This was the first book by this author I've read, but I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of twists and turns in the plot line, and entertaining until the end.

This story was interesting, four women have been killed and they were engaged in relationships with local townsmen including the detective in charge, White Wolf. The story was very descriptive, but it had a strange pace throughout and had found that it was a little hard to follow. I was also confused most of the time so didn’t really enjoy reading the book. I felt that the author was more interested in the White Wolfs personality than the actual story. There was a lot of back and forth between White Wolf when he’s off duty and Soprani when he’s on duty. This wasn’t the book for me.

I decided to DNF this book less than 10% in.
I was a bit sad about this because the mystery seemed incredibly interesting, and I did kind of want to know what happened to the four women. However, I just could not continue, the writing was extremely mechanical and would not allow me to become immersed in the story itself. It's just something that I couldn't get past. I'm not sure if this was because of the author's choice in their writing style, or whether something was lost in the translation of the book itself. I've read translated books before and none of them ever seemed so mechanical and clunky in their wording. Another thing that irked me was the fact that, in the small amount of this book that I read, the main character was referred to by three different names in the narration of the story. If I had have continued, no doubt I would've gotten confused at some point. That's just me though.

Really enjoyed reading this book. Lots of twists and turns in the storyline. Interesting characters in there too. All very good and easy to read.

Good read, set in an Italian Alpine ski village. At times it felt a little clunky and slow, but that may have been because it was translated from Italian.

Is it suicide or murder in this Alpine village?

The setting of this book looked promising - a beautiful Italian Alpine village, popular with tourists for skiing - so what followed was very disappointing.

The story centres around Marzio Santini, who after a stint as a ‘top cop’ in the city has returned to police the village where he was brought up. His first major case is a challenge. A group of four young women tourists are found dead in their hotel room, with gas poisoning. The door was found locked, and to most outsiders, this looks like a case of suicide, but Marzio Santini – or White Wolf as he is known - is confident that this was murder and he sets out to prove it. The case is further complicated as Marzio was having an affair with one of the girls.

The problem is that the writing is over-blown with long, clumsy descriptions, made worse by a terrible translation. The pace for a thriller is, and the tension is further lost by the likely murderer being revealed quite early on. Santini's methods of detection are bizarre and involve using his developed sense of smell, which fails to convince. The writing of the sex scenes is not handled well and actually seemed unnecessary. Added to this, the murderer’s perversions are downright unpleasant.

I’m afraid I didn’t find much to enjoy in this detective thriller.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I really enjoyed the story in this one, it was well planned out and very well developed. It had just the right amount of detail for me and it kept me thoroughly entertained.

I thought that the characters were good, I enjoyed their interaction as they came up against obstacles cracking the case and the setting was excellent. I read a lot of crime thrillers based in the UK so this one was a refreshing change for me.

4 stars from me for this one, a very enjoyable story and highly recommended!!

Thankyou to NetGalley, Aria and the author, Franco Marks, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Blood In The Snow in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I was drawn to this book from the cover art and the premise of the storyline. I was thrilled when I received my copy. I was not disappointed either.
I thought the storyline was well thought out. The characters were well described and the atmosphere was chilling. Would definitely read this author again. 3.5 stars

Like some other reviewers, I found this book difficult to get into as it didn't flow easily, which I assumed is because it was translated from the original language. The action came across as factual and detailed but didn't jump off the page - again maybe a language problem. Saying that, I stuck with it and started to enjoy the description of the setting. The author handled the pressure on the investigative team and the public expactations extremely well and I came to empathise with Santoni, who is a far more complicated character than I imagined. Altogether a book that shouldn't be rushed as so much can be missed - which I almost did. Recommended for readers who like their mysteries multi-layered.

I absolutely love reading crime stories set in Europe and so you can imagine why the synopsis got my interest. I couldn’t wait to start reading and so without further ado I dived straight in.
Marzio Santoni is a bit of a complex character and I think that he is very much a loner. He used to work in a major city but he moved out of the city to live in a ski resort, as he needed peace and quiet- perhaps to allow himself to heal. I think that he had perhaps had had enough of seeing the horrors that man inflicts on fellow man. Santoni doesn’t manage to escape the horrors full stop and it isn’t long until he is drawn into another tense and dramatic police investigation.
Hmm I have to be honest and say that it took me a quite a while to get into this book. It could just be me and the mood I was in when I started to read this book. That said I did wonder if something was lost in translation because the action didn’t have the oomph that I thought that it would have going by the synopsis. I’m sorry if this sounds too heavy on the negative. Now for some positives. I absolutely loved the setting of this book. The author uses such vivid descriptions that if I closed my eyes I could easily imagine that I was in the same ski resort as Santoni with all the associated sounds going on around me. I read this book over the course of a couple of days but that worked in the book’s favour because it meant that I could binge read and then put it to one side for a little while I considered the new developments in the cases. It was as if I was taking the part of the detective myself. I did get a sense of how intense such investigations could be and the pressure that the police find themselves under to produce results. I loved the character of Santoni and I loved how complex he is.
In short, eventually I did enjoy ‘Blood In The Snow’ and I would recommend it to fans of European crime fiction. I would read more from this author in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 3.5* out of 5*.

Life is tough for readers of high-class international crime fiction. These books aren’t like the typical potboiler thriller. Their authors don’t just churn out a by-the-numbers page-turner every six months. A literary crime novel demands dedication and extensive effort to hone to something close to perfection. And then we English speaking types have to endure an even longer delay while someone else equally talented takes the time and trouble to translate complex prose with clarity and precision.

So if, like me, you adore spending time with Commissaire Adamsberg, Inspector Sejer and Inspector Montalbano then you often have to endure a heckuva time lag in between instalments. Fred Vargas, Karin Fossum and Andrea Camilleri can’t just come up with the goods at the drop of a contract. And if all those names mean nothing to you, then you probably won’t be setting off party-poppers right now.

However, we eccentric internationalists have great cause for celebration, thanks to the arrival of Franco Marks on the Eurocrime scene. Readers who romp through fast-paced thrillers found his first Marzio Santoni investigation to be slow-paced, confusing and weirdly written. This – inevitably – piqued my interest, and I’m delighted to report that this murder-mystery is every bit as odd as you might imagine.

The central character is a quirky fellow, a big-city cop who has returned to the remote Alpine village of his youth, seeking a quieter life amid the majestic mountains. He most definitely is not your average DCI Corner of the Yard. Known as the White Wolf, Santoni has a unique sense of smell which forms an essential part of his personality and his investigative method. He also skedaddles around the snow-strewn roads on his faithful scooter – and for once this crime writer really understands what it is to ride a motorcycle and how to depict that experience in print. The bike isn’t simply a device to make the protagonist seem more macho: it’s a vital part of his personality and a strong component of his independence.

For Santoni is most at home in the wilderness, exposed to the elements; challenging nature. The author’s writing vividly and beautifully brings the ski slopes, icy torrents and menacing massifs to life. Santoni’s connection to the wild is powerfully presented, as are his conflicted emotions when it comes to human relationships. The writing won’t suit everyone: it suggests when lesser authors might explain, and it’s understated rather than overblown. Pay attention at the back…

Blood In The Snow isn’t quite perfect; the ending fizzles and fades rather than reaching a resounding conclusion. It’s also being somewhat mis-sold by its trendy tagline (‘the thriller that will give you chills’? Phooey). But overall this murder-mystery was a delight; another eccentric international detective to add to my list. Another treat to eagerly await. Let’s hope the next one doesn’t take too long to get here.

9/10

I really loved the cold, stark and beautiful setting in the Italian mountains of this book. The book is translated from Italian and I think parts were lost in the translation which made it difficult to get into the story. Throw in too many sexual scenes and this book was not for me. Just a bit too unbelievable. Thanks to Net Galley for my copy. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Facebook.

Having just come back from a holiday in the Italian Alps, I was excited to be offered a review copy of Franco Marks’ mystery Blood in the Snow, featuring some of the amazing landscapes of this beautiful region. Isn’t the cover just gorgeous? I’m happy to say that the armchair travel was almost as enjoyable, as Marks skillfully recreated the small mountain villages and towns the story takes place in – I could vividly picture main protagonist Marzio speeding along on his bike around hairpin bends on lonely country roads.

Whilst the armchair travel ticked all the boxes, there was the additional bonus of an intriguing mystery wrapped up in this package. The bodies of four women are found in a holiday apartment in the picturesque ski resort town of Valdiluce. Was it a suicide gone wrong, or murder? DI Marzio Santoni has a very personal stake in solving the mystery, seeing that one of the women had been his mistress, and he is convinced that she would never have taken her own life. Death, however, is very bad for tourism, and the townfolk are only too happy to dismiss the deaths as an unfortunate accident – Marzio’s digging into their affairs is not going to go down well.

I really liked the character of Marzio, who seemed like a breath of fresh air with his outdoor-man persona and his strange ability to pick up scents (yes, it sounds strange, but it added quite a unique quirk to his character). At times he tended to be a bit too maudlin, but it suited the remote setting and small town atmosphere the author was trying to convey.

I think the one thing that let the story down at times was the translation from Italian, which was often a bit too literal and could have done with some tweaking. I realise the difficulty in staying true to the author’s unique voice and making the prose more palatable for an international audience, which must be hard. However, if in doubt I would always opt for the latter, as the overall enjoyment of the book ultimately comes down to the reader’s ability to understand and relate to events depicted. Having just been to Italy I was able to overlook these minor quibbles and appreciate the sometimes unusual wording as something that added character to the story.

All in all, Blood in the Snow was an intriguing, slow burning police procedural set in the beautiful Italian Alps, which made for great armchair travel whilst also giving me a mystery to get stuck into.

Translated from the original Italian (beautifully, by the way, there was no hint of awkwardness or non-fluid English grammar) Blood In The Snow lost none of the lyrical quality which transports the reader to the small Italian skiing village high in the Alps where the story is set.

Marzio Santoni was born in the mountains and after a stint as a top city detective, has returned to the quiet life. His calm, relaxed world is suddenly upended completely when four young female tourists - one of whom he’d been having an affair with - are found dead in their hotel apartment.

This is where the definite difference between country Italian policing and the crime thrillers from the UK and USA are thrown into stark relief, because such a close relationship would immediately see Marzio disqualified from having anything to do with the case under the laws on those countries. In Italy, however, things seem rather more relaxed and nobody even seems to think to question Marzio whether he has an alibi or not! Instead, he’s put under pressure to declare the case a joint suicide and close it quickly so life in Valdulice can return to its normal, sleepy pace.

Marzio, also known as White Wolf, isn’t about to bow to official pressure. A methodical man who likes to take his time and investigate every tiny lead which presents, although his emotions are engaged in the case he refuses to be hurried, and eventually finds his way to the answer.

I enjoyed this read, but I don’t think it’s the action-packed adventure with a shocking twist which the blurb seems to imply. And because unfortunately the blurb does need to be an accurate representation of the book, I have to knock this one down to four stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

I don't know if it's because of the translation or what (I always seem to think it is the translator), but Blood in the Snow by Franco Marks was very different than what I thought it was going to be, and at times a bit confusing.

What it's about: Inspector Marzio Santoni (AKA White Wolf) is the local public safety officer at a quiet ski resort town called Valdiluce; a job he does while riding around on his Vespa. Four women are on holiday there (one of them being White Wolf's new lover) when all four ladies are found dead in their room the day they are supposed to leave. Both the mayor and police boss put pressure on White Wolf saying the case needs to be ruled either an accident or suicide, but it needs to go away (and quick) so as to not hurt the tourist traffic of the small town. This is a problem though because White Wolf doesn't think this was an accident OR suicide, he thinks it was murder...

One thing that was confusing was the author constantly switches between calling our main character White Wolf and his real name, Marzio Santoni. This oftentimes will even happen in the same paragraph and I found myself forgetting both names were his. Also, for some reason the author decided to make the police boss' name Soprani which I also kept getting confused with our main character White Wolf / Santoni.

There is some gritty content about sex in the novel that I wasn't really expecting, and it wasn't just sex scenes, although bits of a few are alluded to. Marks' descriptions are very matter-of-fact, and this definitely isn't a book with flowery language. We follow along with the mystery of how the women died (murder/suicide/accident) while we are also getting to know White Wolf, and this book is definitely a bit of a character study.

Despite the confusing parts, Blood in the Snow reads very quickly and I basically finished it in a day. I think the ending was a bit abrupt and the big reveal not as shocking as it could have been because of the way the book is written. Under normal circumstances I may have been shocked, but instead I just felt a little disappointed / grossed out.

Final Thought: This is a super gritty, matter-of-fact novel about the suspected murder of four women, but the focus is not just on the deaths. If you are looking for a slow-burn mystery and you don't mind the sexual parts, this would be worth checking out. It wasn't really for me, but I definitely think it has potential for people to love it. This author might need a different translator though for most of us to really understand it.

I often like to indulge in international crime fiction but often find it difficult to write a review for a book that was originally written in a different language, Italian in this case, if I found it a disappointing experience. I don't know whether something was lost in translation or it was the actual story that was the problem, so where the blame lies is not entirely discernible. The setting was stark and beautiful, and I always tend to love thriller or mysteries set in cold, snowy climates. I always appreciate it when an author attempts to create an original story too, but some of the details in Blood in the Snow were just plain weird. For instance, Marks borrows lupine characteristics, namely their innate ability to follow a smell, to make his protagonist, Marzio Santoni, stand out. However, Marzio's descriptions of people referred to by their odd-scent is quite a difficult thing to get your head around and even now I'm not sure how I feel about it!

Another aspect that I found odd was the ridiculous sex scenes. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no prude but sexual liaisons that don't add anything to the plot or advance it in any way are completely pointless in my opinion. The pace is really quite slow, and the suspense is sorely lacking. However, the author has done a stellar job of conveying the remoteness of the Italian mountain setting and of making the characters ones that are interesting and thoroughly developed. It definitely feels more like a character study than a plot-driven novel. At under 200 pages, this is a short read but with plenty of action packed into it. Unfortunately, this is not a book I enjoyed.

Many thanks to Aria for an ARC.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

and what a strange book it was...think it lost something in the translation though.. the premise was good but very strange

4 women are found dead in an apartment suspected suicide..the town want it to be a suicide but our hero who was involved with one of them leaves nothing unturned...

I am sorry. This book was just not for me. I did not like the way people are described in the book and the amount of unnecessary sex.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Marzio Santoni lives in the small apartment in the ski resort of Valdiluce. He's left the big city life .. so much violence, so many dead bodies, in his chosen career in law enforcement. He relocated here as a protection servant for the peace and quiet.

And that's exactly what he got until .....

Four young women are discovered dead, seemingly a suicide pact. Each of those women, although on vacation from their homes and husbands .... had engaged in relationships with local townsmen. Marzio was one of t he townsmen.

When he's called to investigate, he just can't believe it. He throws off the idea of suicide, which his superiors are insistent that it is nothing else. A verdict of murder would hurt their economy as this is a tourist town.

Fighting against his police chief, his own emotions and the evidence stacked against him, Marzio is caught up in a race against time to discover what truly happened.

Marzio is a unique character. Known as White Wolf when he's not working, he refers to people by their odd smells, although no one else has his ability to smell. The two names seem to represent two people and sometimes they seem to blur.

The suspense is of the low sort, the book not really picking up speed. The pacing seems a little off, but I'm not sure if it is the author's writing or the translation. The ending came as a bit of surprise.

Many thanks to the author / Aria / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

When four young woman are found dead in an apartment in the ski resort of Valdiluce. It is Marzio Santoni job to investigate. Although everyone in the town hopes that it is suicide or an accident he is not sure.
Although an interesting story the writing style was not to my taste. Whether this is because of the original style or translation that is difficult to tell.