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The Twelve Days of Murder is a clever and festive whodunnit that offers plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Set around a group of influencers trapped in a country house during the Christmas season, the story brings together the glamour of social media with the suspense of a traditional murder mystery.

The plot is engaging and unfolds at a good pace, with each chapter adding a new layer of intrigue. The setting adds just the right amount of wintry charm mixed with claustrophobic tension, making it perfect for cosy crime fans who enjoy a modern twist. The characters are distinctive and believable, with plenty of secrets to uncover.

This book was fun, sharp and satisfyingly twisty, with a finale that ties everything together in a neat and surprising way. It would make a great festive read for those who enjoy their Christmas with a touch of murder.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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A festive murder mystery with a deadly twist... think Big Brother meets Knives Out, and I was so here for it. 🎄📺🕵️‍♀️

Packed with tension, dark humour, and plenty of twists, this was a fresh and pacy read that kept me guessing. I loved the reality TV format and the mix of personalities, chaotic, clever, and totally entertaining.

Not quite a full five stars, but a cracking Christmas crime novel that’s perfect if you like your festive reads on the darker side.

#The12DaysOfMurder #AndreinaCordani #FestiveThriller #ChristmasMystery #FourStarRead #BookstagramUK #DarkFestiveReads #WhodunitVibes

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There were lots of twists and turns in this, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I really enjoyed this story

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Terrific fun once you get your teeth into this - like a game of Clue/Cluedo (Lady Partridge, Colonel Mustard, etc.). A group of eight friends (frenemies) meet up for a Christmas themed masquerade party in Scotland, a reunion of sorts at Snellbronach mansion outside of Inverness, where they had spent the holidays 12 years previously and one of them had disappeared.

Initially thinking the murder mystery game could be quite good, things change dramatically in the morning when Lady Partridge is found dead in the garden. Charley, who has always been the outsider of the group, the 'poor' cousin to a group of posh classmates. She is a sympathetic and clever character and it's easy to root for her, whilst at the same time disliking her friends.

A clever, fun and very entertaining locked room mystery with a satisfying resolution. I look forward to reading more from this author!

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*The Twelve Days of Murder* by Andreina Cordani is a thrilling, twisty mystery that absolutely keeps you on your toes. The story centers around a series of murders tied to the holiday season, and Cordani does an incredible job of blending suspense with a touch of seasonal atmosphere. The plot is clever, with each new day (and victim) adding more layers to the mystery. It’s one of those books that pulls you in from the first chapter and doesn’t let go until the very end.

The characters are complex and well-written — especially the lead detective, who’s both sharp and deeply human, dealing with personal struggles while chasing down this killer. The pacing is spot-on, with just enough tension building up to keep you guessing. I loved how Cordani played with the structure of the twelve days, making each chapter feel like a new puzzle piece falling into place.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say some of the secondary characters felt a little underdeveloped, and a couple of the plot twists were a tad predictable. But honestly, those are small quibbles when you look at how strong the overall story is.

This one’s a great pick if you love a good whodunit with a twist and some serious emotional depth. It’s got everything: suspense, smart writing, and a satisfying (if not entirely happy) ending. Definitely one to check out if you’re into murder mysteries that don’t hold back.

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A very good book - it is just right to start to get you feeling Christmassy, but with the added elements of murder and mystery.

It is very Agatha Christie-esque and well-plotted that will keep the reader trying to guess and unravel the little snippets of clues throughout. There is an extra layer of mystery because this is set as a murder mystery dinner, so are the clues part of the game, or do they relate to the real murders?

Great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

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A festive thriller that will really have you turning pages quick enough to give you a paper cut, this is a brilliantly written book that has you questioning pretty much everything! With one of my favourite tropes (a reunion of any kind), I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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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

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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!

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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.

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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.

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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.

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