A Snowbound, Spine-Tingling Thriller: Murder on the Christmas Express Book Review

Read Time: 3 minutes

🎧 Listened in audio
📢 Narrated by Mhairi Morrison
⏱ Duration: 9 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio / Poisoned Pen Press

Book Blurb:

On Christmas Eve, a sleeper train headed to the Scottish Highlands derails, stranding eighteen passengers in the middle of a frozen nowhere. Tensions spike as a deadly presence begins stalking the carriages, eliminating passengers one by one. Former MET detective Roz Parker, on a desperate journey to reach her daughter in labor, must confront both the present danger and her own past trauma as she races to identify the killer. With seven stops, a blizzard, and no escape, every traveler’s motive becomes suspect. Can Roz uncover the truth before no one is left alive?

Let’s Talk About The Book:

I’ve been absolutely binging locked-room (or locked-train, locked-island, locked-mansion) murder mysteries this holiday season without realizing, and Murder on the Christmas Express slid onto my playlist at the perfect snowy moment. Alexandra Benedict takes the classic “snowed-in with a killer” trope, slathers it in Christmas lights and hits you with a raw, unflinching exploration of sexual violence that I genuinely wasn’t expecting from a festive cover.

Roz Parker is the kind of character you can instantly see: sharp, observant, deeply human, and carrying that quiet heaviness trauma leaves behind. Benedict gives her enough cracks to let the light in, but keeps her competent and compelling. Mhairi Morrison’s narration is chef’s-kiss with Scottish accent thick enough to feel authentic without losing a single word in the blizzard. She gives Roz the perfect world-weary growl and makes the quieter, devastating moments land like a gut punch.

And yes, the trigger warning needs to be said loudly: the book includes conversations with rape survivors and heavy references to sexual assault. No gratuitous scenes, but it’s emotionally intense and might catch unsuspecting readers off guard. I appreciated the depth, but I wish the front cover had warned me.

Overall, this is a full-bodied, snowy, tension-soaked thriller perfect for the season, especially if you need healthy escapism from holiday chaos.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely. This one’s a winter must for mystery lovers who crave a twisty plot wrapped in snow and secrets. A full-bodied, high-stakes ride that doesn’t let up till the final stop. Just be very mindful of the trauma triggers. Absolutely NO NO for trigger folks.

If you like this..

Maybe try these books too, to continue with the Christmas tradition

• The Christmas Murder Game – Alexandra Benedict
  If Murder on Christmas Express worked for you, this one is basically its puzzle-obsessed cousin. Country house, deadly scavenger-hunt-style clues, family secrets, and a festive backdrop that gets more sinister by the page. Expect riddles, codes, and that same modern twist on Golden Age crime.
• Hercule Poirot’s Christmas – Agatha Christie
  Classic for a reason. A wealthy patriarch summons his fractious family for the holidays, then ends up murdered in his locked bedroom while everyone is snowed in. Poirot untangles lies, old resentments, and sharp emotional undercurrents, all in a tight, satisfying whodunnit package. Perfect if you want peak “I’m trapped with you people” energy.
• Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie
  Since you already clocked the vibe: time for the original blueprint, if you haven’t revisited it lately. A luxury train stalled in the snow, one murdered passenger, and a carriage full of suspects, all with secrets and complicated emotions simmering under the surface. It’s the ultimate closed-train mystery and still feels surprisingly sharp and emotional.
• Five Total Strangers – Natalie D. Richards
  Airport chaos + blizzard + strangers sharing a car = your worst travel nightmare. A teen hitching a ride with four others through a snowstorm slowly realizes someone in the group is sabotaging the trip. It’s YA, but the creeping paranoia, snowed-in roads, and “who do I trust?” tension feel very on-brand with your current reading streak.
• The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
  A former tuberculosis sanatorium turned minimalist hotel in the Swiss Alps. A storm rolls in, the only road is gone, and guests start vanishing. Atmospheric to the point of chills. Think The Shining meets And Then There Were None, but make it avalanche.

Snowed-In with a Killer! Who’s Your Favourite Locked-Room Sleuth?

Drop your best blizzard-bound mysteries below. I think I’m on a roll and don’t want to stop this particular train.

Book Links:

Consider purchasing your favorite books from local stores using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal

indiebookstore.ca
Bookshop.org
Goodreads
Follow Alexandra Benedict for latest book news on her author page
Check out more books from Simon & Schuster Audio and Poisoned Pen Press

🎄 Psst… Don’t Miss Our Christmas Cozy Giveaway!

I’m hosting a special Holiday Free Book + Giveaway sponsored by cozy mystery author Jodie Morgan — and it’s happening right now!

Every visitor can claim a FREE copy of Gifts of Goodwill, and you can also enter to win a free copy of Recipe for Revenge, a culinary cozy mystery delivered to winners on Christmas Eve.

👉 Click here to visit the giveaway post and join the fun! 🎁✨
(Freebie + giveaway entry available exclusively on the giveaway blog page.)