Snow Creek by Gregg Olsen
This book has it all, murder, mystery and twists but somehow it still didn't grab me like other books by this author. Not a bad story just a complicated one that I had to work at to stay interested and at times it was just so out there....thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Snow Creek. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Detective Megan Carpenter has both a missing person and a body: are they one and the same? As the detective investigates the disappearance of Ida Watson, she cannot help but find some puzzling aspects regarding the living situation of her teenage children. As Megan unpacks the secrets of Ida's life, can she finally confront the past that she has spent a lifetime trying to forget?

I am usually a big fan of Gregg Olsen, but this novel was a disappointment for me. The author spent so much time making sure the reader knew all about Megan's past that the present storyline was lacking. It was obvious to me that readers have not heard the last of Detective Megan Carpenter, but I personally am not compelled to read more.

This book is #1 in a new series written by one of my favourite authors.. It grabbed me from the first page. This book will keep you on your toes . This book had chapters that alternate between past and present. I loved the plot and couldnt put this book down. I look forward to reading Waters Edge to continue the series.

There are few authors who I will read regardless of what they write: fiction, non-fiction, series, stand-alone. Gregg Olsen is one of those authors. Imagine my surprise when I was reading the second book in the Megan Carpenter series and realized that I never had formally reviewed the first book. AAAggghhh. Let me say that it is difficult to go wrong with one of Olsen's books and Snow Creek is no exception.

Snow Creek is the first in the Detective Megan Carpenter series. Carpenter has left behind a dark, murky past to start a new career in Snow Creek Washington. Her first case is a missing persons case that appears a likely accident until Carpenter gets a closer look. In addition to solving the murder case, there is a sub-plot regarding a series of tapes from Carpenter's childhood. It adds a dimension to the story line that I found intriguing. Between the suspense of the murder and the psychological sub-plot, Olsen has, again, provided us with a solid, well written crime story. Both Snow Creek and Water's Edge are available now at Amazon and local booksellers.

Very promising start to a new series.

I was so engrossed I finished the book in one day. Dark & twisted - just the way I like my books!

Slightly frustrated that it ends on a cliffhanger however I’m now away to read the next in the series.

I flew through this novel in less than a day and I thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to Detective Megan Carpenter. She's clever and full of empathy for the victims of the crimes she investigates, but she also has a dark past of her own that Olsen begins to unpack in this first book in the series. She's a fascinating character and she definitely has a lot to give as the series continues.

Snow Creek, is, as the title suggests, set in the isolated area of Snow Creek. The descriptions of the setting are beautiful and I really felt as though I had been transported there for the duration of the novel. The sense of isolation and the attitude of some members of the Snow Creek community made me feel really uneasy and created an atmosphere that was full of tension.

The plot of Snow Creek is quite complex, but Olsen has set the story out very well so that it all comes together in a satisfying way. There are a few twists and turns as it unfolds and I wanted to know what would happen.

Snow Creek ends on a cliffhanger, and I look forward to seeing how the series continues!

I'm on the blog tour in early March for book 2 in Gregg Olsen's Detective Megan Carpenter series Water's Edge so I decided I'd go back and read book 1 in the series Snow Creek first to give me a feel for it...
I'm so glad I did because it laid the foundations as they say....
I'm a huge fan of following a series usually preferring I think to get in from the very beginning. That's not to say I won't jump in at book 8 in a series either.
Greg's cover for Snow Creek I will admit won me over....
But what a start to what I hope will be a cracking series...
We meet Detective Megan Carpenter in this one..
Like many, she has her issues and we get to see a little of them in this first instalment.....
I found this to be quite a dark read, made all the more by the scene of the crime that is Snow Creek.
Far away from any normal kind of living and human contact. No phone coverage, no neighbours for miles...an eerily distracting place..
A burnt out vehicle that has been found by a couple with a body wrapped up in carpet in the back of it, quickly begs the questions who is it and how did it get here....
Megan and her colleagues need to have their wits about them to solve this one.
An interesting storyline with a central character I completely warmed to.
I'm very interested to see where the author will take his character in his next book...
Well worth your time...

'Snow Creek' is another thrilling mystery that fans of the author and the genre are going to love. I've read some of the author's other books and I've really enjoyed them. This was no exception. I liked every aspect of the book - from the setting to the characters and the plot. The author has an incredible way of bringing the character's world to life for the reader. He uses amazing attention to detail and vivid imagery to make it feel as if we're right beside the main character throughout the story.

I really liked the main character of this book - Megan Carpenter. She's complex, realistic, and I could easily identify with her right from the beginning of the story. She has some fantastic traits and qualities - determination, strength, intelligence, and bravery. But like everyone else, she has issues that she's buried that get brought to the surface and she has to deal with throughout the story. It made her all the more real and easy to connect to for me as a character. The plot was intriguing and well written - just like all of the other author's books. There's a tightly wound mystery that needs solved as the stakes get higher and more dangerous at every turn. There's definitely some great twists and turns that I didn't see coming - so it kept me on my toes and reading as quickly as I could to see what was going to happen next. Overall, it's another fantastic mystery/thriller by a very talented author that I would highly recommend to fans of the author, mysteries, thrillers, and also contemporary fiction.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A great introduction to a new series. Excited to read more by this author.

I am a huge Gregg Olsen fan, but I was a little disappointed in Snow Creek. The story was very convoluted and it was hard to follow at the beginning. Detective Megan Carpenter has a troubled past but she continues to try to do her job. Ruth Turner walks into the Sheriff’s office claiming her sister Ida Watson has been missing for over a month, Megan feels that she has to find her. Megan does find her but not her missing husband. Their children are left alone and there are many unanswered questions. Megan works to find the answers, and continues to deal with her own issues.

Really enjoyed this fast paced, well-written thriller. The characters were well developed and the storyline had me gripped. :Looking forward to second instalment! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.
There is no denying Gregg Olsen's talent. All of his books are brilliant. Snow Creek is just another hit to add to the list.
This book has the perfect amount of suspense and twist and turns.
Read it.

Gripping writing and I love Megan.

Will anxiously await the following books so hurry up and write faster!

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for a copy of this book

I have to say this book was a very good surprise for me. I enjoyed it very much! The story caught me right away and I was on a great ride from there. I enjoyed that the book kept me guessing what was going to happen next. I like the character of Megan. I have not read anything from this author before but I will be looking for more. "This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review."

I was a little disappointed since I did not realize it was going to be continued, and felt let down by there being no conclusion. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!!

The writing is gripping and keeps you reading to get to the conclusion!

Every once in a while a book comes along and blows all the others out of the water. You find yourself reliving the plot in your head for weeks and can't wait for the next instalment. For me, that book is Snow Creek.
There are several threads of suspense weaving their way through the story and hooking the reader right from the beginning.
Who are the two old ladies living in this isolated spot and why don't they want anyone to know where they are?
Where are the missing couple and why have they been trying to deceive even their own children?
Why doesn't Ruth want her husband to know she is talking to the police?
Then there is the biggest mystery of all, what exactly happened to Megan as a child?
The author manages to keep all these stories going at the same time which must be no mean feat culminating in a shocking conclusion.
Megan's story however, is obviously going to.be drip fed to us throughout a series of books with the intention of keeping the reader interested..it works! I am on tenterhooks watching for any word of the next one.

If you never read any books by Gregg Olsen, pick this one and start, you have a lot of catching up to do. Snow Creek introduces us to Megan Carpenter. She's a policeman determined to get justice for every victim. This alone is enough to make the story a great read, but add in the fact that she has a mystery in her past that will unravel slowly throughout the series and you have more reasons to keep coming back. I've read many Gregg Olsen books and found each one an exciting journey starting at page 1. All I can say is....read this book!

Wowza!! I've always wanted to read a book by Gregg Olsen after seeing the reviews on his previous books, so when I got a chance to read Snow Creek, I grabbed it with both hands. Snow Creek is a great start to a new Detective Megan Carpenter series. The book is fast-paced, twisted and gritty. It kept me guessing till the very end!

Detective Megan Carpenter is the newest recruit in quiet Jefferson County’s Port Townsend. The most horrible crime the county has ever seen are cases of domestic violence and small offenses. So when Ruth Turner turns up at the station with a complaint that she hasn't heard back from her sister Ida Wheaton for a long time, Megan goes along to do a welfare check. The sisters have never been 'close' so to speak and Ruth reporting Ida missing sounds like a false alarm. With nothing else going on, Megan decides to dig deeper owing to the fact that Ida and her husband, who also seems to be away have left behind, two young children. Soon an adventurer in the forest, discovers a corpse of a woman burnt beyond recognition in a hidden abandoned vehicle. Megan must unravel the disturbing secrets of the isolated Snow Creek community if she is to catch the killer.

But Megan has dark secrets of her own too…

Hidden in the back of her closet is a box of tapes containing every single recording of her therapy sessions with Doctor Albright over thirteen years ago. As Megan begins to play the tapes, she’s taken straight back to her terrifying childhood, back to the time she was a kid called Rylee, fighting to survive. Can Megan finally confront the past she’s spent years trying to block out and will listening to her own painful story help her solve the complex case she is now entangled in?

I loved the character of Megan, her past sounds intriguing and I can't wait to read the next book to read more about her. I loved the plot of this book, its complicated and dark - a perfect combination according to me. The sub-plot involving the characters of Amy and Regina was good, but it was a bit predictable. The flow of the book seemed a bit disjointed to me, but the compelling content more than made up for it. I loved this book and finished it one sitting! Can't wait for the next!

Thank You, NetGalley Bookouture and Gregg Olsen for an arc!

This is the first book in a new series by Gregg Olsen and I thank NetGalley and the author for giving me a sneak peek. People in Snow Creek, Washington, are there for the seclusion -they want to be left alone.
Some just want to live off the grid, while others may be hiding secret lives they do not want to have exposed. Detective Megan Carpenter has her own reasons for moving here, but she is a good cop and will do her best on the job. Great character descriptions and a well thought out story. I'm looking forward to the next in the series!

Rating: 3.5 rounded down.

My first 2020 read! Snow Creek is a mystery thriller by Gregg Olsen and is the first book in the Detective Megan Carpenter series.

The book focuses on Snow Creek—an isolated, forested location in Washington which houses the few people that wish to lead a lifestyle completely disconnected from the rest of the world. At the beginning, the book follows three storylines: the first is that of Regina and Amy, a couple that reside in one of the houses on Snow Creek. Their lives are disrupted when Regina comes across a dead body in the woods. The second storyline is that of Detective Megan Carpenter's dark past which we get glimpses of as she plays tapes recorded during her therapy sessions when she was younger. The third storyline is that of Megan investigating the gruesome murders in Snow Creek after a woman reports her sister, who lives in Snow Creek, missing. The complicated murders and the confusing evidence leads to a fast paced thriller that is hard to put down.

The mystery was enjoyable and the writing was great, but after spending a few minutes thinking about the story, I found that not everything about the case was tied up neatly. I still have a few questions that went unanswered, leaving me disappointed. Adding to that, the book ends on a cliffhanger related to Megan's past, meant to lure the reader into reading the next one. I understand why the book ended the way it did but after having built up the suspense around Megan's past right from the start, I was hoping for a complete explanation by the end. Others might enjoy the cliffhanger but sadly, I didn't.

Despite all of its shortcomings, it was a fun read. I am in two minds about wanting to read the next book in the series so I guess I will just have to wait until it is released for me to make up my mind. Again, this isn't one that I'd highly recommend. But if you don't have any other crime procedurals on your TBR and you're craving for one, this one would work just fine.

[I'd like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and Gregg Olsen for this ARC.]