Cover Image: The Body in the Snow

The Body in the Snow

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Member Reviews

An interesting read with a cast of characters and no end to possible suspects. There seemed to be so many with a motive and all had secrets of their own. The ending was a nice surprise.

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DI Gillard is back and better than ever. The 4th book in "The Body In The" series is a great stand alone or a great continuation of a series many readers have come to love. Nick Louth starts the story off with an unusual murder where the clues are quickly disappearing in the melting snow. This cast of characters quickly learns that this crime is not going to be easy to solve. Suspects seem to have been lining up for the chance to kill this victim. Readers will change their minds often as the clues play out with a few twists and turns.

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This is the fourth in DCI Gillard ‘The Body in the......’ series of novels. Written very much in the style of similar lead detective crime procedurals, this is likely to appeal to Nick Louth’s fans, who have enjoyed Gillard’s other outings. Gillard’s team has some well-developed characters who will be known to readers of earlier novels, but the book is equally accessible to new readers. Nick Louth’s plot trajectories, as in this instance, often feel somewhat unnecessarily convoluted - to this reader at least - and do not always tie up the all the loose ends.
Notwithstanding these minor reservations, this is an enjoyable read, which maintains pace throughout. Plenty of red herrings draw the reader down several blind alleys, whilst the eventual denouement is credible. Recommended.

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I like Nick Louth's DCI Gillard character, he seems dependable, thorough and courageous.
In this book he really has to use his intuition to form a case for what seems to be an incredibly difficult to prove murder.
He comes up against what seems to be a loving family, but, we all know how people can lie when covering up.

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This is the fourth book in the series by Nick Louth that I have read. They are based on DCI Craig Gillard and his team in the Surrey Police Force. This time they are dealing with the murder of an Asian woman Mrs Roy, she was walking her dog Bertie on the common when an assailant attacked and killed her. Fortunately there was a trainee CSI officer on a morning run very close to the incident and when she heard the scream she ran back and secured the scene despite the snow on the ground melting. Mrs Roy was the owner of Empire Of Spice, a company producing Asian sauces and pickles to the European market and her death has shocked her family. The team are also told after the autopsy that as well as her murder Mrs Roy was also being poisoned by Thallium Sulphate. Another difficult case for DCI Gillard and his team to investigate. Absolutely excellent book by this author which I read over two days and I am already looking forward to his next.

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When a trainee CSI goes out for a run one early, snowy morning, the last thing she expects is to be is a witness to a barbaric crime: the body of a woman is found, bludgeoned to death by a passing cyclist. The victim, Tanvi Roy, is something of a celebrity and, thanks to her food empire, is one of Britain’s richest women. Due to the complexities of her work and family life, DCI Craig Gillard must delve deep into her past to find a motive and, hopefully, the killer.

The Body in the Snow is the fourth book in the DCI Craig Gillard series and although there are a few references to the previous book, this would only really be noticeable to anyone who has read it so this can definitely be read as a standalone.

Again, Nick Louth has constructed a complex plot, this time revolving around a wealthy Hindu family and the conflicts between the traditional way of doing things and the desire of the younger generation to move with the times. In a book with so many characters, it would be easy to get lost, but each one is so well-written that this is never the case. The abundance of characters helped to create a proper ‘whodunit’, each person seemingly having their own motive for wanting Mrs Roy dead.

The Body in the Snow is definitely a police procedural in that, as well as the main focus of the plot being on the investigation, we also get to read about the forensics involved in the case. I enjoyed reading about how, at the start of the story, Kirsty Mockett, the trainee CSI, fought to preserve evidence using less than orthodox techniques.

As someone who has read the previous book in this series, I was unnerved by the mentions of a particular character and look forward to seeing if this person plays a role in what looks like an excellent fifth installment, my appetite being whetted by the inclusion of an extract at the end of this book.

If you haven’t read any of this series, I can highly recommend them.

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Another strong crime thriller from Nick Louth.. As with 'The Body in the Mist' this made for a very satisfying read that is more about the process of crime-solving than about the violence.
DCI Gillard comes across as a believable quite down-to-earth character who makes the case plausible.
I shall definitely look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to Canelo Books and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Another brilliant book from Nick, how does he keep thinking up these great plots? Well written with characters that work together as once you start reading you can't put it down. I would recommend this and a big 5 stars from me.

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A SPICED UP INVESTIGATION

This is the fourth book in the DCI Craig Gillard series and just like its predecessors is a thoroughly well told procedural crime story with numerous twists and turns.

This time he is investigating the murder of the matriarch of an Indian food company where all the family and close associates eventually become suspects which have to be eliminated. The job is not helped by the various family rivalries and self interests.

Whilst the book is an excellent gripping and entertaining read on its own, I would encourage readers to read all the books in this series as the standard is equally good throughout.

I read the book pre-publication at the request of the publishers, but have provided an honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

This is my first read by this author. It is part of a series and be read on it’s own. I really enjoyed this book, it started off well with a murder taking place and DCI Gillard and his team investigating this. I really liked the DCI as a character, you get little glimpses of his personal and home life and how committed he is to his job. I hadn’t a clue who the murderer was, there were so many potential suspects who all had their own secrets. The book was a fab read, it had many plot twists and surprises which I liked and it kept my attention all the way through. I will definitely read the next book and previous books featuring DCI Gillard. I would recommend this book to those who like police procedurals, crime books. 4 stars

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The day before Kirsti is about to start work as a CSI she comes across a frenzied dog & the battered body of a woman. A hooded cyclist is seen peddling away. She valiantly tries to preserve evidence in the rapidly disappearing snow & is rescued by DCI Gillard. The victim is Tanvi Roy. She runs the very successful company Empire of Spice- a company her family has built up almost from nothing.

It soon becomes apparent that there are many things going on in this very male dominated Hindu family. There is a lot going on in the business & within the family. An early breakthrough with DNA leads to an arrest, but Gallard is not happy that they have the right person. Each day seems to bring up more questions than answers.

This was a great police procedural. Although this is number 4 in the series & I hadn't read any of the others, it worked perfectly well as a standalone. The core characters were engaging & the Roy family were a really interesting bunch. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

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A woman is murdered, battered to death while walking her dog on the common. Newly qualified CSI Kirsty Mockett happens to be jogging nearby and is first on the scene. Soon DCI Craig Gillard is on the case, but with all the secrets and lies, can he get to the truth?

Having read other Nick Louth books, I was really looking forward to reading Body in the Snow, but somehow it failed t9 deliver. I found some of the characters fairly unbelievable - especially the mother trying to turn her daughter into a boy so he could inherit the estate - and struggled to maintain any interest in finishing the story.

Sadly, an at times over complicated, far fetched story that failed to live up to Nick’s other books.

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This is such a cracking good series. A further instalment in the DCI Craig Gillard Crime Thrillers series and Craig & Sam are in a good place, albeit for the neighbour from hell across the road. In the main plot Craig is called to the discovery by a trainee CSI of a body in the snow and so begins to unravel an excellent story. The plot twists and turns, with lots of cultural intrigue to deliver an unexpected villain. As this happens Craig’s personal life goes from fabulous to tragic in the blink of an eye - excellent stuff

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The Body in the Snow is the 4th book in the DCI Craig Gillard Series ,I have read the other books in the series and have come to know Gillard quite well and this book is the best so far in my opinion .A body is found in the snow and discovered by a young detective .The victim is Tanvi Roy one of the UK'S richest women ..Gillard and his team are called in to investigate and as he digs deeper into the Roy Family he finds all is not as it seems .This is a brilliant story full of twists and turns with the odd red herring thrown in !This is one of those books it is hard to put down I can't wait to read the next book in the series .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

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What a really good story! Nick Lough has surpassed himself with this excellent mystery - I just wanted to keep on reading until the very end. The plot is gripping and the characters are extremely well written. thoroughly enjoyable and can't wait for the next DCI Gillard.

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The Body in the Snow is the fourth instalment in the DCI Craig Gillard Crime Thrillers series of which all of the books can be read as standalones without any issues whatsoever. Louth manages to strike an often difficult to achieve balance between an exciting and intriguing plot and showing the tedium of police work. When prominent local businesswoman Tanvi Roy, who had been out walking her dog, is found slaughtered by trainee CSI Kirsty Mockett, DCI Gillard is sent to begin an investigation. There is little forensic evidence to be found at the scene and Craig and his team are struggling to find a motivation for the cold-blooded murder. They soon establish, to their horror, that there is much more likelihood of the crime having been committed by either one of Roy’s business contacts or her family and begin a deep dive into all her associates.

I very much enjoyed the fact that there were plenty of suspects once the police determined the direction to go in and the investigation team as a whole were proficient and worked exceptionally well together. From the opening pages, you are hypnotised by Louth’s writing making it almost impossible to put down, and I raced through it in one sitting. It’s an easy, entertaining read and one that can be enjoyed by every type of crime reader as it has so much to offer in terms of plot, characterisation and endless reveals. We watch as slowly but surely the Roy family secrets and indiscretions are unmasked. Louth is undoubtedly one of the best and most accomplished British crime writers working right today, and I hope he soon gains the recognition he deserves. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

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Another great read by Nick, I am enjoying reading this series. A written story and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

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I've already read The Body in the Mist, so I was looking forward to this one and I wasn't disappointed. The Body in the Snow has a strong plot, well written characters and a few twists and turns. It's a well-detailed book that kept my interest going.

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A strong police procedural

A skull smashed in the snow found by the trainee cop Kirsty who tried to maintain the crime scene with ingenious methods until DCI Craig Gillard came to the scene. The team started their investigation.

My first book by author Nick Louth, though it was the fourth in the series, was a well written police procedural. Quite detailed with a solid plot line, I loved how the team had to go searching for clues. The plot lines seemed to enmesh smoothly, and the scenes seemed to just flow.

Gillard was a great cop who knew how to lead his team even through various obstacles. I didn't bother much about their personal lives as I was more into the investigation. The author knew how to keep my interest going. This was a well detailed, solid police investigation where the realities of working with a good team and some not so diligent members were shown.

The prose kept me hooked, the story unfolded slowly. There were no twists and neither did I try to become a part of this investigation. I just read about Gillard doing his job with strength and determination.

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Another brilliant book in this series. There are plenty of twists in the plot and some interesting characters. I read this book in one sitting. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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