The Christmas Jigsaw Murders
Reviewed on 21st February 2026
I have mixed feelings abuot this jigsaw-based murder mystery. I've read another of Bennett's novels before, and enjoyed that, but this time felt more brutal and the characters, at least initially, less likable.
It's a well constructed mystery, with lots of suspects, lots of clues, and a result that you can just about get to before the characters.
There's a ton of backstory, almost too much, to uncover amongst the characters, and I felt like it was a little overhwleming and distracting, having to deal with some of the characters and their interactions. This is where the unlikable main character was a problem for me, and I think that's one of the two things that stopped me feeling like I wanted to race through, and I almost decided to give up.
The second is the crimes themselves. I don't generally like seeing from the baddie's point of view, and this book does a fair amount of that. Partly that's interesting because it has a different take to many places I've seen it before, but again it made for a second unlikable character.
I probably wouldn't choose to recommend this one, and I'm put off reading more from the author because of it.
