The Killer in the Snow: The new and most chilling British detective crime fiction book you’ll read this year (DI James Walker series, Book 2)

The 2nd book in the DI James Walker Series - this was even more intriguing and suspenseful than the 1st book. Following DI James Walker and his team solving a case of triple murder as well as solving what happened twenty years earlier takes the reader into the depths of what a person is capable of when it comes to saving a baby.Robert Bateman, his wife and daughter are found dead - the police suspects that they died on Christmas eve, and their primary suspect is the daughter's boyfriend. The investigation further turns out more clues and reveals what really happened on that dreadful day as well as what happened twenty years ago on that farm.Thanks to Avon Books and Netgalley for the ARC, hopefully the next book in this series will be out this year.

Wow! This book was riveting. I couldn't put it down. It had twists and turns that kept you guessing. There was a story within a story . Can't wait for the next book

This is the second book in the DI James Walker series, and it is every bit as good as the first, which I also gave 5 stars. Once again, the book is an easy read, with interesting characters and a believable quality to them. There are the usual twists and turns to keep the level of interest up, and it does succeed in doing that. There are a few separate themes running through the book and the author does a good job of balancing those themes well, which isn’t always an easy task.Did I work out all of the themes? Hell, yeah, but that’s not unusual for me; I love my crime thrillers and my brain just works in that way. My approach to this book was different to the last one, as I had a friend read it at the same time; her experience was completely different to mine, as she didn’t work any of it out, and gained the shock factor responses that are lacking for me. That said, I still love working things out and being right!Now this is the bit where I’m going to be picky; as good as this author is (and he is good), I think he’s capable of more. There is a confrontation scene that could and should have been amazing. It was the perfect place to build suspense, fear and even some thrills, but it lacked something for me. Did it spoil the book? No, not in the slightest; I already have the third book in the series and my original plan was to save it for Christmas, but I’m itching to start reading it now.Once again, I recommend this book, but if you’re looking for something that is incredibly complicated, or full of graphic blood, gore and terror… this isn’t the book for you. If you enjoy something that has enough to hold the attention, but is simpler, easier to follow and slower-paced, but still very enjoyable, this could be the one, but read the first book before this one.I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The book is good reading, but it was surprising thatJames didn’t question the decade’s ago possibilities more than he did. His preoccupation with the crimes almost resulted in his own demise. Small towns often have dark secrets!

It’s that time between Christmas and New Year when it’s generally very quite as we recover from our Christmas celebrations and await the coming of a New Year. James is not expecting much to be happening and is glad that Christmas went without incident unlike the previous year, which we read about in the first book of this series The Christmas Killer. Unfortunately, he soon finds out that three bodies have been found – Robert and Mary Bateman and their daughter Charlotte – on a farm a few miles outside the village, Kirkby Abbey, where he and his wife live. When he gets to the scene it becomes very clear that there is something not quite right. Is this what it appears to be – a murder suicide – or is there a killer abroad in Kirkby Abbey once more?James is stationed at Kendal and that is where the investigation HQ is. As the scene is devoid of much evidence it is necessary to get as much information about what happened prior to the killings as possible and evidence is gathered around the movement of Robert Bateman, who has been seen in Kendal on the day of his death, of Charlotte Bateman who lived in Kendal with her boyfriend who is now missing. Mary Bateman who it seems had mental health issues rarely left the farm.There is a small possibility that Robert Bateman killed his wife and daughter because of the financial problems he was having, made worse with his gambling. James doesn’t think so and the autopsy confirms it. What happened at the farm or, more accurately, who else was there that could have committed such an horrific crime?Initially focus is on the missing boyfriend – did he kill Charlotte, after a row, and then her parents? It seems possible but a number of other suspects also come to light. As does a very similar crime over two decades ago which also happened at the Bateman’s farm. James realises he needs to find out what happened over two decades ago in order to understand if there could be a connection.On top of his investigation into this awful crime James is told that his arch enemy is on the run. Wanted by the Met Police for a crime committed on James’ old turf in London. There is a real concern that he’s heading north to reap his revenge on James for getting him put in prison for a previous crime. This is very unsettling not only for James, who left London in order to put distance between him and the threats on his life, but for his wife Annie too. The concern is such that a 24hr watch is put on James’ home to ensure Annie’s safety. There is a very dramatic scene that wraps this element of the story up!As information and evidence is gathered we follow a very thorough murder investigation. It seems that there had been someone else at the farm watching the family for days or weeks – why were they watching, are they the murderer? There had been a problem regarding a former employee who becomes another possible suspect, as does an ex boyfriend of Charlotte.As the evidence is gathered and various suspects and witnesses are found and brought in to be interviewed what happened to the Bateman family becomes clear as does what happened to the cold case from two decades ago.This is a really good story. Whilst it is quite dark there are no overly graphic scenes even when it’s absolutely necessary that some of the events are described. We are getting to know James and his team who, along with Annie, are the core characters in the books. The setting is a favourite of mine – the Lake District, Cumbria – and feels like an old friend although I’m glad to say that being simply a visitor I only ever get to see the beauty of this landscape!Well plotted, written and with good characterisation this is a terrific book and given that it’s set during the festive season a great read for Christmas.

I don't think I have read a book with such an intricate tangle of motives for the very nasty murders that occurred on Christmas Eve.D.I. James Walker and his crew are really pushed with this one and I don't think any of them, even given their experience with crime and murder, could have come up with something so evil.All I can say is don't think you have solved it before the end of the book, the chances are you, like James Walker, don't have a clue.The plots are good but there are cracks showing in the author's use of grammar and sentence structure that I hope vanish very soon.