Just finished!
4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I honestly picked up this book because the reviews were phenomenal. I am so glad I did. It kept me interested the whole time, the speed was great and the story was also wonderful. Would definitely recommend this one!

Deputy Shelby Lake was abandoned as a baby, saved by a stranger who found her in the freezing cold. Now, years later, a young boy is missing - and Shelby is the one who must rescue a child.
The only evidence of what happened to 10-year-old Jeremiah Sloan is a bicycle left behind on a lonely road. After a desperate search fails to locate him, the close bonds of Shelby’s hometown begin to fray under the weight of accusations and suspicion. Everyone around her is keeping secrets. Her adoptive father, her best friend, her best friend’s young daughter - they all have something to hide. Even Shelby is concealing a mistake that could jeopardize her career and her future.
Unearthing the lies of the people in Jeremiah’s life doesn’t get the police and the FBI any closer to finding him. As time passes and the case grows cold, Shelby worries that the mystery will stay buried forever under the deep, deep snow. But even the deepest snow melts in the spring.
When a tantalizing clue finally comes to light, Shelby must confront the darkest lie of all. Exposing the truth about Jeremiah will leave no one’s life untouched - including her own

25 years ago, Shelby’s adopted dad saw a sign sent from God. That white, snowy owl told him all he needed to know and he raced home to find Shelby, a one week old infant, on his doorstep and close to death. 25 years later and Shelby receives her own sign from God, a 10 year old boy has gone missing and she feels as though this is the reason she was saved, to bring this boy home.

I was sceptical at the first mention of ‘owl signs from god’ but I’m so glad I stuck with it. This was a fantastic thriller, fast paced with twists and turns throughout. The writing was great and I definitely want to check out more from this author!

I have read all of Brian Freeman's books. Each one even better than the last. This story does not disappoint! The reader is drawn in at the very beginning finding it hard to put the story down.

Shelby had been left on Sheriff Tom Ginn's doorstep as a newborn. While on a fishing trip, Tom saw a snowy owl land on his boat and it seemed to say "home". So, Tom took no chances. He packed up and went home to find an abandoned baby (which he eventually adopts) and names her after where he had been when the owl appeared - "Shelby Lake."

It seems as if a snowy owl is a sign of things that are of major importance. Shelby remembers a time, 10 years ago. Both her and Adam - the other officer under her dad - saw a snowy owl on Adam's motorcycle. This, as the station's phone rings alerting the officers to a missing child, Jeremiah, who is 10 years old...

And that is just the start...A true twisty, absolutely great, read!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Many Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read and review..

What a totally captivating story!
The characters are very well developed and engaging. The story line is so intriguing and it certainly pulls you in. I didn’t want to stop reading until I found out where it was going.
How the author intertwined several mysteries going on was entrancing and so very suspenseful.
Your attention is grabbed from the first pages to the last pages.
Brian Freeman books always keep me entertained with so many twists and turns.
I highly recommend you pick up this suspenseful, mystery, thriller. You will not regret reading The Deep, Deep Snow.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

A boy disappears and the residents of a small town are left to wonder what happened. Years later, sheriff's deputy Shelby Lake uncovers a clue and a connection to another case, and ultimately learns about her own origins, a lifelong mystery after she was abandoned on a sheriff's doorstep shortly after she was born.

In this standalone, Freeman evokes life in a remote small town in Maine. The characters are thoroughly developed and the setting is compelling. The plot comes together in a satisfying way without ever straying into sensationalism. I could have done without the touches of the supernatural (much as like owls in real life, I prefer they don't show up as omens), but they aren't overdone and suit the mood of the book. I was especially touched by the way the author treated the onset and progression of dementia in the protagonist's father. Altogether a deeply rewarding story.

Set in small town Minnesota, this story is beautifully written but it is a very slow burn and it took me a few days to read, which is very unusual. 35 years ago the Sheriff Of Mittel County,Tom Ginn, returns from fishing to find a female baby on his doorstep. He names her after the lake he was fishing in, Shelby Lake, and later adopts her. She ends up working as a Deputy in the Mittel County Sheriff’s department with her dad.

Ten years ago 10 year old Jeremiah Sloan disappears. Around the same time Keith Whalan’s wife, Colleen, is shot dead. Keith is convicted of Colleen’s murder, Jeremiah is never found and some things changed forever in the town. Now, in the present, ten years after Jeremiah’s disappearance, evidence is discovered at an abandoned holiday camp that the boy had been there. Suddenly, old secrets are being unearthed and Deputy Shelby Lake starts to realise that she had everything wrong.

In the end the story came together very well in the skilled hands of Brian Freeman. It ended up being quite sad and oozing pathos. The characters were brilliant - realistic and vibrant. Unfortunately I struggled to engage with this one. It’s a case of “it’s not you, it’s me.” The book is wonderful but I can only give it 3.5 stars rounded up. This book will appeal to readers who enjoy a slow burn mystery with lots of feels.

A delightful read, even though it’s a murder mystery. The story flows nicely, and I got immediately drawn into the story. A small town in the middle of nowhere where everyone knows everyone else’s business. A boy disappears, and everyone is looking for him. A local man ends up in prison for killing his wife. Ten years later, and things start unfolding.

Great, quirky characters and they all fit in to this small town. People have kept many secrets for years. Let one slip and many more will come out. Even though the devastating events the town and its people have moved forward. Only no one has forgotten, and what happened has left many people broken.

Beautifully written, with great character descriptions. This book would work well as a TV miniseries. I can see the town and all the characters clearly. The ending came a bit quickly, and there really wasn’t a chance that the reader could figure it out beforehand. So many sad people and destinies, I think this story is one I won’t forget about.

Truly AMAZING! I admit - I read this book twice... I had to. The story is so beautifully told in first-person through Shelby Lake's eyes and experiences. Once I finished, I had to go back and re-read it to catch how Mr. Freeman so carefully plotted and revealed Shelby's story. As a deputy in the small town nicknamed "Everywhere," the novel follows the disappearance of a ten-year-old boy, Jeremiah Sloan, along with the efforts to locate the boy. Mr. Freeman skillfully shows how this little boy's disappearance has ripple effects throughout the county. In addition to the mystery, the relationship between Shelby and her Sheriff father, Tom, is very real - as an individual whose Father has memory issues, I could easily relate. The end is very satisfying... and you'll find yourself wanting to read it again, immediately!! This is a masterpiece, and it should not be missed. I hope we hear more of Shelby Lake's story from Mr. Freeman, as The Deep, Deep Snow is one of my top five books of the year!

Brian Freeman has written so many good books. I've enjoyed them all. But, this book... The Deep Deep Snow is special. The humanity and emotion it evokes causes it to transcend the mystery and thriller that it is. It's powerful. It resonates with me. I think it's his best literary work so far. Read it for yourself.

As a newborn baby, Shelby Lake was left on the doorstep of Sheriff Tom Ginn who adopted and raised her. She now works as his deputy in the very rural Mittel County. The town is called Avery Weir but is –not surprisingly- known as Everywhere. There’s something with the names in this book both those of places and people, they’re colourful but carefully chosen.
Mittel is one of those counties where everybody knows everyone. When a 10-year-old boy goes missing, the local sheriff’s department isn’t capable of handling the case and the FBI gets involved. Much to the displeasure of her partner, it is Shelby who’s chosen as a liaison person. The little boy is never found but they manage to solve a murder that happened a year earlier. Most people assume that the same man is responsible for Jeremiah’s disappearance.
10 years later, a yellow shuttlecock that may have belonged to the boy turns up in a derelict resort, deep in the woods. This new evidence turns things around and it seems that they can no longer trust the timelines and alibis given at the time.

This is the second book I read by this author and it fulfils all its promises. It’s a rather simple story about the disappearance of a young boy, but it’s masterly told. It’s told in a leisurely pace without getting boring. We get to know most of the people involved in the drama, as well as their family and friends. In one of the last places where your business is your neighbour’s and everybody else’s, you can’t hide smaller or bigger secrets for a long time. One of the themes is this book is this love and care for family, friends and community. What it means to be family and that blood is not the only way to define families.
The book is divided into 2 parts: first, there is the investigation at the time of the disappearance and the second part tells the tale of the final investigation after finding the shuttlecock. Everything you think to know from the first part is being questioned and some of the assumptions are obviously wrong. It’s a tragic story, to be honest. I won’t say much more because that would involve spoilers. Only at the end of the book, do we know everything that has happened at the time of the alleged abduction.
The author has deep compassion and understanding of people with Alzheimer. He tackles the subject with real empathy and serenity. It’s such an ugly disease that will scare most of us but he manages to evoke some of the better moments, even when he describes the gradual deterioration of the sheriff. It must be hard to do something like that.
There’s some unsubtle criticism on the US’ crippling medical costs for working people like Breezy that go bankrupt from simple appendicitis. I really don’t understand what and why they have against universal healthcare. Unfortunately, we don’t have the UK’s NHS over in Belgium and we do have to pay something, but nothing as ludicrous as what Americans pay.
The evocation of county Mittel is also done expertly. It’s almost as if you’re watching a painting in progress. It really sounds like one of the friendliest places in the US and I’d love to settle down in one of those rapidly disappearing hideouts. I hope that I can find similar communities in the remoter parts of France, Ireland or Germany (hey, I want to speak the language and the UK has its Brexit).
If you can read only 10 books this year, this is one you should pick.
I thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the free ARC they provided me with, this is my honest, unbiased review of it.

I really liked this book; often when a book is a read now, I figure it is a first attempt. This was an excellent story with good characters and some interesting twists. It is well written and moves along quickly. I found myself wanting to read all of it, rather than my frequent skim technique if I am not captivated, and looking forward to picking up the story each evening.

The mysteriously found little girl who grows up to the apple of her dad's eye, follows in his footsteps to be a small town sheriff. The small town dynamics and secrets and the disappearance of a little boy set several story lines off to a conclusion that is a nice surprise. There a a few clues telegraphed in advance, but not enough to give it all away.

I liked Shelby, the main character and found a kindness for all the characters, even the ones who could be the bad guys.

Very nice surprise, fun book to read, liked it alot. Looking forward to his next one and would love to know who mom could be. While I tend to be stingy with stars, this was such a delightful surprise to read, so feeling generous.

I like to read Brian Freeman between reading a lot of Scandinavian Crime reads. Brian brings everything that is there, all the Scandinavian people, all the bars, everything that is northern Minnesota. He starts out with Sheriff Tom having an owl land on his boat as he was fishing. He wouldn't leave until Tom put everything away and went home. There he found a baby girl left on his doorstep, and named her after the lake he was fishing on. Shelby Lake grew up into a wonderful woman who was empathic with all people. She was also in to owls. What happens is a small boy lost his grandfather several weeks before his brother sent him off and he was lost. They work on this but by that time Sheriff Tom has dementia so they call in the FBI. 10 years fly by and they still haven't found the boy. The same time the boy went missing a woman was shot and her husband was sent to prison. Other characters are brought in to fill what was happening. Shelby Lake saves the day but you most read the story to find out what happened.

The book starts out with some background information of how Shelby Lake actually became Shelby Lake. Shelby then begins telling the story by letting the reader know she is now 35 and we are being taken back 10 years to when Jeremiah Sloan went missing. The first half or so of the book is in this time line, while the second it set in the present. The character building was fantastic, the stories of each of the main characters really draws the reader into the story. As a reader I found myself caring about the characters and having some emotions when bad things happened. For me this is kind of rare. I know many are often drawn into the story, however for me this is not an overly often reaction and that is one of the reason for me willingly giving this a 5 star review. I am very stingy with my 5 stars, but when a book can evoke these emotions in me, it deserves all 5 stars. I do not want to give away any of the goodness, but let me say that I never saw the ending coming. If you0 like thrillers, amazing characters, and a story that keeps you guessing, do yourself a favor and read this book!