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. The book is set in Cumbria, a place where I’m not sure I want to visit anymore given by how many thriller/detective books are set there!! Joking aside, Cumbria with its vast open spaces, numerous forests and lakes, plus tiny villages make for a great place to set a thriller and I can see why so many authors do. 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. The story started out a bit slow but soon towards the middle, it got a bit more interesting as the secrets started revealing about the family and that there was another murder that happened on the very same farm almost twenty four years ago with a baby missing. Soon, this begins a cat and mouse chase game and then there were some twists and turns that it got fast paced until the end. 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?

Then comes along another twist. The same crime was committed 24 years ago at the very same farm house the only difference is that in this case the daughter Charlotte has been murder; however in the first case the baby Megan her body was never found. Is it coincidence that the same crime has been committed or are they in some way linked. Whatever the answer James is determined to get to the bottom of it. Thank you to @AvonBooksUK and Alex Pine for this advanced audio copy of The Killer in the Snow in return for an honest review. Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little eviden ce. And the crime scene h as strange echoe s of another terrible murder committ ed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier…

Toys

I thought it was extremely clever to use the present tense to convey the events of 23 years before; this made them feel immediate and engaging. This is the second book in the detective James Walker series but this book could be read as a stand alone thriller for those who haven’t read the first book which I found to be just as good as this one. So for anyone who’s looking for a couple of good Christmas murders the DI James Walker books are certainly for you! years earlier, the then owners of Oaktree Farm, Simon and Amanda Roth were found dead and their 6 week old daughter, Megan, was missing. This raises the question of whether there is a link between the 2 events and is Walker investigating 2 crimes. Although the case is complex with two stories coming together, it’s easy to follow and constantly intriguing. I did guess the twist early on after making a wild prediction, but I was still excited to see if I was right and how the answers would be revealed.

A triple murder has occurred in an isolated farm on the outskirts of the fictional village of Kirkby Abbey in Cumbria. Initially, it looks like a clear case of murder-suicide however, on further inspection, things just don't add up. In addition, there are similarities to a murder-suicide at the same house some 20 years earlier. 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.This is the second book of the DI James Walker series, although this is the first time I am reading the series. More than two decades earlier, the previous owners of the farm were murdered in the basement and their baby daughter vanished. This murder was never solved. The investigators feel there must be a connection between this cold case and the present family murder. With so many possible perpetrators, they must find a motive linking both killings within the same house during the elapsed time period. Can they succeed? In an unrelated thread, there is a gangster that Walker helped imprison while working in London who is bound on revenge. I enjoyed the fact that the lead detective, DI James Walker, seems so well adjusted with a pleasant, comfortable home life, unlike many lead detectives in fiction who have emotional issues in their personal lives that they soothe with alcohol. He also has a cooperative team working together without dissension, and delegates tasks wisely. He is calm, persistent, and patient in his skilled interrogation of suspects. I learned that this is the second book in the DI Walker series, both cases occurring in a quiet village during the Christmas season. This works as a standalone but refers to previous events which raised my interest in reading the first book.

It was difficult to feel any connection with the c

The DI Barton Series in Order (6 Books)

Overall this thriller is a slow burn book--it wasn't bad but it was good too that will keep you engrossed in the book.