This is the last in the five book DI Barton series but the first of the books that I have read. Di Barton and his team are a loveable crew and I enjoyed following their investigation into attacks on local women that may or may not link into a serial killer who has been heading in their direction. An added twist is that the killer appears to be dressed like Santa! This plot kept me guessing; when I thought that I had solved it, the story took another unexpected twist. The killer's 'personality' is partly responsible for this as he constantly misdirects the investigating team. I reached the end of the book in record time as the writer's style is easy to read and still wanted more so I will need to start at book one and read the other four now. By the end of the book, Barton is moving onto another job and enjoying his leaving do. I felt I would miss him as much as his team! A great read for anyone who enjoys well plotted crime thrillers.

DI Barton #6

One night two weeks before Christmas, a single mother is violently assaulted. It's a brutal crime at a time of the year when there should be goodwill to all. When DI Barton begins his investigation, he's surprised to find the victim a woman with nothing to hide and no reason for anyone to hurt her. A few days later, the mother of the woman attacked rings the police station. Her granddaughter has drawn a shocking picture. It seems she was looking out of the window when her mother was attacked. And when the grandmother asks the young girl who the person was with the weapon, she whispers two words -- Bad Santa.

DI Barton and his team have their work cut out investigating a series of attacks on women and they are determined to catch the attacker and bring them to justice. I have not read any of the other books in this series, but it does read well as a standalone. The characters are well developed, and this is an easy to read, well written book. I kept guessing who the perpetrator was and every time I got it wrong. The story is compelling and moves at a steady pace. This is definitely not a normal Christmas story. It's told from DI Barton and the Santa Killer's perspectives. We learn the background and the events that made the Santa Killer kill. I'm now going to add the reast of this series to my ever-growing TBR list.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #RossGreenwood for my ARC of #TheSantaKiller in exchange for an honest review,

This is a great read.
This is my first book in this series and can definitely read it as a standalone but I’m keen to read the previous books now.
It’s a few days before Christmas and a woman is attacked as she gets home. Her Mum finds her unconscious on the doorstep and it seems her daughter saw the attack from an upstairs window.
The daughter draws the incident and it seems the attacker was dressed as Santa Claus.
Another woman close to the first victim is then attacked so DI Barton and the team thinks the attacker knows the victims.
There’s other attacks happening and Barton and the team certainly have their hands full.
This is a gripping crime thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of The Santa Killer, the sixth novel to feature DI John Barton of Peterborough Police.

Maggie is badly bludgeoned outside her home and Barton thinks it might be personal but Maggie has no enemies and lives a quiet life. Her young daughter witnesses the attack and blames it on “bad Santa”.

I enjoyed The Santa Killer, which has an interesting plot that moves in some unexpected directions and covers some difficult subjects. As ever in this series it is told from various points of view, including the killer, but mainly Barton. I’m not a big fan of shifting perspectives as it disrupts my concentration, but in this case it works well, giving the reader an idea of what makes him tick by voicing his thoughts and dipping in to his childhood and yet concealing his identity. I was surprised by his identity.

The plot is interesting. It twists and turns in unexpected ways and offers some real surprises and not always in ways I expected. It is a novel about mental health, grief, obsession and poverty so I was surprised that while the Santa Killer has a wealth of mitigating circumstances behind him the police are clear that he has to pay for his crimes, after all he could have said no to the voices. I think I’m used to tea and sympathy for the struggling, so this harder line was unusual but a welcome dose of reality and I liked it a lot.

One of the joys of this series has been the camaraderie between the detectives and the jokey dialogue. It continues in this novel and made me laugh. I will miss the team, but fresh pastures and new beginnings are calling and who am I to stand in the way of change?

The Santa Killer is a good read that I can recommend.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Santa Killer’ by Ross Greenwood in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

After an evening out with a friend, Maggie arrives home and is attacked on her doorstep. DI John Barton investigates and as Maggie’s daughter Pippa rarely speaks, instead she draws a picture of the man she saw attack her mum dressed in a Santa outfit saying it’s ‘Bad Santa’. A letter is sent to the presenter on the local radio station and the only words written are ‘The Santa Killer. Coming To Town’. Could this be the person who attacked Maggie?

I’ve been looking forward to reading ‘The Santa Killer’ as I thought it was going to be a fast-paced festive crime and although we have a perpetrator dressed up as Santa I thought the story was slow and lacking in excitement. It’s well-written with the character of DI John Barton coming over as likeable and down-to-earth, although continually thinking of his next meal, but I found it hard to believe that at the start of an investigation he’s in sole charge with nobody else from his team to assist. The way in which it’s written makes it easy to read but it doesn’t have the drama and suspense I was expecting and despite it being a fairly solid read I jumped over a few chapters mid-way and was glad when I reached the end. I’m sure I’ll be in the minority but my impression of this novel won’t stop me from reading more by this author.

Haven't read any of the previous books in this series and it was an ok read. It just wasn't dramatic enough for me, too slow and the plot itself stopped and started and then when they discovered who the first Santa killer was, it was boring and didn't propel me to keep reading.
I didn't finish it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year when Christmas whodunnits start hitting the book store shelves and I’m always here for it. In The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood, someone has violently assaulted a single mother on her doorstep just two weeks before Christmas. The only description anyone can give - he was wearing a Santa suit. Now, DI Barton and hist team are tasked with apprehending the assailant before another woman is attacked. At the same time, the movements of a serial killer have been traced and he seems headed straight for Barton’s patch or perhaps he’s already here.

The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood provides a well-written mystery with a compelling plot and interesting characters.The story moves at a fairly good pace with enough twists and turns to keep my attention throughout, This is the first book I have read by Greenwood but it definitely won’t be my last.. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good Christmas whodunnit but I found this book to be so poorly written and the dialogue lacking in authenticity that it was a chore to finish

When single mom Maggie is attacked by her front door it is left to detective investigator John Barton and his team to find the culprit. When a local DJ contacts him and says they got a strange letter in the post the detective makes a note but pretty much blows it off till he gets a call from the Lester PD saying that there was a serial killer murdering in route heading towards them on the way to London. Then Maggie‘s best friend in coworker Anna Marie is attacked as well. Detective Barton knows this is totally strounk the suspect list because it Hass to be someone associated with the kitchen supply store they work at but it will take him more than one suspect to get to the true goodness they say the truth is stranger than fiction. This book was the nitty-gritty murder investigation and although they have a lot of LOL moments and ones that I totally enjoyed I was sad to read at the end of the book this is the last book in the Detective Inspector John Barton Siri‘s because I had never heard of these books before but I will definitely be starting with the first one in the series. I thought they had great characters I love Xander detective strange the new guy Hoffman and wish the author would write another to see how everyone turned out with the changes but having said that this is a great book I loved it thought it was awesome and I said can’t wait to read more by this author. If you like crime thrillers this is one you will love. I thought it was a cozy mystery and can only be thankful that I was wrong. I received this book from net Gally and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Another excellent outing of Ross Greenwood’s DI Barton and his team and their “Killer” series. In this book it’s December and they’re after a killer dressed as Santa. Bad Santa has targeted a single mother with a special needs daughter, who has nothing to hide and well liked by everyone.
The story is told through various viewpoints including the killer’s. The characters are well rounded with flaws and quirks that make the book, and others in the series, believable. Looking forward to more in the series specially after the cliffhanger at the end.

The Santa Killer Ross Greenwood

4 stars

I choose this book because I thought it looked like a really good story and I was not wrong. I did not realise that this was the 6th and last book in the DI John Barton series. However it was fine to read it as a stand-alone book and I will try and read the earlier books in the series.

The story begins with the apparent random attack on a single parent working hard at Ken’s Kitchens without an enemy in the world. There is no apparent motive but when a second worker, Anne-Marie, is also attacked in a similar way suspicion immediately falls upon another of the workers who has been overlooked for promotion and is struggling to make ends meet.

DI Barton manages to solve this mystery quickly but, being the upstanding detective that he is, with many years of dedicated service, he is still troubled by The Hatchet Man murders that have been happening for some years. The first attack was in Anglesey and subsequent attacks have been in a direct line leading to Peterborough where the story is set. The Hatchet Man also uses his hatchet to attack vulnerable women and John is determined to try and solve this series of murders in his last case before he goes to work in a 9-5 job at HQ .Are the attacks and murders connected?

DI Barton uses his considerable talent as a detective as well as his intensive bank of contacts to finally solve this case as a finale to his detective work.

This book had a very interesting plot but I was particularly impressed about how Mr Greenwood describes the way so many people are struggling to cope just with day-to day living and how mental health problems can lead to tragedy. He is always empathetic towards modern day problems but is also prepared to criticise when it is required.

I look forward to reading the new series that is currently being written by the author, I really enjoyed this book.





Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net Galley

Women are being attacked . . . by Santa.

Someone dressed as dear old Santa Clause is ruining the holiday by committing violent crimes. So, the detective steps in to navigate mental illness and the darker sides of Christmas time to solve the case.

I don't normally like detective stories but this was so intriguing and well written.

This is my first DI Barton thriller and unfortunately the last in the series. Ross Greenwood has created a Christmassy themed police mystery with a cast of interesting and believable characters that I will enjoy learning more about as I discover the earlier novels.
Mental illness and psychological and physical trauma loom large as themes ….ordinary people struggling to cope and dealing with difficult circumstances, some driven to unthinkable acts by deep rooted motives. The inequalities and lack of institutional support in our present day society are highlighted ….sometimes it is too easy to forget those less fortunate than ourselves.
Women are being attacked on their doorsteps by a mysterious figure who looks like Santa. The waters are muddied when a second perpetrator is suspected. Is there a link and why have the victims been targeted?
I enjoyed the pacing of the twists and turns and the way all characters were given attention and fully fleshed out. We are encouraged to show empathy when due but wrongdoing is dealt with one way or the other.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I never repeat the blurb. A super and (sadly) final outing with this lovable team of officers following a festive series of attacks. It is a real shame that this series is ending - I hope the next efforts of the writer are just as good but the given opening of the next series didn't exactly grab me...

I settled into the book from the first page as I have with all this series. Ross Greenwood's style of writing is perfect, I love how Barton's family life is part of the storyline, it makes the books more believable with the human touch. I like all the main characters and the banter that they share even in the darkest moments. This book can be read as a stand-alone but if I hadn't already read the series i would start at the beginning and read the books in order., I'm sure if you love police procedural crime thrillers this is the series for you.

This is a really good, enjoyable, festive detective story and I’m now interested in going back and reading the earlier 5 DC Barton books.

Although this is one of a series, it can easily be read as a stand alone and not having read the previous books certainly didn’t spoil my enjoyment, There’s a Santa on the loose, attacking women and DC Barton and his team are determined to bring the attacker to justice.

The characters are well rounded and interesting and I found it to be an enjoyable, easy, read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to preview and congratulations to the author .

3.5 rounded up.

When a woman is brutally attacked just before Christmas it's shocking! A few days later the victim's daughter draws a picture of the scene she had witnessed, when she is asked who's holding the weapon she whispers "Bad Santa!"

The Santa killer is the 6th and final book in the detective inspector Barton series. I haven't read any of the previous books yet, but I don't think it took away or revealed anything about the previous books. But I will be going back and reading them anyway.
I really liked Barton as a character as well as his crew. The book is told in many points of view: the victims, inspector Barton and the killer! But it wasn't confusing in the slightest. I found it quite fast paced and gripping and just as you think you have it all solved... WHAM! A twist. It definitely kept me guessing. All the loose ends are neatly tied up in a rather emotional ending.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
Thank you netgalley and boldwood books for the arc copy in exchange for my honest opinions

Book Title: The Santa Killer
Series: DI Barton #6
Author: Ross Greenwood
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: September 12, 2022
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

Maggie Glover is attacked on her doorstep: no-one has anything negative to say about her so who and why has she been targeted?

DI Barton has little information about the attacker. A few days later, Joan Brown who is the mother of Maggie Glover, the woman who was attacked calls the police station. Joan tells the police that her ten year old granddaughter Pippa who is autistic was looking out the window when her mother was attacked and drew a picture of what she witnessed. Grandmother asks her granddaughter who is the person in the drawing. The little girl whispers two words ~.
Bad Santa.
Story is told from the POV of ~ The Santa Killer, DI Barton, and Maggie.

Now just days before Christmas and no one feel safe especial women as they are worried they might be next.
The cover is great then I go ~ “Wait! Who is THAT in the corner?”

This is my first DI Barton ~ Ross Greenwood novel; and I am anxious to read another.

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 12, 2022.

Less than 2 weeks before Christmas a woman is assaulted outside her house. It seems to DI Barton and his team to be a random attack. This woman is well loved and no one has any reason to hurt her. With DI Barton and his team having no leads the case looks to be heading no where.

A few days later DI Barton gets a phone call from the mother of the woman who has been attacked saying that her granddaughter who they suspect to be autistic was watching out the window the night her mum was attacked and saw the whole thing. The child has drawn a picture of her mothers attacker and DI Barton is shocked when he is shown a picture of Santa.

As the investigation seems to stall a bit and Barton and his team run out of leads more women are attacked and some of the die at the hands of the attacker and as this will be his last case DI Barton is determined to get to the bottom of it before he moves on.

This is the 6th and final book in the DI Barton series however it could be read as a stand alone thriller. I started the series on book 5 and now cannot wait to go back and read the first 4.

The Santa killer was told from the perspective of DI Barton as well as the Santa killer and I found this worked really well as it showed the background and the events what caused the Santa killer to become a killer and I love the way that the DI Barton chapters allowed us to follow the police procedure and see how the investigation was carried out pretty much down to what real policing is.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

Good book! This book had light suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, a good who done it, and a few twists! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! It was a decent read worth reading, I wouldn't say it was one of my all time favorite but still a decent read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!