
The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Christmas Murder
Because Christmas Murder was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Jeremie Mondejar

It looks like the book isn't in the right month. I don't like to read this book because of the title about murder. Christmas is for love, but when it comes to murder, it's not my thing. I can't imagine how a young man murdered his sister during Christmas season. The OBC review is very insightful, but it doesn't pique my interest. I like the writing style, not the topic. There's nothing that needed any improvement in the sample.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 4:59 am by Jeremie Mondejar.
evraealtana

The cover looks quaint and cheerful, and therefore is completely inappropriate, in my opinion, for the content of the book. There is no indication in the cover art of pedophilia or murder, which might mislead readers who pick this one up looking for a cutesy Christmas story. Even the word "murder" in the title does not overcome the otherwise nostalgic impression. Also, the title text is hard to read due to the text color. I didn't really enjoy the first ten pages and will not continue reading the book. Like the official OBC reviewer, I strongly disliked the many suggestions the author makes about men, such as that they are all uncontrollably sexual beasts looking to hump anything that moves or that a man's "sexual peak" is at age 19, during which time he will have sex with any living thing that presents itself, including children of both sexes, and that therefore having a male babysitter is irresponsible of a parent. I found these statements demeaning to young men and sexist to an extreme degree. If these statements were made in reverse about women, that all women hate sex and only use it to please their partners or that all women want babies and put up with sex because it is the path to motherhood, the author herself would probably object. Why, then, is it okay to do the same to men? I do like books of a grittier nature and probably would have read a book about pedophilia leading to murder, but not with such an irritatingly dated premise. I thought the basic story concept was an interesting one, but I didn't like the way it was told. I wish JJ had been more relatable; it felt clear to me that the author disliked him and wanted to make the reader dislike him, too. I found one error in the first ten pages: extraneous capitalization in "We were named in his Will as beneficiaries" ("will"; in this case, "will" is not being used in a document's title but rather is being used as a common noun and therefore should not be capitalized).
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 4:56 am by evraealtana.
Manang Muyang

That's a festive cover, but I feel it is not appropriate for this book. I also cannot understand why the author had to set the murder on Christmas Day. Of course, that is her option, but that turned me off from the book. I wouldn't have sampled it outside of the program. The book was made free; I was able to read a third of it. James, the narrator, tells the story of how and why he murdered his sister when he was nineteen and she was six. I don't like that James attributes his misdeeds to a man's "natural tendencies," aka hormones! I decided not to read further because of that, on top of the murder happening on Christmas. The official OBC reviewer didn't like the male stereotyping in the story, too. The author also needs to improve the editing. While the OBC reviewer mentioned finding only two errors, I found a lot more in the bit I read. Jamie's mother, Betsy, was called "Patsy" several times (four times in the entire book). One of these times was on page 13: "Patsy was busy a lot, and Blake never took his attention off his computers or video games." Another error was on page 21: "and they were Definitely NOT designed with an innocent little girl in mind" erroneously capitalized "definitely." "Because I was' turned on' as hell!" on page 22 misplaced the opening quotation mark. I liked the fact the James eventually felt remorse for his evil deeds of 20 years ago. As the saying goes, "Better late than never!"
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 4:52 am by Manang Muyang.
va2016

The cover showing a Christmas tree indicates a Christmas theme. The title "Christmas Murder" clear indicates that it's a book about a murder that happens during a Christmas. There are no Amazon customer ratings, so I am not able to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary describes crisply about what the book is about. As I am not interested in the theme of a murder of a girl by her own brother, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing how the author confesses murdering his own sister. As I am not interested in this theme, I am not going to read this book in full. I didn't find the sample professionally edited. I found formatting issues like sentences oddly spaced making it difficult to read. For example, there is no line space between two paragraphs, but there is one line extra line space between two sentences. I didn't like anything specifically about the book. As an improvement, I would suggest proper formatting. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to not to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 4:33 am by va2016.
xsquare

The Amazon blurb is a little too short for me, and the lack of Amazon reviews makes me sceptical. I wouldn’t have sampled the book if it hadn’t been part of the First Ten program. The official OBC review did not convince me, especially since it mentioned that the book seemed to perpetuate some harmful stereotypes. I like that the story is written from the perspective of the murderer: the author has done a fantastic job giving James a very distinctive personal voice. I did not see any typos, and I don’t think that there was anything that the author could have done better. However, I don’t think I will be reading the rest of the book – the themes discussed in the book as well as the overly cynical tone (especially when discussing the proliferation of sexual abuse) is not to my personal taste.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 4:33 am by xsquare.
Ekta Kumari

This is a short account of the murder of a little girl told from the perspective of her brother who committed the crime. The blurb had me intrigued right away, so I would have read the book even if it wasn't a part of the top ten program. The thing I liked the most while sampling is the narrative. It is indeed catching and suspenseful. However, the book needs work when it comes to editing and formatting. There are extra spaces between words and sentences in the Kindle version. Plus, I did find an error while sampling, which was present in the following sentence, "How ironic it is that I have prostate cancer, after molesting my little sister for two years." I don't think there should be a comma before 'after'. I did see an official review before sampling. I'll read the whole book solely because I find the storyline to be extremely unique. I don't have any other recommendations besides correcting the editing error and the format of the text.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 4:09 am by Ekta Kumari.
Mutai Marshal

Parenting is a crucial arsenal in every child's upbringing. Jamie is murdered by his brother to cover up for his abuse. What does the murderer's revelation bring forth after two decades of the insidious act? The book was crafted from the first-person perspective. I loved most the simple and straightforward language deployed, which makes the message fathomable. The title dissuaded me from reading this book as it hinted at crime, a genre I don't like. Having sampled the first ten pages and read the OBC review, I will buy this book since it addresses relevant themes such as child abuse. it seems exceptionally edited, and I have no suggestion for improvement for this spellbinding read.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 3:28 am by Mutai Marshal.
Sou Hi

The cover doesn't seem to match the genre, as it reminds me of a Christmas story instead of a crime novel. There are no ratings on Amazon, so I'm not sure if the book is good. Since the blurb and the official review look interesting, I decided to give the sample a try. The tale follows the confession of James B. Lindsey. In 1996, he raped and murdered his own little sister, but his father protected him. Twenty years later, the case is reopened, and his younger brother is accused of being the culprit. James is diagnosed with prostate cancer and won't have much time to live, so he decides to confess and close the case once and for all.
I like that the story is told from the murderer's point of view. Unlike other novels of the same genre, this one features the criminal's thoughts instead of having the police and detectives solve the case. However, that means there won't be any thrilling details, as all the mysteries are already solved. Besides, the fact that James did such a dreadful thing to his own family member is quite disturbing. This is not really what I want to read, so I won't buy the book. The editing is good, and I have no suggestions for improvement.
Error example: I'm living proof, free to live my life, while hiding in plain sight. -> I think the comma after "my life" is unnecessary.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 3:25 am by Sou Hi.
Annelore Trujillo

I would have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. It seemed like a unique perspective on a murder. After reading the first ten pages, I will not be finishing this book. I did not like the perspective the book gives on sexual assault. It talks about “raging hormones” as the reason. From a psychological standpoint, it’s almost always power that is the issue, not hormones. This just plays into the “men can’t help themselves” idea, and I’m not about it. The book did seem to be professionally edited. Other than the perspective in sexual assault, nothing specific needs improvement; however, there isn’t anything specific that I liked about the book.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 2:56 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Howlan

The first ten pages describe the motive and circumstances relating to which James killed his step-sister Jamie, twenty years ago. Being at the edge of death himself, he openly confesses his thought process and lays down the details of the murder. The first ten pages start with James describing his childhood and the circumstances of his relations with his dad's family from his second marriage. He talks about his intense sexual urge and how he was often left alone to babysit Jamie. He also talks about how depressing a childhood he had due to the absence of his father. The story is intriguing as it lays down a murder from a murderer's perspective. The plot is not unique and the book is more about the psychological mentality of a pedophile. However, I am not going to read this book as I do not feel any interest in the topic as I feel that there is not anything left to discover from this book after reading the first ten pages. It talks about the crime, the motive, and I think the rest of the book talks about his psychological thought-process of Jamie while committing the murder which I really have no interest in knowing. The character is definitely not the most likable one and I do not have any interest in going through the story. No typos were found in the first ten pages. The Official OBC Review is present, and the reviewer rates "3 out of 4 stars."
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 1:21 am by Howlan.
Sanju Lali

It became obvious to me that this should be a murder mystery book when I saw its cover and its title. With this idea, I considered reading the official review of this book before buying because I was curious to know about the premise of the story. I learned from the official review that this book revolves around James, a 19-year-old who killed his little sister on Christmas day. This idea piqued my interest to sample the book. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Pageants were something in which she already had experience...". The sentence could have been, "Pageants were something in which she already had the experience... ". The thing l liked the most is the way of portraying how jealously can manifest into an act committing a crime like murder. I was expecting a murder mystery, but sadly I found only the confessions of the murderer in the form of a narrative that lacked chronology. I lost interest in reading due to this reason. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and consider the shortcomings raised by me in the above sentence. After looking at all these aspects, I decided not to purchase and read this book today. I will wait until the author considers my suggestions so that I could have a good time reading the book.
First Ten review added on March 17, 2021, at 1:18 am by Sanju Lali.
Rodel Barnachea

After I read the title's official OBC review and Amazon page, I opted not to acquire the murder mystery short read. I didn't like the fact that James killed his little sister and that his little brother was blamed for his crime. Instead of getting me intrigued, the story's premise made me feel repulsed. Sampling the book did not change my mind. I wouldn't acquire it because nothing in the Amazon sample piqued my interest or had me wanting to read the rest of the story. Also, I found the sample a bit unpleasant to pore over since the topic of sexually abusing a child is covered. The first ten pages include some pages of the section "Confession" under Part One. My favorite part is when James likened his guilt of molesting and murdering Jamie (his little sister) to a cancerous tumor. (James was diagnosed with prostate cancer when he wrote this confession, and the doctors believe he wouldn't last long.) I wasn't able to identify any errors in the text; I believe the book is professionally edited. I have no advice to offer to the author.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 10:46 pm by Rodel Barnachea.
Ann Ogochukwu

I found the genre, cover page, and title of this book intriuging enough for me want to sample the book, regardless of this program. The OBC official review was also intriuging, and I would have also sampled this book based on that alone.
I enjoyed the sample to some extent; the story was interesting and fast-paced, but I won't be completing this book because it got me agitated, and I just couldn't handle being inside the main character's head.
Another discouraging thing about this book was its formatting - every two lines formed a new paragraph, and this reduced the readability of the book. Besides the formatting issue, the book seemed well-edited, but I still noticed few errors. For instance, the missing comma before 1996: "...on Christmas Day 1996, twenty years ago."
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 10:10 pm by Ann Ogochukwu.
Diana Lowery

I would not have chosen to read this book now because it is spring, but maybe I would read it during Christmas season. I wondered about the background on the cover. Was it a tombstone? The blurb mentioned the murder of a little girl, which disturbed me. Reading "confession" in the first ten pages convinced me that I did not want to finish reading the book. It gave me a creepy feeling. I found an unnecessary comma error, "Jamie trusted me and liked being with me [,] because I paid attention to her. I could not find a review of the book. I do not have any suggestions for the author.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 6:24 pm by Diana Lowery.
MarisaRose

I enjoy mysteries, so I was initially intrigued by the title of "Christmas Murder," by Betty Schultz. However, I wouldn't purchase the book blindly despite my initial interest because there are so many mysteries out there that I want to read, so I have to be selective. After reading the blurb for "Christmas Murder," I did not want to purchase the book. The blurb makes it clear that the murderer is known from the onset of the book (the brother), so for me, this book did not seem suspenseful. After sampling the first ten pages, the first thing that stuck out to me was the formatting. There are line breaks in the middle of sentences on every other line. This made for a poor flow of the narrative and interrupted my reading experience. Further, the narrator James is the murderer. He murdered his younger sister Jamie and let his younger brother take the fall for the crime. James is not very likable right off the bat. The narrator is condescending and narcissistic and not a narrator I think I could stomach reading a whole book through. I thought it was interesting that the public is showing renewed interest in the murder after twenty years, and I was curious to learn why the focus of the investigation was on Jamie's other brother and not on James. However, the aspects I disliked from the sample, especially the annoying formatting, outweighed the slight interest I found in the story. On a positive note, I didn't notice any grammatical errors in the sample. I did not read an OBC review for the book, but if I had I do not think my opinion about the book would have changed based on my impressions after reading the sample. I do not plan to purchase this book today.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 1:24 pm by MarisaRose.
Sonya Nicolaidis

The title of this book and also the write-up by the OBC reviewer made me think that this would be an excellent choice for me as I love crime fiction. However, I think this book has a thread of true crime in it, as the story closely mirrors a famous unsolved murder that I have also been particularly interested in. I would have definitely stopped for a closer look at this one. The sample that I read was written rather clumsily, and there was a problem with the formatting in the sample that placed a line break after every second line. This made the sample a bit hard to read with any continuity. However, despite this, I could tell that the underlying story was interesting and worth close consideration. I didn’t notice any obvious grammatical errors, but am not sure if that was due to skillful editing or whether it was due to the simplicity of the writing. I think the idea behind this book is the most appealing aspect for me. The least appealing thing is the way that it is presented. I think this would be an excellent book if it were re-written and edited carefully. As it is, I do think think I would try and read the whole thing purely because the story itself is so good. Perhaps a second edition would be worth waiting for.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 10:30 am by Sonya Nicolaidis.
Theresa Moffitt

The cover of this book caught my eye right away. The image on the front definitely made me think of Christmas. The title tells me this is a mystery novel and I enjoy reading mysteries. The Online Book Club gave a positive review of this book. It gave it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars and mentioned that it contained a lot of male stereotypes in it. I didn’t read an additional customer review. The OBC review increased my interest in the book. The first ten pages began with one of the character admitting that he murdered his sister. This takes the mystery out of the book. This decreased my interest in the book but I continued reading and it developed into a story where the main character gives more details of the murder and his life. There were several formatting errors in the first ten pages. It became very distracting. Beginning on page 1, there are spaces separating every two lines of text. I found it difficult to follow the story because it was so distracting. The only area that I thought the author could improve upon was to have this corrected. The first ten pages didn’t draw me into the story enough to want to finish reading this book. For that reason, I will not finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 9:35 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Stephanie Runyon

The cover is decorated like a wreath on a front door would be. I probably would have passed on this because I am not fond of Christmas stories. There was an OBC review that was more persuasive and did affect my final decision on this book. I like the perspective change from the eyes of the murderer. I believe that James is mentally unstable. His reasons for molesting his sister were extremely cold. I encountered a minor typo:
"Once Betsy did suspect me, but my day (dad) told her to never call his son a thief, so she never accused me again."
The story has a good pace to it and there wasn't anything I disliked despite thinking James was a monster. I actually got pulled into the book and read the entire story. It wasn't extremely long but I think the last page will leave a lasting impact to anyone that reads this.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 8:00 am by Stephanie Runyon.
Iva Stoyanova

I wouldn't have chosen to sample or read this book if I wasn't part of this program. I normally enjoy reading this genre as I find crime novels interesting. However, this story includes child abuse as I found out from the official review, so I was immediately put off. I also didn't like the cover. In my opinion, it looks a bit strange. The font and the color are not a good match for this photo. It just seems like a poor choice for a cover. However, the only thing that caught my attention was the title as I like stories about murder. So, I will not buy and read this book. I wasn't very interested in it and the theme of child sexual abuse completely discouraged me from wanting to read this book. What's more, I didn't change my mind after reading the first ten pages.
I think the book is well edited. I found one instance of a missing comma. The sentence is on p.2: 'Either way, when I die I realize I will go to Hell for raping and killing an innocent child.' I would put a comma after the word die but that might be my opinion only. I liked the first-person perspective. I find it unique and more interesting to follow the events from the eyes and thoughts of the actual murderer. I'm sure many other readers who enjoy crime novels will find this book engaging. However, I wouldn't suggest this book to sensitive readers. I don't have suggestions for improvement.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 5:30 am by Iva Stoyanova.
J_odoyo

Christmas Murder by Betty Schultz is a riveting fiction, which seems to have been well written. Its cover page is well-designed and attractive. The title seemed to be relevant, and it would be attractive to fans of murder stories. I liked the author’s description on the Amazon website; it was precise and informative enough to allow for an accurate guess of what to expect in the book. It was so impressive that the book had an OnlineBookClub review, which gave an insight into what the book is all about. Its storyline is gripping and well written. I was engaged from the earlier pages as James B. Lindsey Jr. narrates (inform of a confession) how he took part in his little sister's (Jamie) murder and having blame heaped on his younger brother's head. He regrets his past actions twenty years later when his guilt seems to accumulate, his health deteriorates, and his life veering to nothing. The story is promising, and I can’t stop guessing what is next. Sincerely, I wouldn't recommend anything for the improvement of this book. Having read the sample and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m not going to finish reading this book because I'm not a fan of this genre.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 4:54 am by J_odoyo.
Justine Ocsebio

I wouldn’t have sampled the book based on the genre, as murder mysteries rarely pique my interest. The story begins with a man confessing to murder. He killed and raped his younger sister. What I liked was the way the author chose to tell the story. It is through the murderer that we see how the crime unfolds. I am not going to finish the book, as I can’t seem to stomach the premise. I disliked nothing, and I didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The text is well edited. The official review did not affect my decision.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 3:51 am by Justine Ocsebio.
Nikolas Farmakis

This is a fictional story about a man who murders his sister during Christmas twenty years ago and is now writing a book as a confession. I would not have read this book based on the cover, the title, or the genre, as I do not like crime novels. I will not read this book, as it does not seem original and exciting. The sample I read did not have any grammatical errors, so this book was professionally edited. What I liked most about the text was that its plot was very realistic and its scenario matched to real-life circumstances. To improve, the author should make the story more exciting and interesting by adding more tension and suspense. This book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not influence my opinion.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 3:14 am by Nikolas Farmakis.
Catherine Hsu

This sounds super interesting from the blurb! Even though it's March, I'd happily give it a try before reading the sample. After reading the sample, I have changed my mind. The writing just didn't really click with me, and it felt like a really boring recap of an event that happened. I think the writing could have been more conversational or we could have seen more of the narrator's personality if it focused on the story instead of talking about sexuality or political games in general. There were no big grammatical mistakes so editing was good, but the writing felt choppy and disjointed. The official review did not affect my decision, and my cynicism makes me kind of questioning the redemption arc that seems to be suggested in the book.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 2:43 am by Catherine Hsu.
Mbrooks2518

I really like crime novels, so I immediately thought that I would like this book and would have tried it even without The First Ten. And I liked that it was from the perspective of the killer, which made it more interesting to me. But while the book started off good, James' quick turn to excusing his rape and molestation of his sister as being because of his hormones bothered me. He says he feels guilty but is making excuses for why he did it. The official review mentioned the stereotyping of men as always thinking about and wanting to have sex, which was part of the excuses James was making. And I'm just not interested in reading an entire book with that in it.
There were no editing mistakes.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 1:07 am by Mbrooks2518.
gen_g

Based on the title and cover, it seems like a thriller type of book, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled it. I have also come across a positive OBC review of the book, but this would not have changed my decision not to sample, since this book does not belong to a genre that I am looking for. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. For example, on page 2, there is a missing comma to separate introductory clauses: "First, for almost two years(,) I spent every weekend...". Additionally, there are numerous formatting errors, the most obvious are the line breaks in every formatted line, which makes for stilted reading, as these line breaks happen even in the middle of sentences. I suggest more rigorous proofreading, formatting and editing. However, I appreciate that the story kind of starts with a bang, and it would help readers better maintain interest and immersion in the story. For example, we learn that the narrator, James Jr., is the one who is responsible for molesting/raping and killing his baby sister. However, his father's money kept him from going to jail, and now, 20 years later, there has been renewed interest in the case, and his younger brother is now being seen as a suspect. Still, we also learn that James Jr. has prostate cancer, which he thinks may be karma or irony. However, due to the numerous line breaks in the ebook (which results in a stilted reading flow) and the fact that I am currently not in the market for books about murders and child sexual abuse, I will not be reading the rest of the book.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 12:59 am by gen_g.
Shrabastee Chakraborty

The jarring contrast between the cover picture and the title caught my attention. The official OBC review rates this book 3 out of 4 stars. Based on the contents, I decided not to read this book. While I didn't find any grammatical errors in the first ten pages, the formatting causes random breaks within sentences throughout the pages. James, a 40-years old patient of prostate cancer, confesses his crime of raping and killing his kid stepsister. While I was amazed at the blatant confession and the idea of presenting the story from the perpetrator's POV, the subject matter was too heavy for me. I don't have any suggestions for improvement, yet based on the disturbing topic, I wouldn't read the book.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 12:44 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Kelyn

If I had not been a member of this program, it is unlikely that the book's genre, title, or cover would have attracted my attention. For the most part, this is because of the genre. I do not normally enjoy crime/mystery books, so I tend to avoid them. Given the genre, the title and cover would not have affected my opinion. The author is unknown to me, so that would not have affected my decision either. The blurb was short but very revealing. After reading it, I immediately knew which murder case the book was based on. Reading the sample confirmed that suspicion. The book is styled after a murder case (I think we both know which one) that I had followed closely when it occurred and in the years after. The 'coincidence' of the little girl killed in the book and the real child who was killed both being beauty pageant winners was a bit too obvious for my taste. The book did have a few key differences, such as child sexual abuse and there being an older brother from a previous marriage in the picture. Other than that, at least from what I could tell in the sample, it seemed extremely similar - right down to her brother (not the one in the book) being suspected of being the murderer. There were no customer reviews on the Amazon site to base an opinion on, not even one from this program. If I had found a review from this program on the Amazon site, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The review on this site was complimentary of the book, but by that time, I had pretty much already made up my mind that I was not going to read it. To me, it seems most likely to be a rehash of a cold case with a few twists to make it seem unique. The book seemed well-edited. I found no 'countable' errors in the sample.
First Ten review added on March 16, 2021, at 12:34 am by Kelyn.
Jsovermyer

Although the title is Christmas Murder, the picture of the wreath is not interesting to me, and I would not buy this book from the cover alone. The official reviewer liked the story and gave it a high rating. I found an error on page 18 where it says, "Once Betsy did suspect me, but my day [dad]told her to never call his son a thief, so she never accused me again." It should be "my dad told her" not "my day told her." This murder story is told from the point-of-view of the murderer, teenage James Jr. who molests and helps to murder his little stepsister. To me, it resembled the Jonbenet Ramsey murder. I liked that the author had the murderer tell the story. It made it more chilling to see him planning the act. I didn't like that all men are portrayed as sex addicts. My Kindle copy also had a formatting problem, printing two lines and then skipping two lines all down the pages. It made it more difficult to read. However, because it was so short, I finished reading the book.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 11:36 pm by Jsovermyer.
CrescentMoon

After reading the blurb, I wouldn't pick this book up. I wasn't really intrigued by the premise and it didn't catch my attention. After reading the first ten pages, I spotted a few grammar errors. In chapter one, "First, for almost two years I spent almost every weekend at their house..." there should be a comma after years. Also, in each paragraph, the tenses were inconsistent. There would be both past tense and present tense sentences making it kind of confusing to read. What I liked best about the book so far was the first sentence of the chapter when the main character makes his confession about killing his little sister. The first sentence really packs a punch and grabs the reader's attention because it's so shocking. The practically detached way he confesses to the murder also makes it seem more ominous. My suggestion for improvement is to fix the grammar errors and make the tenses consistent. There was an onlinebookclub review. However, I found the subject matter pretty disturbing so I won't be reading the rest.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 11:20 pm by CrescentMoon.
Gabrielle Sigaki

Christmas Murder by Betty Schultz is book that brings crime, suspense, child abuse, rape, assassination, and a lot more. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review because the theme of child abuse seemed too heavy for me. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book since I found the theme too heavy indeed. However, I liked the fact that the author alternated the perspective, from the victim and criminal. Besides, the book seems professionally edited and there's nothing to be improved in it.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 9:45 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.
Verna Coy

The cover of this book drew me in right away, however, the title was off-putting for me, so I don’t plan to read the whole book. The first ten pages seemed to be well-edited and professional. As far as improvements, considering that it’s a murder story, I can’t see any that need to be done. I personally am not into stories that involve the harm of children, so I know this isn’t the book for me. I appreciated the 3-star Online Book Club review for this book.What I liked most about what I read is how well-eidted the book is.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 8:58 pm by Verna Coy.
Ari Martinez

If I hadn't sampled this book for the First Ten program, I would not have sampled it based on its title, cover, or Official OnlineBookClub review because of the topics (rape and murder) discussed in the book. After reading the first ten pages, I will not be reading the rest of the book because of the reason mentioned previously. I believe I will not be able to handle reading about the rape and murder of a little girl. From the sample, I liked the most the way the author is trying to get into the mindset of the murderer. For instance, I like the way the murderer is trying to justify himself by blaming his father, which is what I would expect from a rapist like him. I found it odd that there was paragraph spacing every two lines. I'm guessing this was a formatting mistake, which should be fixed in order to improve the reading experience. Besides this, the book appears professionally edited.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 6:32 pm by Ari Martinez.
Odette Chace

I don't like the title or the cover. The synopsis on Amazon was very brief and didn't pique my curiosity about the book. The official Online Book Club review made the book sound far more promising. However, the reviewer also noted that the book portrays men in a very negative light. I am curious enough about the book that I would sample this book even if I weren't part of this program. There are excessive line breaks throughout the text. I believe there may have been an issue when setting the margins for the book. This was very distracting. "Wealthy people can afford to pay for covering up or falsifying evidence, and looking the other way or 'sweeping things under the rug'" (loc. 96). Omit the quotation marks around "sweeping things under the rug." After reading the first ten pages, I think that the reviewer's criticism of the book was unfair. The narrator believes many terrible things about men in general, but I don't think the book actually portrays all men as being predatory. I enjoyed the first ten pages. The book was fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. There was nothing I disliked about it, aside from the errors and formatting issues. I definitely plan to finish reading the book at a later date.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 6:27 pm by Odette Chace.
Lucille27

Based on the cover, I would not have chosen to read the book. It does not look fitting for the title. However, it caught my attention. The Online Book Club review of the book was very clear about the plot and development of the story. It definitely caught my attention. I think the sample is professionally edited since I could not find any mistakes. I think I would not change nothing from this first part. Something I really liked was the tone of the story. This book talks about a murder, which can be a sensitive topic, yet I did not feel it was presented in a disrespectful way. This was what intrigued me the most. I want to see how the topic is treated throughout the book. I am expecting to see this.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 4:44 pm by Lucille27.
Kirsi Cultrera

When I first laid my eyes on this book, I thought it was some average murder mystery novel. Truthfully, I was not thrilled about this book and would probably have paid no attention to it without this program. Opening the sample pages revealed that this was by no means an average murder story. Instead, it tells the story with the voice of the murderer. I was amazed and also a bit disgusted. I found the idea of this book unique, and the author’s attempt to raise awareness of an important topic through fiction was admirable. There were a few details in the layout that were bothering me. Firstly, the page numbers seemed odd. The numbers started with number one only from the second page of the story. Secondly, there were lots of misplaced line breaks. For example, on the page labeled with page number 1, a line break was placed in the middle of the sentence: The investigation shown on TV never even mentions two very important [line break] facts about me. These details resulted in a sloppy and unprofessional outcome. Regardless, I found this story with its unique perspective so intriguing that I decided to read it. I checked an Official OnlineBookClub review of the book, and it supported my decision.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 4:31 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.
Mariana Figueira

Before reading the first pages, I was interested in the book based on the summary because I thought it was unique to read a murder from the perpetrator's point of view. After reading a little bit of the book, I can't continue reading it, it's more explicit than I'd expected, and it infuriates me to read horrible things were done to a child without punishment. This book seems professionally edited and has an Online BookClub review; what I liked the most about it was its original premise, and I think the format of the writing could be improved (it seems like it was arranged in sentences instead of paragraphs, and it's difficult to read it fluidly)
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 4:22 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Kajori Sheryl Paul

'Christmas Murder' is written by Betty Schultz. This is a murderer's confession. Jamie was killed when she was just a little child. Her murder remains unsolved. She was the daughter of a wealthy person. She was murdered in Colorado. The culprit was someone completely unexpected. It should have been "Once Betsy did suspect me, but my dad told her to never call his son a thief, so she never accused me again." instead of "Once Betsy did suspect me, but my day told her to never call his son a thief, so she never accused me again.." I think that editing could be improved. Also, I understand that James' stepmother was named Betsy. However, there was a confusion between Patsy and Betsy sometimes. I still cannot believe how James justified his actions by saying that he was a "normal" nineteen year old boy at the peak of his sexuality. Even though I could not condone James' actions or justifications, I liked the way the author presented the story from a murder's pont of view. The OBC review gives us an proper understanding of the book. The cover, title, and the Amazon reviews are all apt. The book is short and straightforward. I finished it in one sitting.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 3:47 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Rayah Raouf

I would not have chosen to sample the book because of the cover and title. The cover looks like a picture. The picture is not even aligned in the middle. From the title, I knew it was going to be about a murder occurring during Christmas. Usually, I enjoy murder books but I was not drawn to this book. I will buy and read the whole book. I was completely surprised and interested after reading the first ten pages. The way the character talks about his feelings and actions as if it's natural, horrified me. However, I want to know what happened. I noticed no grammatical errors in the sample. The book seems to be professionally edited. I really liked the way the character expressed himself. He is confusing yet interesting at the same time, and I wonder if he is remorseful. The only improvement I can suggest is the cover be changed. The cover and the contents written do not align at all. If it were possible I would also suggest changing the title. Christmas sounds jolly and happy to me, and it’s a big contrast. There was an official review and it made me want to read the book. The review mentioned that the story goes straight to the point and it's quite short. I think this would be a good afternoon read.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 3:44 pm by Rayah Raouf.
Alice Heritage

I probably wouldn't have sampled this book on my own as I don't often read contemporary thrillers. The Amazon blurb also seemed rather sensationalized. Although I note that it's a quick read, I don't want to read the rest of this because the themes of sexual molestation and murder seem unpleasant and would put me off. The OBC review was helpful in confirming that this book has triggering content. It seems well edited enough to read smoothly: the only error I noticed in the sample was that "The Flat-Iron Range of the Rocky Mountains were in view" should (I believe) read "The Flatiron range of the Rocky Mountains was in view". With regard to what I liked, I applaud the author for having the courage to tackle a difficult subject and for trying to convey the point of view of someone who did something so heinous. However, I think she could improve this by giving the protagonist a more distinctive voice. Some of his assertions don't ring true, like that all 19-year-old boys are so desperate for sex they will molest anyone they can. I need to hear the character protesting more as if he believes his own bullshit, or feel his self-hatred as he confesses to a priest ... something.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 3:14 pm by Alice Heritage.
Kaitlyn Canedy

I was intrigued by the title of this book, which is what gave me an overwhelming urge to read the sample. At first, Christmas Murder gave me negative vibes, as I love Christmas and I thought that this would be a story about a victim. This was partially true. What I liked the most about the sample is that the story is told from the murderer's viewpoint; this is something that is not common in murder mystery books. Because of the way that it is written, I will be giving it a try. I did not find any grammatical errors in the first ten pages, and I cannot think of any potential improvements that can be done to it. There is an official OnlineBookClub review for this book, and I am glad that I read it because the reviewer mentioned that there are negative male stereotypes in it. I am not a male, but I am glad that the reviewer mentioned this due to the topics in the book. Readers that are into murder mystery books, do not mind the Christmas theme, and can look past the negative gender stereotypes may enjoy this book the most.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 2:35 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Scerakor

After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and review of this book, I would not have read this book. Although it was short, the subject matter is likely too much for me. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I really liked the straightforward, no-nonsense approach the book takes right from the first page. You really get a feeling for how the book is going to be written just by hearing the matter-of-fact way that the murderer discuses getting off the hook for the murder. That being said, despite the way that the book started, I don't think that is enough to convince me to read about child abuse victims. Although the book looked well written and edited, there was one thing I would have improved from the sample I read. The way that the sub-headings (i.e. PLANK in chapter 1 and TEMPTATION in chapter 2) were spaced annoyed me. In my opinion, I would have like to see a more significant gap (i.e. at least one more line break) before and after these headings. There was an official OBC review, and although it was very praising of the book, it did not affect my decision at all.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 1:34 pm by Scerakor.
Emy Katherine

A 40-year-old man, James, described how he killed his six-year-old sister, Jamie, when he was 19 years old. The 69-page story was told from the perspective of James, and I especially enjoyed the fast-paced, descriptive writing style. As I am a huge fan of crime thrillers, I would have read the book based on the genre. However, I changed my mind after reading the OBC review and the first ten pages. The book deals with heavy topics like rape and child sexual abuse, so I believe this book is too intense for me to read. I also noticed some errors; because of that, I would suggest another round of editing. For example, there should not be a comma after "funeral" in the following sentence: "He came alone to Atlanta to be with us for the funeral, and said he was so sorry we didn't spend more time together." (page 11) I noticed a missing comma after "lucky" in the following sentence: "And if we were lucky a check would be enclosed." (page 7) There should not be a comma after "night" in the following sentence: "So, now I realize I need to confess the details of my infamous crime and the series of events that led up to what happened that Christmas night, to clear Blake's name and close the case file forever." (page 2)
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 1:20 pm by Emy Katherine.
Laura Ungureanu

I don't usually go for Christmas books, nor for murder mysteries, so I don't think I would've checked this book out by myself. I like that its appearance is straight-forward, letting me know exactly what kind of book I have in front of my eyes. It just happens that I don't like the genre. The OBC review was very helpful, making actually a good impression on me. I definitely liked the direct way in which the book began (admitting to murder). It's interesting following J.J.'s thoughts, but I'm easily disturbed, so I can't read about how he molested his little sister and then killed her. The fact that everything seems to already be revealed makes me not curious about what happens next. It could've been better to keep a more mysterious tone in the beginning. However, I'm not questioning the author's methods, as they might still surprise me. Anyway, I won't find out because I don't wish to continue reading this book. The editing seemed professional.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 1:09 pm by Laura Ungureanu.
Timothy Rucinski

From the Official Review, I knew from the start that I would not be reading this book. I avoid anything that has to do with child abuse or anything sexual in nature involving children. The cover is lovely and certainly not the type of festive pic associated with murder and abuse. From the pages that I read, I realized that I could never continue reading this thing in its entirety. There is absolutely nothing about this book that I liked other than the cover. I heartily disliked the entire premise. Perhaps the book was professionally edited for spelling and typos as I could find none, but the formatting in the Kindle edition was way off with mid-paragraph and mid-sentence breaks. Nope. This book is too disturbing and the formatting almost makes it unreadable. Definitely not reading this.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 12:29 pm by Timothy Rucinski.
Brenda Creech

I would have checked this book out without a review to read because of the cover and title. I love the cover, and I always enjoy a good murder mystery. After reading the official review, I changed my mind because I realized the murder was probably due to child molestation. This was verified when I read the first ten pages of the book. A nineteen-year-old boy molesting his younger sister, or anyone, is despicable. The portion I read was about how J. J. is dying of cancer at the age of forty and finally decides to come clean about what he did to his younger sister. It was basically a lead-in to beginning his confession but not yet giving any details of the murder. I did not find any errors or anything that needs improvement in the first ten pages. I am not planning to read the rest of the book. I don't enjoy reading stories of this type due to the mistreatment of children in the worst possible way. I feel anger whether the story is fact or fiction.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 11:59 am by Brenda Creech.
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

I wouldn't have paid attention to the book based on the cover, because it's so peaceful that I wouldn't have known if this was about a real murder or the supposed "war on Christmas". The book captured me because I like reading about crime, but it is too brief for me to make a decision, and, adding to that the lack of ratings, I wouldn't have bought the book based on my first impressions.
I loved everything about the first ten pages. The raw honesty and the simplicity of the narrative make it even more powerful than if it was a verbose or flowery narration. I was at a loss when the perpetrator says: "I am my father's oldest of two sons, and he obviously would do anything to protect me. Any parent would die for their child. It’s biological; it is unconditional love. After all, his precious little girl had just been murdered. He had already mourned the loss of an older daughter before that." I get uncondontional love. Thank God, I had parents that would support me no matter what. But what about the unconditional love towards his "precious little girl"? I love books that show me a different side of human nature and challenge my beliefs. I didn't find editing mistakes. I would suggest improving the cover and expanding the blurb.
The official review was essential in my decision to read the book because it compensates for the excessive briefness of the blurb.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 11:51 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Yvonne Monique

Neither the book title nor the front cover attract my attention, and I would not pick this book up in a book store. I understand that the cover is related to Christmas, but the image looks like a homemade, photoshopped picture. The OBC review and blurb give a thorough description of the story. The mention of child abuse is another reason for me to not read this book. After reading the first ten pages, I felt quite disgusted. The author has created a controversial protagonist, who made me feel uncomfortable whilst reading the first chapter. The sample itself seems to be well edited as I could not detect any errors. For the above-mentioned reasons I will not read this book. Reading is a relaxing experience for me, and this book does not transmit this feeling. As an improvement, I would suggest to make the book cover look a little bit more professional.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 10:29 am by Yvonne Monique.
Bertha Jackson

I would have checked out this book due to the festive book cover, title, and genre. The blurb, customer review, and OnlineBookClub review are favorable for the book. I was hooked on this book with the first page because the book is written from the perspective of the murderer. I would not say I liked how all 19-year-old boys are portrayed as being rapists. The only errors I saw in the first ten pages were what appear to be formatting errors after the first few paragraphs. I did not see anything I would change in the first ten pages. I will be buying and reading the book.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 9:22 am by Bertha Jackson.
AntonelaMaria

If I haven't read the sample of this book through this program, I wouldn't have read it otherwise. It is not my genre of books that I usually read. However, after reading the sample, I don't have any inclination to continue reading. The Official Onlinebookclub review says it is a book from the murderer's point of view. That is the most appealing factor of this book for me. But after reading the sample, the author's choices in a storyline are not interesting at all. So, the narrator is a pedophile who only admits his crime because he is dying from cancer. And he is planing for the truth to come out when he dies. And that right there is not giving me any push to continue reading. I wish for more satisfying payback in my books. Then there is a murders' point of view, which is intriguing at first. But reading his point of view left me feeling very disgusted, and I don't want to read anymore. I think these topics are not for me. There are no grammatical errors in this book. But editing is weird and chopped off. It makes it very hard to read. It needs improving.
First Ten review added on March 15, 2021, at 9:15 am by AntonelaMaria.
Total ~ 27%
Christmas Murder earned a score of 27%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 27% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for Christmas Murder