjoyable nonetheless – it certainly kept me flicking through the pages on my iPad.

Would I Recommend?

The beginning of a new detective series The Advent Killer definitely piqued my interest and I was straight on Overdrive looking for the follow up – My Bloody Valentine. If you like a good crime story I’d recommend giving this a go.