Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for a copy of “ The Twelve Days Of Murder” for an honest review.

I was drawn to read this book as love a festive read and also a thriller. Sadly I just couldn’t connect with the book or any of the characters I ended up skipping through the pages.
Just not for me so I can’t recommend

Who wouldn't want to have a festive snowy stay at remote Scottish with some old friends?! Me, especially with this bunch of unlikeable characters! Add in some murders and I think
I would definitely brave the family dinner instead!

I've really enjoyed Andreina Cordani's YA novels, which is is why I requested this one. Unfortunately, I didn't make it beyond the airport departure lounge...the characters were so unspeakably awful that I didn't really want to spend anymore time in their company! I guess this is testament to Cordani's skill at creating characters but sadly this one wasn't for me.

What a perfect Christmas murder mystery!

A group of people who attended university together create the masquerade society where they stage murder mystery nights.
During one of these, a member goes missing, and they don't meet up again for 12 years until they are invited to attend a murder weekend in a remote mansion over Christmas.

The snow starts to fall, the phone lines are cut and the members find themselves meeting grizzly ends along the theme of 12 days of Christmas.

Overall, I enjoyed the twists of this and a slightly different take on a locked room murder although I felt it was a bit long in places.

Thank you to netgalley and Bonnie's Books UK for my eARC

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I really enjoyed this one - I think it’s perfect for lovers of a whodunnit and with a Christmas theme it’s perfect for this season!

This really did keep me on my toes; some of my suspicions were wrong and some were right and I didn’t really suspect who it was until towards the end of the book and even then the explanation was a shock and not what I saw coming - keep an eye on clues sprinkled without! 👀

I really liked Charley and some of the other masqueraders, although some of them you can easily see they’re a bit of a dick 😂

Overall a great read for the holidays and one I didn’t expect to lvoe as much as I did!

The Twelve Days of Murder is set in a remote estate in Scotland over a snowy Christmas - so far, so festive! But this is the scene for a Murder Mystery turned reality where a series of grisly murders finds members of the Masquerade Murders being dispatched. The majority of the characters are unlikeable so it's no great loss, and the story becomes more far fetched but this is an enjoyably silly and grisly Christmas read.

Andreina Cordani‘s The 12 Days of Murder centres on the Masquerade Murder Society, a group of university friends who once solved fictional murders and who reunite after 12 years for a Christmas-themed masquerade at a remote Scottish hunting lodge. As each member is assigned an identity related to the Twelve Days of Christmas, the game takes a sinister turn when Lady Partridge is found dead and it becomes apparent that more murders are to come. The story shifts between the present and past, offering a blend of suspense and character development. The atmospheric setting in rural Scotland adds to the sense of isolation and tension, reminiscent of classic country house mysteries. The Twelve Days of Murder delivers a festive whodunnit with engaging characters, unexpected plot twists and dark revelations.

I saw the cover reveal for this on the author's Instagram page and it piqued my interest! I love a good Christmassy mystery and throw in a remote location and people being locked in with a murderer... it sounded right up my street.

Eight friends used to gather for The Murder Masquerade Society until twelve years ago, Karl, linchpin of the group, disappeared. The seven remaining friends are invited up to a remote mansion in Scotland to relive old times. It soon becomes clear that someone else has murderous ideas for them.

The twelve days of murder is part psychological thriller, part murder mystery, giving a nod to classic crime novels.

Almost all the characters were unlikeable. Most of them come from money and have that air of privilege and narcissism that makes you dislike them immediately. Charley, whose point of view made up most of the story, was at least more down to earth and the way she was treated by the others made my blood boil! She, however, came across as a little whiny throughout.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, but it was certainly a shocking one!

For me, I felt the cast of characters was a little too large for the length of the book. Some of them are not as well developed as others, which led me to get confused over who was who.

Still, if you love a locked in type mystery with a wintery setting and plenty of suspects and mayhem, then I'd highly recommend it.

A perfect festive murder mystery. This had all the feels of a classic Agatha Christie mixed with a hint of Christmas and I loved it. I loved that they were all paying a murder masquerade party and we're behaving like they were in the 1930s which made it feel even more Christie.

I didn't guess who the killer was (ish, but I won't give any spoilers) which is always a bonus with these sorts of books.

The Twelve Days of Murder centres around a university society known as the Masquerade Murder Society who solve fictional murders until one Christmas a member of the group goes missing for real. Twelve years on the remaining members are invited to a 'Twelve Days of Christmas' themed murder mystery party in Scotland where it soon becomes clear that everyone has a secret and someone is determined to make them pay.

I really enjoyed and thought the premise of it was really exciting. The setting of rural Scotland was very atmospheric and added to the sense of isolation which I always enjoy in a murder mystery. The plot twists were great and I liked that every single character was slightly shady so you had no idea who to trust by the end. This book reminded me of a Christmas version of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None which is one of my favourite books of all time.

However personally I think this book was slightly too long and did get a bit slow at times. The book is told in dual timeline and I found the past timeline quite boring so it did sometimes feel like it was breaking the momentum of the present timeline. I didn't enjoy the 'fight' scenes at the end and wish it could've wrapped up in a more elegant manner however this is just personal preference.

Overall, this was a really fun, festive murder mystery and I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a locked room mystery to curl up with this holiday season!

An unexpected little gem.

Murder mystery, locked room mystery are the two linked? For years the group of masqueraders have wondered what happened to one of their own who disappeared from a locked room during a mystery weekend. Now back together for a Christmas murder mystery in the highlands can the truth finally be revealed or is there someone out there determined to stop them in their tracks?

Charley, whose membership of the group has always been as one of outsider needs to keep her wits about her in order to reveal not only what happened 12 Christmases ago but also unravel the mystery of why members of the group are being killed in a gruesome fashion. With extensive snow, no landlines and no mobile phone coverage can she keep the members alive in order to see another Christmas?

I absolutely love a Christmas murder mystery and this was no exception. Im a massive fan of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and this had similar vibes for me. A brilliant book by Andreina Cordani that had me gripped. Like others, my theories as to who the murderer was kept changing, and what I hypothesised at the start definitely wasn’t correct so I enjoyed that the book wasn’t too predictable! I’ll definitely be picking up this author again.

A Christmas whodunnit, I didn’t know I needed. A jaw dropping adult debut by Andreina Cordani. This was so addictive I couldn’t put the book down until I knew who had done it, and why. There are so many red herons and secrets you can’t keep up and all my theories were squashed. This book is definitely worth the read and I would recommend it to anybody/everybody.

Darkly enjoyable. I read a section of this in the bath and screamed when my partner burst into the bathroom as I was so engrossed in the fight scene in the frozen stream! Fun set up and nice one to pop in the Christ stocking.

Eight friends created the Masquerade Murder Society whilst at University; the murders they solved were fictitious until their final get-together, when one of them disappeared. Twelve years later, the remaining seven are invited to a Christmas themed Masquerade reunion in the picturesque Snellbronach in the Scottish Highlands.
All are hiding something which could make or break their careers. Charley is a struggling actress who never fitted in with the high-flying group but agrees to the reunion with the promise of career help.
Each are assigned their identity on arrival to Snellbronach, each related to the “Twelve Days of Christmas” – Lady Partridge or Mr Gold; Lord Leapworth or Dr Swam. The game begins and it’s like old times; until Lady Partridge is found hanging, dead, from a pear tree.
It is clear to the rest of the members that the murders in this game are all too real and long-hidden secrets are being brought to the surface. Can Charley solve the crimes before it’s too late.

This a great modern take on a Christesque who-dunnit mystery; although based at Christmas I feel it could be read any time of the year. Cordani has written in depth characters with murky backgrounds who aren’t generally nice people and I didn’t feel upset if they were to die (I know I’m a terrible person). Charley is our main protagonist who you feel more in tune with given her working-class background and struggle to get a leg up in the world, unlike her “friends”. Saying this, she sometimes got on my nerves and acted like a martyr for putting up with the attitude of the others.

I loved the layout of the book; chapters were short enough that you feel you were getting somewhere fast. Chapters flit between past and present with multiple POVs; giving you a clearer picture of what is going on and what led to the events of this Christmas.

I’d love to say I figured the plot out but I was way off until the story wrapped up and the climax was happening; I’m a sucker for those red herrings.

Read this if you like:
Who-dunnit mysteries
Multiple POVs
Grey characters

Thank you to Andreina Cordani and Bonnier Books UK for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is one of my favourite types of mystery thrillers. Where one by one people are being killed but isolated from the rest of the world.
I was gripped throughout. Wondering about what happened to Karl and who is behind the murders now.
I kept changing my theories everytime something new happened. I just couldn't decide who I thought was behind it and how it connected to Karl.
While I don't think what happened to Karl was the most realistic thing I didn't mind here as the overall story was so enjoyable and captivating.
I'll definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

The Twelve Days of Murder was an interesting read. It was fast paced and kept me guessing right to the end. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for my ARC.

The Masquerade Murder Society solved fictional murders... until a shocking moment when one of them disappears. They reunite at Christmas, for a weekend of secrets, schemes, and more murder.

Charley, a struggling actress on the outskirts of the group, tells the present story, whilst we also get a slow reveal of what happened 12 years ago. I really enjoyed the 'locked room' setting, especially with the snowstorm, as it brings the cosy Christmas vibes, but also the heightened tension. It's fast paced and filled with gripping mysteries and distrustful characters! I thoroughly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for an Arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars

The Twelve Days of Murder reminds me of Then There Were None. A group of university “friends” reunite after 12 years. With the exception of our main character Charley they are all rich, influential and elite. In some ways they almost come across as caricature of the upper class and at times it feels a tad over the top.

The Murder Masquerade Society members are all awful in their own way. While Charley is the most sympathetic but she’s not exactly likeable. Especially at the beginning of the book I really didn’t understand why she put up with all of it, needing money make more sense in the present but why tolerate it all 12 years ago.

The book is mainly narrated by Charley in the present, with flashback chapters for each of the other members of The Murder Masquerade Society at that Christmas 12 years ago where Karl went missing. Over the course of the book both past and present Christmas mysteries are pulled together.

The story, setting and murders all work well together. It’s descriptive but not grotesque, I think this would be a cosy Murder Christmas read. I would certainly be reading this with a hot cuppa and mince pie curled up under blankets.

Where do I begin with this book? This is one I started with the plan of a couple of chapter, but soon devoured in just one afternoon sitting.

Cordani is a great author, this quickly became an addictive and unputdownable read. This is suspenseful throughout. I love the idea of a murder mystery with friends, so instantly this had my attention.

The characters in this are a mixed bunch. I love this because there are those who you can’t help but like and those who you don’t trust. Each of these are well developed characters and as a reader we get a good idea of what each of them are about.

I loved the setting of this one. It adds a dimension to this as a read. I definitely tried to predict (unsuccessfully) where this was going. There were just too many twists to throw me off with this one.

This is my first read by this author, but it definitely won’t be the last. This is a great murder mystery with all the Christmassy vibes.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book.