Cover Image: The Snow Killer

The Snow Killer

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Member Reviews

This is book 1 in the series and I have to be honest and say this is my favorite one. That's no hard, I hear you say, because it's the first one. But people who know me, also know I don't always read series in the right order. It's often because, due to lack of time, other books come first and then I participate in a blog tour because the blurb intrigues me and I skip a few stories. 

This time I have read parts 5 and 6 and now I have found the time to start where it all started: at the beginning. ;) :)

I know it's maybe not done to feel for a killer, but sometimes I do. There past is to sad and cruel it breaks my heart and although I do not applaud the way they are dealing with it, I do understand why they do it. Often they did not receive a lot of support and in their head they seek their own justice.

I really like DI Barton. He is funny and he is human. The case he has to deal with is complex and in the end he figures it out, but it's a hard nut to crack. The last two sentences of the last but one chapter brought tears to my eyes. 

This was a brilliant story and it left me gobsmacked. I never saw this coming and the author kept pulling surprises out of his hat...

I enjoyed it very, very much. 5 stars

Thank you

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Interesting story. I really liked DI Barton and the other members of the detective squad - they are good characters on which to build a series. The big twist did shock me. But there was just too much weird/unbelievable stuff that detracted from the story for me.

Spoiler: How does basically everyone involved in this story happen to live on the same street in the same neighborhood?? How does someone with full onset Parkinson's shoot with such accuracy and walk so easily everywhere? END Spoiler

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this book in exchange of my honest review.

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I did enjoy this book. I thought the concept was great, built on revenge and triggers.

Well paced and a different style of writing in a good way. Will definitely look out for more books by this author and can highly recommend it if you're looking for a meaty crime drama.

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I was given this book to read and review, I give this review freely. I enjoyed this book, once I figured out what words were, actually, being written. This is set in a small burg, outside London, so the language is not what I am used to reading. I loved the twist to this tale. I loved the characters, they are police, and are close, some , more than others. You learn about their families, the sadness, heartbreak, the love, and the hatred, some people have. This is a story writren in the Detective Inspector, Barton's and the Snow Lkillers, perspectives. I like seeing into the killers mind, and the police procedures too. I am looking forward to more of Ross Greenwood's work.

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I was not able to honestly get into this book. I tried to keep up but the book just didn't grip me. I was quite disappointed as I was looking forward to this book and unfortunately it was not up to my liking. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me this book in exchange of my honest review.

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Ok, I'm going to start off by saying I am clearly in the minority on this book. Majority of people loved it. So please don't let my review stop you from checking out this book. This is the first in DI Barton series. My first issue is that I'm juggling about four extremely strong crime thriller series, and compared to those this one fell really flat. It wasn't exciting, didn't keep my interest and there wasn't a big build up to reveal who the bad guy (or girl in this case) was. You know from the very beginning exactly who the snow killer is. There are no surprises. My second issue with this book is the writing. I felt it was on the border of being boring. There were many times I asked myself why am I'm continuing to read this, I already know who the snow killer is.... The story didn't grab my attention and the characters are rather weak. Everything was too predictable and too unrealistic.

While this book majorly missed the mark for me, I am in the minority. Most people did enjoy this book. Keep that in mind if you're deciding whether to read this book or not.

My thanks to Ross Greenwood, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A well written new detective series by a new author to me. I was hooked from the start and greedily read this book in a day. I strongly recommend it.

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The snow killer by Ross Greenwood.
‘Fear the north wind. Because no one will hear you scream…’
A family is gunned down in the snow but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing - no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold.
Fifty years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather – each time it snows another person dies.
As an exhausted and grizzled DI Barton and his team scrabble to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the killer is hiding in plain sight. Meanwhile, the murders continue…
A fantastic read. Loved Barton and Strange characters. What a twist. Brilliant. A shocking twist of a read. 5*.

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The Snow Killer by Ross Greenwood is about a family who is murdered in the snow, except one child survives. When that child starts taking revenge, the Snow Killer is born. After she is taken in by her uncle, he is also murdered. As she grows so does her demand for revenge. This was a well written plot with very interesting characters. I couldn’t put the book down. The Snow Killer was after the people who murdered. Her family. There were surprises in this book. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced reader’s copy to review.

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In the past I’ve read Ross Greenwood’s books and been utterly thrilled. This foray into the world of the police procedural has been a success. His pithy writing and his ability to get right into the heart of his characters make this book unputdownable. From the gripping first chapter to the end, I was kept gripped. The Snow Killer is a story of revenge that spans over fifty years. I found it intriguing that a revenge killer could wait so long for their revenge and found myself trying to link the pieces together. Greenwood succeeds in creating a cold winter tale with all the elements of a great narrative: suspense, great characters, gritty realism and a real grip of what’s going on in society now. Loved it.

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This was a great start to new series from the author and a chiller of a read. We get to see two points of view , from both the killer and the detective who has to track them down. What ensues between the pair is a great game of who will succeed , the killer with more kills or the detective tasked with catching them We get to know the killer , we learn why they are killing in the coldest time of the year. So what after fifty years wakes up the killer’s urges and sets them off on another bloody outing. There begins a race against time and the weather to catch the killer before more bodies are left out in the snow. The pace of the book is just perfect , it runs along keeping you entwined in the two lives of the main characters and that of the secondary characters. As the killer leaves more bodies and seems to be untraceable the net slowly closes in, can they ever be stopped. Oh boy, oh boy there is not only an explosive ending that leaves you wanting more but , it also contains a secret. There is a sting in tail and it was so unexpected i went back to the beginning to see if i had missed any clues, nope I hadn’t. I love the fact the author has produced a book that can deliver such an unexpected twist, one that will surprise even the most clued up of readers. Brilliant, engrossing, gritty and one to put on your Christmas wish list.

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Ross Greenwood has started a new series that takes readers on an exciting journey into the hearts and minds of a community as they come face to face with action and consequence. The story kicks into high tension when a family is murdered...except one of them survives. The tragedy seems to repeat itself whenever it snows.
The action is high, the characters real as they frantically work to solve the crimes before anyone else dies. DI Barton has arrived onto our favorites list. It will be exciting to see where the future takes him.

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Ross Greenwood brings us a fresh new series when we meet DI Barton. I have read all of the authors books and this one is without a doubt is his best book yet! I love the title and the cover which has buy me written all over it. Then the story…OMG….LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!

I have to admit that I ended up listening to the audio version. So a big shout out to the narrator David Thorpe who has done a wonderful job of telling the story. Making me feel like I was watching it on TV bringing the characters to life.

I was hooked from the start when we are transported back in time fifty years where the scene is set for whats to come. This story is full of twists and turns with a shocking outcome, which I didn’t see coming.

DI Barton is a gem! I love the fact that he is happily married balancing his job and family. Like we all do! This makes it realistic and I can relate to the character.

I feel like Ross has found his style with this story and is well and truly onto a winner. The Snow Killer is a fantastic start to a series, I cant wait to get my hands on the next book. I cannot recommend it enough giving it all the stars.

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Excellent! This is a fantastic read. I was so excited to see this author was releasing a new book and the start of a new series. I wasn’t disappointed as this was an excellent read. Excellent is the word that popped into my head when I’d finished reading this story.

From start to finish this is a great read. Let me just say there’s a lot going on in my personal life so a book needs to grab me for me to read more than the first chapter. Well as it’s 1.40 am here and I’ve just finished reading this story I’d say that’s a big positive.

DI Barton and his team are puzzled when people are getting killed in the snow. Can it be connected to murders fifty years ago? As they put the pieces together they are on a race against the clock to find the killer.

Absolutely brilliant read. I’m so looking forward to reading more of DI Barton and his team.

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The Snow Killer is the debut novel for Ross Greenwood’s character DI John Barton. I always love reading the first in a series and watching the authors development with the characters. This author has definitely been added to my “must follow” series. To start we are taken back to 50 years ago and a family is murdered out in the snow, or so the killers think. There was a survivor and the story alternates back and forth between the “Snow Killers” point of view and DI Barton. It took me a bit to wrap my head around a geriatric serial killer but I did and I enjoyed the read.
This is a great police procedural with a major helping of revenge to be topped off by some major twists! A quick, easy page turner!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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An excellent thriller, The Snow Killer delivered an ending I was shocked by and had to pause to digest and consider the feasibility. It worked and worked well. It caught me totally by surprise but not in that over-the-top, omnipotent baddy kind of way.

What's to like? This is a cracking read full of characters you will care about (DI John Barton and his precocious family, to name a few) with real life issues and concerns whilst juggling the stresses and demands of an all encompassing job investigating crime 24/7. John is genuinely nice guy and very capable at his job. But will he get the promotion he sorely wants while he is knee deep in investigating, what seems to be, the perfect murder?

Not only will you care about the characters peopling this clever book but full marks go to the coworker camaraderie John enjoys at the police station. There are normal issues everyone deals with at the office - slackers, strivers, a bit of gentle bullying, stealing food - all coming across as in real life with John taking it all in his stride.

I enjoyed the historical elements of this novel and the criminal perspective. It felt less cliche than drug dealers being bad and dealt out a fair amount of compassion for our killer and all those classified as no hopers. This was a real surprise and made the book feel a lot less black and white. Great stuff dripping with tension and intrigue.

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The beginning of this story takes us back fifty years where a mother, father and their two children, a girl and a boy are gunned down in the snow. Only the boy survives and oh my goodness reading this beginning had my heart in my throat and to be honest I felt quite emotional and I knew I was is for a rip roaring good read.

This beginning really sets the scene and what follows is a story that had me totally gripped and I ended up devouring this story and it left me desperate to read more.

Greenwood has written a story that gives you the point of view from both the killer and DI Barton which was really interesting, it was so easy to get inside each characters head and it felt almost like I was part of the story. I really like DI Barton, it was quite refreshing to have a character that isn’t totally flawed, he’s a family man, he’s dedicated to his work and a loyal friend and quite a breath of fresh air.

The killer on the other hand, well he is totally flawed but I couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him. You can see his reasoning, that makes me sound a bit deranged but I could understand some of his feelings although I don’t think I’d have gone quite as far as him.

I’m not going to give any more away about this story, it’s an exciting start to a new series. The Snow Killer has many twists and turns and certainly keeps you in your toes and like I said earlier, I really like DI Barton and I’m so excited to see where he will take us next.

So if you’re looking for a story that will have you totally gripped and turning the pages into the wee hours then The Snow Killer is the book for you and I honestly can’t wait for more.

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This is the first in a new series by the excellent Ross Greenwood and it is an absolute cracker. For a change, the lead cop, Barton, is a likeable character with not too much baggage or hang-ups, surrounded by a group of colleagues he likes and works well with. 50 years ago a murderer known as the Snow Killer was operating, and a fresh spate of murders bears echoes of those killings. There a number of surprising twists along the way and the climax is astonishing! I can't wait for more!

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Well what a brilliant start to a new series. With chapters that alternate between the guilty party and the police who are investigating a series of murders, Ross Greenwood takes us on a journey that is both full of thrills and emotion. I absolutely loved it.

The story is kind of a dual timeline affair, with the story opening in the past when a young child witnesses the murder of their sister and parents and is themselves left for dead. But nearly dead is not really dead, and soon revenge becomes the only item on the surviving child's personal agenda. Fast forward fifty years and we are faced with a brand new series of murders in which the victims are not the most sympathetic and the motive is as murky as the weather. The killer continues to reveal moments from their past, giving more insight into their present which really adds to the story.

Ross Greenwood has created a really intriguing tale and as much as I could never condone murder, I did in some respects sympathise, if not empathise, with the killer. It is a really skilful writer who can get you on side with both the killer and the investigative team, but that is exactly what happens here. Not only that, but with a whole host of potential suspects, the killer is hidden in plain sight, and their identity is kept well hidden until the end of the book.

I really did like the character of DI John Barton, a man dedicated to both his family and his job. He is down to earth and extremely likeable and I'm really looking forward to seeing how her develops as a character as the series progresses. His partner in crime fighting, DS Zander, has had a very difficult past and the relationship between him and Barton is truly touching, giving the story a real emotional edge to match that of the killer's loss. Then there is his relationship with his boss and mentor, DCI Naeem which is refreshing to see is very positive in a genre which is heavy on the conflict amongst the ranks. And finally we have DS Kelly Strange. New to the team, she is a character who I really liked, in spite of a few prickly moments. Read the book and you'll understand what drives them.

The pacing in the story is spot on, picking up when the murderer is on the hunt, and especially at the end with an altogether explosive conclusion to the investigation. Yet it is not all break neck speed, which reflects the setting, and also the very nature of the investigation in which the killer is always three steps ahead.

It was a story which gripped me from the off and kept me glued to the page right. The book had a feeling of authenticity about it, and was full of surprises and genuine emotion. With a team I really enjoyed reading about, I'm excited to see what comes next.

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A refreshing new thriller with great characters. The plot is unique and swaps from the point of view of the killer to the third person style writing, where they follow the police in the hunt to find the killer. My favourite part of this book was the characters, DI Barton and his team. Barton is not like your normal police officer with issues, seen in many crime books these’s day. He has a loving and supportive family and a good sense of humour with his team. I enjoyed the cat and mouse chase he had with the killer and loved the fact the killer also wasn’t the normal hated criminal. The twist we fun and kept me guessing. This is a great book to cuddle up in front of the fire and give yourself time to be able to read it in one go. I look forward to the author next book in the new series.

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