Kayt’s Book Bites: “The Christmas Murder Game” by Alexandra Benedict

Review by Kaytlin Ebora, owner of Kayt’s Kitchen

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict: 3 out of 5 stars
Available at the Newberg Public Library and Chapters Books & Coffee

Kayt’s Kitchen Pastry Pairing: Iced Oatmeal Molasses Cookie

The Christmas Murder Game follows Lily Armitage as she returns to her family’s estate, Endgame House. It’s been 21 years since she has been back to Endgame House, 21 years since her mother’s death. Lily is less than eager to return to Endgame House and the memories within. She decides she must go to fulfill the dying wish of her namesake, Aunt Liliana.

Snow quickly sequesters the family gathered at Endgame House, cutting them off from the village and phone lines. Lily and her estranged cousins and their spouses will take part in Aunt Liliana’s last Christmas Game over the 12 days of Christmas for the ultimate prize…as long as they can stay alive long enough to do it.

I found The Christmas Murder Game to be an easy, quick and festive read. I gave it a score of 3 out of 5 stars for a few reasons.

This book is sticky with holiday themes and metaphors, which bogged down some of the writing. I was mildly surprised in the end, and that was due to not trying too hard to solve the mystery myself. The characters and plot are fairly simple and easy to digest albeit shallow in description.

While I would have personally liked a more developed cast, Alexandra Benedict does well to individualize each character while defining what they mean to each other. This book is HEAVY on the metaphors, riddles, and plays on words. This is not the book for the overly analytical reader, but for the reader looking for an easy festive mystery.

The Christmas Murder Game is a great way to kick off your holiday reading this month. This is a book that I would recommend to the new murder mystery reader, or anyone looking for a witty armchair detective novel.

Kaytlin Ebora is a Newberg native and owner of baked goods food truck Kayt’s Kitchen located between the Blue Trout Gallery and Pulp & Circumstance on College St. in Newberg. Learn more about Kayt at her website.