A really enjoyable police procedural with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages.
The main plot twist was pretty guessable but the book was still really interesting with a few cheeky surprises along the way. The author did a great job of fleshing out the side characters and the village just enough to give us a feel for the overall almost claustraphobic atmosphere.
Big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received this audiobook from HarperCollins audio via Netgalley for a review. A gritty thriller fast paced and gripping. Sid Sagar narrates this book and pulls you into the story.

The Killer in the Snow - Alex Pine

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The first fall of snow can be fatal…

A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season.

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Last year I read the first book in this series and when I saw that the sequel was available to request I did not hesitate. As this book only briefly mentions events from the first book I feel that this could easily be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed the many twists that Pine has included with the story and whilst I had some idea of the ending - it still came as a surprise.

This book will easily keep you on your toes, and if you have read the first book you will know to expect that there are multiple potential killers. The scene at Oaktree farm could easily be put down as a murder suicide but something doesn't feel quite right to DI James Walker - especially after events that had happened at the farm 24 years earlier.

Rating: 4/5

Hmm, the title lets this one down…
The narration is good and I enjoyed the book. It’s gruesome without going into too much detail. The twist was a little too obvious but good. The characters are well written and not flat. I might hunt down the first book and see what I think

I really enjoyed this audiobook, I found the narrator did a really great job and I loved his voices!
Even though this is the second instalment of the series, it can be easily read as a standalone.
The story of the investigation is really riveting: with every interview a new little detail is revealed and the detective work takes a new route, very engaging!
I especially loved the link between the two murders at 20 years of distance and the mistery of the newborn baby's disappearance.
Definitely recommended!

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

Gripping dual timeline murder mystery and police procedural, loosely based around a Christmas theme.

The Killer in the Snow is the 2nd book in the DI James Walker series, set in Cumbria after Walker moved there from London with his wife.

With the previous Christmas seeing a serial killer terrorising the small rural community, everyone is hoping for a less eventful festive period this year. But when Walker returns to work after Christmas, he soon finds himself investigating the brutal murders of three people in their isolated farmhouse, bearing eerie similarities to a previous murder-suicide which took place in the same farmhouse two decades ago, and from which a missing baby girl has never been found.

A compelling read, in which the author pulls together a number of intriguing interrelated storylines and twists which keep us guessing, and with relevant history from the previous instalment included.

Skillfully done and I look forward to reading more from this author.

This is my first by Alex Pine and I’d definitely read more.
It’s that awful time between Christmas and New Year when noone knows the day of the week when 3 members of a family are found murdered..DI James Walker’s wife is expecting their first baby, their lives have been threatened and now he has to solve a murder..oh and throw in a bit of snow!
Although this had a bloody start I found this a very gentle read with nice policeman, a pretty cumbrian community and a lovely down to earth domestic feel. James discusses constipation, supper, nursery designs etc with his wife and he occasionally swears in a non-threatening but very human way. The scenery is beautiful and even better with the addition of snow and for the duration of the book I felt very much at home in the community.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job of adding to the feeling of domesticity and rural voices. He also captured voices and expressions, fleshing out the characters.
The plot was well plotted and very intriguing. I felt very involved in the story and unhappy to press pause. Although there are many references to the first book in the series, The Christmas Killer, the fact that I had not read this book did not affect my enjoyment of this one.
I did find that there were regular references to James’ physical reaction to events or news and I think that the device was overused and a little clunky - at times is exasperated me and at others it made me want to giggle. But overall this was a very enjoyable read and I have already purchased the first book.
With many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for a digital copy of this audiobook.

***ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.co.uk in return for an honest review ***

It's Christmas eve and a local farmer heads home, his livlihood in ruins. He just wants to get the festive season out of the way before coming clean to his wife and daughter about their financial ruin.

Days later their bodies are found in the farmhouse, their deaths echo those of the previous owners who died 24 years before...

This is a great read. All of the characters are thoroughly likeable. Although I did guess some of the plot twists it didn't change my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to @AvonBooksUK and Alex Pine for this advanced audio copy of The Killer in the Snow in return for an honest review.

Description 🔖

It has been a year since DI James Walker’s last big case and this festive period, he is hoping for a much quieter time.

Of course, criminals don’t think about that. Not too far away, on Christmas Eve, a local farmer comes home to find footsteps in the fresh snow. They lead to his unused basement in the farm house but there are none leading away. Days later, the farmers body is found along with the bodies of his wife and his daughter.

There are no witnesses and very little evidence to help DI Walker and his team crack this case. The only clues that they have to cling to are those from a strikingly similar murder that took place at the very same farm twenty years earlier.

General Thoughts 🤔

This is the second book in the DI James Walker series. I have read both in the space of two days and I really enjoyed them both. I think that this second book is better than the first and I saw improvements in the writing.

The storyline in this book is slightly more complicated than the first, however it is still in keeping with a theme of not being overly complex. I did kind of know what the outcome of the story was going to be quite early on. Well I exaggerate, not all of it. I had guessed the circumstances and it took me just a little while longer to figure out who the culprit was. I’m not the kind of person to feel disappointed at that though. Even though I had cracked the case, I still enjoyed following the investigative team on their journey to do the same.

Characters 👫👬👭

I felt like DI Walker had found his feet a little more in this book. He hadn’t long moved to the village in the first book and there was a little tension within the team. It seemed like he’d built stronger relationships within his team this time around and I liked to see the rapport start to grow.

James’ wife Annie seemed to feature in this second book a little less. She was still there of course, but more of a background character. I’m not sure how I felt about this. I liked that lots more focus was put onto the case and all those involved in it, but I do also like to know more about the characters background in order to give them depth. Maybe there is some middle ground to be struck. One thing I definitely noticed and appreciated was the absence of the word hun!

Writing Style ✍️

I think Alex Pine settled into his writing a bit more in this book which is natural and expected after writing a debut. The language between characters felt a lot more natural and it was good to see some relationships start to build between the characters.

I thought there was a lot more police procedure content in this book which I enjoyed. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like watching a hard hitting BBC drama unfold, but I wasn’t expecting that and I don’t think that I will expect that from future books in this series.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

I really enjoyed my last few days with DI James Walker and I’m a little sad that it’s over for a while. I sincerely hope that it is just for a while and that there is more to come from Alex Pine and this series. This would be a perfect December read so if you’re looking for something to get stuck into that’s not going to massively hurt your brain, but will scratch your murder mystery itch, get this on your TBR for winter.

The narration by Sid Sagar is excellent throughout and added to my enjoyment of this murder mystery. It’s set in Cumbria over Christmas. A former Met police officer, DI Walker has moved away from London for a quieter life after a case which left him and his family being threatened.

The basic story is along the lines of a locked room mystery when three people are found dead in a remote and isolated farmhouse. As the investigation gets underway way, there are curious links to an earlier tragedy at the homestead; is it coincidence or connection? There are various suspects and theories and then Walker is under further pressure when he’s told the Met don’t know the whereabouts of someone bent on revenge. There are various strands to the story and it works well as an intricately plotted whodunnit. The characters are well developed and I liked Walker who isn’t a police character filled with emotional baggage.

It has a few unexpected twists and kept my attention throughout.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

This is the second in the DI James Walker, but I think it could be read as a standalone book.

Two days after Christmas, DI James Walker is called out to Oaktree Farm in rural Cumbria, where the Bateman family is found dead in a possible murder-suicide. The question is whether there is a connection to the murders that occurred at the same farmhouse twenty years earlier? There were some twists and turns right through to the very end!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for sending me an advanced audiobook to listen to for a fair and honest and review.

Having read book one, I was eager to listen to this AUDIO BOOK, the second book in Alex Pine's series with D I James Walker. The narration is great with changing voices, you easily get in tune with each character.
The narrator, SID SAGAR, is excellent! For me, narration is important in an audio book, you don't want to be lulled into sleep!

The storyline is good and you soon learn the secrets of OAK TREE FARM in the present and in the past. I connected with D I Wilson and his team in book one and this continued with The Killer in the Snow.

I enjoyed listening to this audio book and would recommend.

I give a 4 star rating.

Published Date -28 October 2021
Narrator - SID SAGAR
Listening time - 8 hours & 56 minutes

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING TO THIS AUDIO BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

It's been a year since DI Walkers's first case in Cumbria, and now he faces the challenge of a new case with links to a murder which took place 20 years ago in the same location.

Set once again at Christmas, I enjoyed this snowy police procedural. The plot was interesting and authentic and got my mind ticking over, trying to solve the puzzle. There were certainly plenty of suspects and I didn't manage to work it out until the last minute. It's a bit of a slow burner, and I would have liked a faster pace. I'd also like to see more depth to the characters, but all in all this was a good listen, and I would definitely listen to any future books in the series

It is more rerely that I pic crimes series now but this was a nice oportunity. I got this book grom Netgalley and HarperCollins Uk Audio.

It is a perfect one for a december read. A family is found that. And it is belived is a suiccide. But DI James Walker is not one that belive to coincidences. 24 years an other family was found dead and it was a succide.

This guy is not discovering just happened now but he also discover what happened in the past. There are a few suspects but at the end all is more connected that is seemed. I loved the final turn.

I missed the first book but I could perfecty manage this one.

A family is found murdered in their old farmhouse at Christmas time. As if that's not sinister enough, the crime undeniably echoes that of a similar scene that took place 20 years earlier in the exact same spot. DI James Walker doesn't see how the two can be connected...or can they?

I enjoyed this a lot and found it easy to get into, a solid police procedural that kept me guessing with some unexpected twists - exactly what I wanted. So many people seemed to have a motive, I found it impossible to guess the killer and I don't want to give anything away, but there are things about the old farmhouse that genuinely gave me the creeps. The Killer in the Snow is the second book in a series...didn't realise this until I started listening, thankfully it didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous book and there's actually a whole section at the end explaining a bit of the back story and some background on the detectives. Sid Sager narrated this brilliantly, he made it so easy to tell the characters apart.

I enjoyed the story and the connections with the old case I didn't see that coming at all. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first book but still a solid read.

An enjoyable police murder investigation. I hadn't realised it was the second book in the series but did wonder at references to a previous case. It still worked well as a standalone. there are many twists and red herrings in the book to keep you guessing but basis for the murders was slightly obvious.
The 4 star rating is for the story, but I was not impressed with the narrator. In his effort to give each character their unique voice, many sounded straight out of Monty Python especially the older female characters.
this is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

No Hope For Festive Season…
The second outing for DI James Walker and his hope for the impending festive season to be a quiet and peaceful one are about to be dashed. A crime scene in a local farmhouse is to give him cause for consternation. No witnesses, sparse evidence and echoes of a cold case. A compelling and entertaining listen well narrated and well nuanced throughout bringing the story to life. A worthy follow up to the first in the series, although can happily be listened to as a standalone.

EXCERPT: There was a set of shoeprints in the otherwise pristine snow, and Robert was sure that they hadn't been there earlier. They were coming from the road and leading over to the steps on the right side of the house, the ones that descended to the cellar door. And yet there were no prints going in the opposite direction.

It puzzled him because the cellar door was always locked and there was only one set of keys, which hung from a hook in the kitchen. What's more, Mary rarely ventured down there because she'd convinced herself many years ago that it was haunted.

He tightened his grip on the bag and went to investigate. What he saw made him frown further.

The shoeprints went down the steps and stopped in front of the door, which suggested that whoever had gone in there hadn't yet come out.

But who could it be?

He was about to go down and check when the sound of raised voices came from inside the house. They were loud enough to cause a blast of alarm to shoot through him.

Instinct told him that whatever was going on in the house had to be more important than what might be happening in the cellar, so he turned sharply on his heels and rushed towards the front door.

Just as he reached it, the shouting was drowned out by a high-pitched scream that sent his pulse racing.

ABOUT 'THE KILLER IN THE SNOW': The first fall of snow can be fatal…

A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season.

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little evidence. And the crime scene has strange echoes of another terrible murder committed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier…

James knows that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a case that has long since gone cold…

MY THOUGHTS: A good plot, but I found the writing style somewhat dry and lacking suspense. While I didn't struggle to get through my listen/read, neither did I pick it up every chance I got. And that's always a tell.

It was difficult to feel any connection with the characters. They all felt very formal and stiff, as was the dialogue. Other than DC Jess Abbott and James' wife Annie, the women in this story are all portrayed as rather weak characters or mentally unbalanced.

I enjoyed the mystery being linked to what had happened on the farm twenty four years earlier, even though it was pretty apparent what had happened. It was the 'how' that kept me reading.

Initially there are a handful of suspects for the current killings and I did enjoy the resolution. I just wish that it had been a bit less plodding and a lot more suspenseful. I also think that the inclusion of a gangster 'out to get James' was unnecessary and distracted from the main storyline. It just didn't seem to 'fit', and served no useful purpose.

I enjoyed the narration of Sid Sagar, but overall this was only an okay, but totally forgettable read.

⭐⭐.6

#TheKillerintheSnow #NetGalley

I: #alexpineauthor @avonbooksuk @harperaudio

T: #alexpineauthor @BooksAvon @HarperAudio

#audiobook #christmasfiction #contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #detectivefiction #murdermystery #policeprocedural

THE AUTHOR: Alex Pine was born and raised on a council estate in South London and left school at sixteen. Before long, he embarked on a career in journalism, which took him all over the world – many of the stories he covered were crime-related. Among his favourite hobbies are hiking and water-based activities, so he and his family have spent lots of holidays in the Lake District. He now lives with his wife on a marina close to the New Forest on the South Coast – providing him with the best of both worlds! Alex Pine is the pseudonym of a bestselling author who has also written books under the names Jaime Raven, James Raven and JP Carter.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Avon Books UK for providing the digital ARC, and Harper Collins UK audio for providing the audio ARC of The Killer in the Snow by Alex Pine for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books and Alex Pine for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book follows DI James Walker who has moved to Cumbria with his pregnant wife. This book is the second in the series and directly follows on from the first. There has been a murder at a Farm barn, the same barn where an unsolved murder happened twenty years ago.

I loved this book! It is dark, gritty and thrilling. I haven't read the first in the series but it doesn't overly matter. It is fast-paced and has you hooked from the first few pages. The characters are likeable and plot is enjoyable.

The narrator adds more grit and tension to the book - he really brings it to life. I think the audiobook will be very popular. It adds a lot more tension.

I can't wait to read more by Alex.