When four trail hunters go missing in the fells of Cumbria on Christmas Eve, the race is on to find them before nightfall - when the temperature plummets. After hours of searching, the first body is found. Not frozen in the snow, but brutally murdered. As a snowstorm descends, three lives hang in the balance. But can the killer be caught before the trail goes cold? Night Before Christmas" by Alex Pine is a delightful reimagining of the timeless holiday classic that captures the magic of the season while infusing it with a fresh and modern perspective. Pine's writing style effortlessly combines the charm of the original story with a contemporary twist, creating a heartwarming and engaging read for readers of all ages.The story follows the familiar structure of the original poem, with a visit from Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. They had set off for a trial hunt the day before but none of them have returned. They are all seasoned hunters but the weather has turned foul and their families are worried. James is hopeful that they will turn up safe and well having taken shelter but when he discovers one of the missing men has had his house trashed and the word Murderer daubed on the wall he soon realises that yet again he is going to miss his family Xmas for the 4th year in a row. What looked foremost like a rescue turns into DCI James Walker most challenging case of his police career.

Christmas is a season to be dreaded in the beautiful Lake District as despite it's breath-taking views, bad things seem to happen around the festive season and this year is no exception. After hours of searching, the first body is found… Not frozen in the snow, but brutally murdered and bearing a the real hunt has begun. Loved this festive crime thriller. Gorgeous Lake District setting but with a very dark storyline. Excellent characters and fast paced.’ Reader Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐There are plenty of suspects due to the nature of the subject. I had my suspicions , but again, Alex Pine manages to trip me up. The night before Christmas by Alex One is the fourth book in the DI James Walker series but can be read as a standalone. Based in Kendal, forty-one-year-old DI James Walker is on his Christmas and New Year Break in the sleepy village of Kirkby Abbey, Cumbria but it comes to a swift close when he takes a call from his detective constable informing him there is a matter needing his attention at The Fells Hotel, Cumbria involving new bride-to-be, Libby Elliott, who is marrying Greg Murphy. DC Jessica Abbott is the fiancée of the groom's good golfing friend, Sean and she is looking forward to meeting the happy couple. The couple marries but directly afterward, the bride's sister, Rachel is nowhere to be found, however, items belonging to Rachel are found by the nearby jetty on Lake Windermere which is overlooked by the hotel. With an impending blizzard threatening Cumbria, the sudden disappearance of four trail hunters adds an extra layer of complexity to the situation, making it even more challenging for search and rescue teams. Among these missing individuals is Ted Rycroft. The discovery of his farm broken into and vandalized, along with the damage inflicted on the hunters' vehicles, raises suspicions regarding a potential connection to their disappearance. Four friends fail to return home after a trail hike in the Lake District on Christmas Eve. As the weather closes in, DCI James Walker and his team work with the Mountain Rescue teams to find them. It’s a race against time to trace the men before harsh winter weather arrives.

Normally the 12 days of Christmas are seen as a season of joy and goodwill. However James Walker’s promotion to DCI has failed to remove the Xmas jinx on the team and this investigation will see his overtime budget stretched as the team work long hours over the holiday period.DI James Walker and his team return in The Winter Killer, third in this excellent police procedural series by talented author Alex Pine. DC Jessica Abbott and her fiancé Sean are attending the glamorous New Year’s Eve wedding of Libby Elliott and Greg Murphy, owner of the luxury lakefront hotel where the wedding takes place. When Rachel, Libby’s sister and maid of honor, disappears during the the reception, a search begins. DC Abbott is in charge, joined by DI Walker when clues leading to a grim discovery are found. Rachel has drowned in the lake after receiving a head injury. Abbott and Walker must deal with the grieving family, over-served wedding guests, and the bleak and snowy Cumbrian winter. The theme with this series is a crime that happens around Christmastime, so the reader has to come in with the acceptance that this area of England sees exactly one super brutal murder each year. But anyone who has been following up to Book 4 has probably accepted this already! It's an opportunity to catch up with James, see how his career and family are progressing, and the author includes a helpful guide at the start of the book catching us up with where the recurring characters were where Book 3 left off and how this relates to where they are now.