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!

I absolutely loved it as well as the whole series! Creepy and intricate plot, brilliant characters' development, wit all through the book, a compelling storyline! A real pleasure to read! Can't wait to read more by the author!
I received a complimentary ARC of this thrilling book from the author (thank you so much!) and from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.

Book 6 in the DI Barton series and it’s another blockbuster of a read from Mr Greenwood. We are back in Peterborough with DI Barton and his team and yes it’s just before Christmas. It’s great to catch up on Barton’s personal life too as he gets some important news about his own future. As always well written, told from the POV’s of Barton and the killer, with a great, complex plot line and a stellar cast of characters. I love a good police procedural/crime thriller and this is certainly that.

Briefly, there has been an attack on a woman by somebody dressed as Santa Claus who appears to be using a baseball bat or a hatchet. Then the woman’s young daughter draws a picture indicating that she saw the attack. With more victims identified Barton and his team are struggling to find motives as the victims come from different ends of the social divide in the city. Can they stop ‘Bad Santa’ before more women are attacked?

Not unusually this is fast paced and full of twists and turns. This definitely not your normal Christmas read - no jolly decorations or happy families in sight. This book is not just a thriller but commentary on the effects of social inequality and the Covid pandemic. A brilliant book and a fitting end to the series- unless of course the author knows better!

No Season Of Goodwill..
You’d better watch out, you’d better take care…the Santa killer is coming to town. Shocking and evidently violent attacks are taking place across a town. Someone out there is not entering into the season of goodwill. DI Barton is on the case and is alarmed to be finding that his enquiries are proving a hiding to nothing. Can he catch this bad Santa before he strikes yet again? An immersive plotline, misdirection galore and a well crafted cast make this a puzzle to remember.

I haven't read any of the previous books in this series but didn't find it an issue at all, which considering this is book six goes to show how well the author presents his characters and their backstory.
A series of attacks on women points to a workplace issue, but the attacker is dressed as Santa which ties in with another investigation into threatening letters from Santa too. The letters suggest Santa has a list, but the attacks on these women skew the investigation.
DI Barton and his team have their hands full as the two Santa threads overlap, and just when they think they have the culprit there's another twist to the tale.
Barton is a great character, and his home life features in this story as much as his working life. The blend is well done and highlights the stresses of his role and its impact on his family life.
For me, the story sagged in the middle with one of the threads, but it gathered pace for an ending that was well worth waiting for.

I’ve just found my next police series; I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately downloaded the previous five books. Despite this being #6 in the DI Barton series, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Just before Christmas, a woman is seriously assaulted and, a few days later, they realise that her little girl saw the attack from her bedroom window. She draws a picture of it and tells her grandmother that the attacked was ‘bad Santa’. Then another, similar, assault takes place.

A brilliant, well-written story and just as you think you’ve guessed the perpetrator there’s a twist that you weren’t expecting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Whenever I get a chance to read the new DI Barton book it always jumps to the top of my reading pile. I just love the characters and the relationships between them all so much.

This was a fitting end to the series and my only disappointment is that there aren’t going to be any more for me to read. I want to know what happens next to the team. I’m going to miss them all!

Thank you Ross Greenwood for a great series. I’ll definitely be reading the next trilogy.

This is book 6 in the DI Barton series but can be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed the characterisation in this well written book, especially Gizmo! The plot is busy, with so much going on and it held my attention to the end. The team are investigating a series of attacks on women, during the run up to Christmas and I liked the way each chapter ended, filled with suspense and neatly leading on to the next. The pace flows really well and overall, this is a very good read by the author which I would recommend to fans of the genre. I love the character of Barton and look forward to reading more of this series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Although I started reading this in the middle of a heat wave, it’s fair to say, it didn’t serve to cool me down!
DI Barton and his team are on top form, which is no more than I’ve come to expect from this series of twisty serial killer novels. The relationships between Barton and his family as well as his relationship with his team are ever changing and this dynamic of natural progression is really appealing for me as a reader. It serves to provide a solidity that runs like a vein through the narrative. And believe me, you need this solidity, because Greenwood packs a hell of a punch in this one.
For anyone expecting candy canes and jungle bells, be warned, this is twisty and deviously plotted, which of course keeps you hooked right till the last Ho Ho Ho!
What starts as a fairly routine case for Barton, soon becomes a complex investigation. As Barton struggles with budget cuts, reduced staffing and a spike in crime due to the festive season, he realises that there may be links between the current attack of a mum on her doorstep and cases from further afield.
Greenwood explores, with empathy, the nature and effects of poverty, grief and how being ‘down on your luck can have devastating consequences. He shows how, in the jangle of a Christmas bell, things can unravel leading to bad decision making and worsening conditions. This is as much a social commentary as a gripping crime fiction novel and Greenwood paints his cast of characters so convincingly that I was invested in the characters and storyline throughout.
5***** from me!

Back with this series. Absolutely loved this new book. Would be a perfect read over the winter period. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It’s fast paced. Very well written

The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood is the sixth book in the DI Barton series. I have not read any previous books by this author, but I do not feel I missed out on anything.

It seems that Santa is on a killing spree in this addition. DI Barton is on the hunt. I really like his character and his team. They were well developed and portrayed themselves as believable characters. The characters' interactions are funny at times and make the story even better.

The Santa Killer is hard to put down, has great twists, and keeps the reader guessing until the end. I would recommend this book, and I think I will go back and read the other 5 books in this series!! The Santa Killer is a well-put-together police procedural.

I give this a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.

#TheSantaKiller #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks

The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood Tense, thrilling, well written mystery with a multitude of twists and turns and an unforeseen ending. Entertaining and enjoyable read. Will be looking for more of Di Barton and his team's cases.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Santa Killer
The BRAND NEW addictive, page-turning crime thriller from Ross Greenwood for Christmas 2022
by Ross Greenwood
This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Boldwood Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. This is the 6th of a series. I liked it pretty well. Just did not know much back story of the D.I.
It worked, and I enjoyed it.

The Santa Killer by Ross Greenwood is the sixth book in the DI Barton series. DI Barton and his team have faced some terrifying criminals, solved some complicated cases. This time it's two weeks before Christmas and Santa goes on a crime spree. This was an interesting storyline but I figured this out quicker than I normally do. The characters fit the storyline quite well. I was not thrilled with all the covid mentions. I would not have chosen to read this book if I had known about them.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Boldwood Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A great addition to the series. Intriguing and entertaining, it’ll grip you immediately.

Brilliant psychological thriller with the most believable and likeable detective Barton pursuing the murderer dubbed the Santa Killer . When a series of young women with apparently no enemies, are brutally attacked by a Santa suited assailant, there seems no reason for their attacks. As other murders are linked to the suspected killer , the team are forced to chase leads with other forces. Multi layered, multiple story strands, likeable characters and a fast paced writing style draws the reader on a breathless chase til the final brilliant denouement!

This book added to the series well. I do enjoy the series.
This was well written. Gripping and intriguing kept me guessing right till the end great work. Will be on lookout for next one

I've not read any of the other books in this series yet and that didn't impact on my enjoyment of this story but this story did make me add all the others in to my wish lists as I enjoyed this tale that much!
This could easily be characterised as a modern day fairy story to begin with. A warning about the world we are now living in. Don't get me wrong however, this is not a preachy book, just a very well written tale of some of the hardships faced by some right now.
It's sad knowing this is planned to be the last of this series as it was such an interesting read but at least I have the previous books to hunt down to continue my enjoyment!