The Snow Storm

An Isolated setting and a murder my favourite type of story but this just had something missing for me it was quite slow paced in places and I did find myself glazing over a few parts. I did enjoy the narration and if I hadn't had the audio I would have struggled with some of the pronunciations so I'm glad I had the ebook and audio together. It was still an enjoyable Snowy setting read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Triona Walsh for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

My thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Triona Walsh for giving me the chance to read this wonderfully crafted thriller. Cara is the only Garda on an island at the edge of the world; a tourist attraction in the summer months becomes isolated for a few days due to a violent snowstorm. While the storm is raging, a crime is discovered and it falls to Cara to investigate since there is no way any detective can come over from mainland to investigate. With humble resources and no experience in the forensic science Cara gets to the truth; her best friend is killed by one of her other friends. While reading I kept going back and forth between characters trying to speculate who the killer is but I couldn’t for the life of me guess. The best part of the novel was the reveal at the end. The description of the landscape is so amazing it felt I was there. A very amusing, suspenseful read.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

It’s an icy New Year’s Eve. Snow blankets a windswept Irish island as the wild Atlantic Ocean rages. Six friends gather. It has been ten years since the tragedy that tore them apart. A lot can change in a decade. The celebrations have barely begun when one of the guests goes missing. As the snow thickens, the body is found.

I was originally intrigued by the whodunit aspect of this book. I always like to try to solve the mystery and figure out the motivations of each of the characters. The author did a good job with the detective side of the writing and the logical progression of the advancing storyline. The ending was semi-satisfying in that the underlying reasons for the murder and the past fit well together, although, how it played out was also a bit rushed and frenzied.

It’s a reunion of sorts. Six friends, here on an Aryan island at New year’s eve to have a commemoration service for their friend who died 10 years ago that day. All natives of the island, three have not been back since the tragic accident, three remained but they have all moved on with their lives since that day and there has been little contact between them till this weekend.
   The body of one of the six, who has been mysteriously absent is discovered floating in a cove bound and gagged. The garda on this little island is Cara………besides being the person in charge, the victim is also her best friend so her emotions and involvement to solve this case is personal. The murdered Maureen knew she was in danger and left Cara clues for the reason of her anticipated demise……….and Cara recognized them. But now she had to put the pieces together and what did it have to do with the group? What transpires in the course of the weekend makes it hard to believe thy were all so close…or were they?
   There are so many secrets, long harbored resentments, biased townspeople and Irish myths. While the gaelic dialogue may have been lost on the reader it plays an important role in the final scenes.
   The constantly raging blizzard and the countryside were described impeccably.

2.5/5 stars. This kind of secluded cabin/trapped in an island story has been done and re-done so many times it’s almost exhausting, so if you choose to do it yet again it needs to be really good in order to stand out. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the case here. While I did enjoy the setting and atmosphere, I didn’t care for the characters and therefore didn’t really care about what happened to them. The story dragged for way too long and was pretty predictable, and while the writing itself wasn’t half bad I wish the author wouldn’t use so many short and abrupt sentences as it really impacted the flow and made it hard to read - it reminded me of Mary Kubica whose books I don’t read precisely for this reason. Overall it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. I’d still give the author another chance if her next work has a more original premise.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of The Snowstorm by Triona Walsh. 6 friends meet on New Years Eve to hold a memorial for one of their friends who died ten years ago. It is an icy snowstorm that sets the stage for this thrilling murder mystery. Phones don't work, there is no Wi-Fi, and except for Cara there are no police on this remote Irish island. Someone is dead, they are all alone, who will be next? I loved the characters and the descriptions of the Irish island. Triona Walsh wrote this so well, I could feel the ice cold and it made me shiver. Great mystery, great atmosphere and lots of thrills. Fast paced, and a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

10 years ago a terrible accident took the life of Cara's husband on New Year's Eve. On the tenth anniversary, Cara and her five friends decide to gather and celebrate his life. As the only Garda on this remote Irish island, Cara is busy preparing for a massive storm while the rest of her friend group gathers at the old family home of her deceased husband. The storm arrives on the island with ferocity and Cara hunkers down with her friends to give honor to the memory of days long gone. Early the first morning Cara is alerted to a body found in the midst of the blizzard and she travels out to recover the body. A painful shock awaits her when she finally gets to the body and discovers it to be someone she knows well. Told by the mainland Garda to wait until the storm breaks and they can send reinforcements to investigate, Cara forges on for answers to this person's death. Her dogged determination to discover the truth leads to surprising discoveries about the present, and the past. But with the snow falling fast and furious, the evidence and truth are getting buried. The end of the snowstorm can't come quickly enough for Cara.

I really liked this title. I thought it was well-written, well-developed, and had enough "slight of hands" to keep the reader wondering if whoever did it actually did it. I saw one review that said they knew right away who committed the murder but I call foul on that. Walsh included several paths one could choose to get to the end and only one of them contained the correct murderer, so perhaps that person just happened to choose the path with the murderer on their first guess. I really liked the character of Cara, I thought she was strong, smart, and resilient. Really glad I got to read this one!

Several friends get together for a weekend. A snowstorm hits, trapping them. Soon….there’s a murder. Who is the killer? Only time will tell!

I was a bit confused, cause I thought that the characters would be locked in a cabin together. But they were on a whole-ass island, making it a little less intense. I did overall enjoy the plot and story, but unfortunately, it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped.
I think the characters could've been expanded on a little more. Especially Daithi, it felt like he just existed to help Cara and didn't have much use other than that.
A decent book that I liked but didn't really love. But I would still recommend it if you're into mystery and thrillers! I hope you enjoy your read!

When the snowstorm starts building up on New Year’s Eve on an Island off the coast of Ireland the only constable Cara is not concerned. She’s quite the opposite all her childhood friends are getting together to honor her late husband Killian‘S 10 year death anniversary and that’s about how long it’s been since she seen most of her friends. AlthoughDathie and Maura still live on the island the other half of the group have flown in for the occasion. When she arrives back on the island after being away in Gallway for Work she immediately goes to Daithe’s pub to pick him up. It’s obvious the locals aren’t that keen on Kerea because despite the fact her dad is from the island she spent her first 10 years in the big city. She is excited to reunite with her friends. Her and Daithe are supposed to pick up Maura and meet the rest of the gang at Killiand Shaemus‘s family home. When they don’t hear from the local school teacher Maura they just assume her Wi-Fi must still be out and without Wi-Fi there’s no cellular service on the island would she gets a message that there is a body in serpents Cove A natural swimming pool that nature has made off of the mountain her and Daithe go just to get a quick look. When she sees she may be able to retrieve the body she does and almost loses her life that isn’t a shocking is the fact the body in serpents Cove it’s her best friend and local school teacher Maura. Kerry cannot fat them who would want to kill the sweet Smart caring person. When she starts to investigate she will see the people she thought were good or horrible and those she thought were horrible or actually not so bad but most of all her friend group will shrink immensely and there will be new revelations that are much older than this New Year’s weekend. Let me start my personal reflections of the book by saying I cannot think of one bad thing about this book. Cara is one bad ass lady and it’s not just her character the way the author writes is a style I really love. She describes just the look for a passing glance and it is if you see the whole picture I don’t even know how to describe it. I absolutely loved this book in a few love a good thriller and a great mystery you need to read The SnowStorm by Triona Walsh you will definitely not be disappointed. She adds a local flair and flavor that is irresistible I just found the whole book compulsively readable and a total five star read! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Childhood friends - the ones who know you best or distant acquaintances?

Synopsis:
It’s an icy New Year’s Eve. Snow blankets a windswept Irish island as the wild Atlantic Ocean rages.

Six friends gather. It has been ten years since the tragedy that tore them apart. A lot can change in a decade. Childhood bonds are now lifelong secrets. Dear friendships have twisted into deep jealousies.

The celebrations have barely begun when one of the guests goes missing. As the snow thickens, the body is found. Then the storm wreaks havoc on the island. Everyone is trapped – there is no way out. No electricity. No phone signal. Nobody knows who to trust. No one is who they seem. Because one of them is a killer, and one will be dead next…

What I liked:
✔️The setting - An island cut off from the mainland during a blizzard, you can’t get much more locked room than that.
✔️The island culture - Tough, gritty people who look after themselves and their neighbors. The culture combined with the snowstorm to create a very creepy, atmospheric setting.
✔️The main character - I’m glad she got a happy ending.
✔️Patrick Kelly - What a sweet soul. He really tugged at my heartstrings.

What I could have done without:
🚫The length - It felt really long to me. Like a Kristen Hannah book (IMO), you could probably chop 50+ pages and not change the story at all.
🚫The cover - This is totally a minor thing, but it drives me nuts that snowstorm is made into two words on the cover 😵‍💫

🚨Spoilers ahead🚨
🚫Maura - She’s supposed to be this wonderful person, but is having an affair with one of her childhood best friends who is married to another of her childhood best friends. That doesn't mean she deserved to die, but maybe don’t make her out to be such a saint?
🚫The rave - I’m supposed to believe that the storm is so bad rescue boats and helicopters can’t get to the island, but a group of New Year’s Eve partiers can?

I’m quite stunned that this is a debut novel, it’s so rounded it feels like it’s been penned by an experienced writer. I really really enjoyed this. It’s fast paced, there are lots of twists and turns and the setting is beautifully described. On the 10th anniversary of the death of one of ‘the gang’ three of the original members return to Inis Mor, a beautiful, though bleak in the winter, Island off the coast of Ireland. Cara, Maura and Daithi have stayed and as the 6 friends gather the Island is cut off from the mainland by a ferocious winter storm and this brilliant claustrophobic locked in drama unfolds. Soon one of the 6 are dead and the only thing for sure is that the murderer is still on the Island with them. Some desperately narcissistic characters and a wonderful twisty turny plot. An excellent read in a magical mystical setting that I found myself googling constantly.

This is the kind of thriller I read in one sitting. People kept asking my 'why are you glued to your phone?' Because I want to find out whodunnit, duh! It had so many elements I love: Inis Mór, cut off from the mainland in a blizzard, was a harsh, unforgiving setting. Cara, the only Garda on the island and unused to cases more dangerous than simple robbery, straddled the line between a police detective and an amateur sleuth in a realistic and compelling way. The closed cast of characters, who got more suspicious with every revelation, had me guessing almost all the way to the end.

I enjoyed this a lot and would be interested in reading what this author writes in the future. ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

This book was well done! It had me guessing til the end and questioning every character in the story. I very much enjoyed it!

Cara is a policewoman on a small island in Ireland. She is meeting up with old friends for the 10 year anniversary of the death of her husband. While there, a huge storm has come and everyone is stranded on the island until it ends. During this storm, a report comes in of a body being found by the water. Now they are stuck on an island with a murderer(s), while trying to stay hunkered down and out of the storm. Of course this makes Cara's job a little harder. There were quite a few suspects for Cara to look into and question. Cara did such a great job finding the truth!

I was very happy with the way the ending played out! I have never read a book by this author and am excited to check out her others.

3.5 stars rounded up.

It's an icy New Year's Eve. Snow blankets a windswept Irish island as the wild Atlantic Ocean rages. Six friends gather. It's been ten years since the tragedy that tore them apart. A lot can change in a decade. Childhood bonds are now lifelong secrets. Dear friendships have been twisted into jealousies. A happy reunion is shattered by a dead body.

Cara tries to solve the mystery of who had killed her friend Maura. Cara is the only police officer on a small Irish island. Cara is a widow. It's the tenth anniversary of his death. Her friends are coming to the island, the old gang will be back together celebrating her husband's life. As per usual in these kinds of stories, a storm gets up and no one can leave the island. Now, one of the friends is dead. The story starts off with a slow pace, but it soon picks up. The premise has been done several times, and I'm sure we will see it several times more. There are plenty of twists and red herrings. The story is told from multiple points of view. This is a well written story. The characters all have secrets. I will read more from this author in future.

Thank you to the publishers for the ARC.

The Snowstorm provides a thrilling and twisty story of a group of old friends trapped during a terrible snowstorm stranded on an island. Their reunion is in perial from the start. The chapters start slower allowing the characters to build and provide some backstory, but picks up pretty quick. Within the group is the sole local officer who must find the murderer of another friend from the group. Who came home with an agenda? Who can she trust?
The way it's written keeps you on the edge to find out what exactly happened and who did it.
The only trouble I had with the book were the names being Irish heritage since they were harder to pronounce, but I made something up on my head and carried on.

Well done! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Snowstorm is a standalone mystery thriller by author, Triona Walsh. This is my first book by this author, but when I read the blurb I just knew this one would be great. Set on a small Irish island, this chilling and twist filled mystery thriller will leave your heart racing and the pages flying by. I enjoyed the fast-paced story and isolated setting which is the perfect combination for a murder mystery. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the author pulls another twist. I loved the concept of old friends reuniting and having to discover who to trust. The only thing that would have really elevated this already great story would have been to learn more backstory about these characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Impending Menace..
A decade has passed since a tragedy that tore a friendship group apart. Now, as those friends gather once again on a freezing and snowbound New Year’s Eve, a storm gathers and the friends are trapped on an island with no access to the outside world. Things are about to get much worse - as when the missing become the dead who can you trust? A slow burn, atmospheric and suspenseful whodunit with twists and turns aplenty and a quiet underlying sense of impending menace.

An immersive and very atmospheric mystery novel set on a remote Irish Island cut off from the outside world during winter. Great character development over the story as the mystery unfolds. The Irish setting and the addition of local island superstitions and language added to the mystery and unease. The relationship dynamics between the old friends was beautifully written and very engrossing. A novel to devour in one sitting on a cosy afternoon. Many thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

Fast-paced and entertaining. THE SNOWSTORM is a recommended purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.