It’s been a year since a serial killer haunted Kirkby Abbey, and this year Detective James Walker just wants to have a quiet festive season with his wife, Annie. Unfortunately, the murder of a family on their farm on Christmas Eve puts paid to those plans. When Robert and Mary Bateman are found dead along with their daughter Charlotte in an apparent murder-suicide, the community is rocked, not least because Oaktree Farm was the site of a similar tragedy twenty-four years previously, which left a couple dead and their daughter missing. As the investigation wears on, James begins to realise that perhaps the deaths of the residents of Oaktree farm are linked together more strongly than he imagined.

“The Killer in the Snow” is the second book in the DI James Walker series, and it was just as enjoyable as (if not more so) its predecessor. I read the first James Walker book a year ago, and remember it being a really wonderfully atmospheric mystery set in a small town around Christmas, which just ticked all my boxes. My gripes with the previous book were that the writing and dialogue sometimes felt a little bit too stiff and that there was a subplot that trailed through the book that felt as if it had no business being there. On the first of these aspects, “The Killer in the Snow” has vastly improved: I did not feel that there was any awkward or stumbling dialogue in this book, and I found it was easy to read and digest. I was never once pulled from the story because of weirdly stiff dialogue, which I was glad of.

However, on the second note, the book still left something to be desired. There was still a subplot running through this book that dealt with Andrew Sullivan – the man who had terrorized James and Annie while they lived in London and precipitated their move to Kirkby Abbey. Without giving anything away, this subplot felt a little bit shoehorned into the book and it didn’t feel as fully developed as it could have been. I recognize that there was little else the author could do in terms of resolving it in the timeframe (because anything more prolonged would have been completely unrealistic), but I do think that it may have been better served as the plot of a book its own. This didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of this book, though; I just thought that the book wasn’t quite big enough to balance both plots.

As for the main plot – the murder investigation – I thought it moved along at a good pace and was engaging. The approach of taking the characters from one interview to the next, though, did feel a little bit same-y, and I felt that this technique wasn’t quite as compelling as other authors’ usage of it. I also found it a little bit repetitive when James would conduct a team meeting and summarise the new findings and clues of the day for the benefit of the rest of the team. This felt a bit like padding, and something which could have been sacrificed for a little bit more subplot focus. That being said, the actual mystery was interesting, and where the book did repeat itself a little, it was short enough to be over before you really noticed it.

Disappointingly, I spotted the major twist reveal at the end of the book by about 40% of the way through the book. This isn’t to say it’s a bad twist; in fact, the only reason I spotted it was because I thought “You know what would be a great twist in this book?” and apparently Alex Pine thought the same thing. Overall, I think the story was good, although I was hoping for another big twist to really break the ending wide open, like in Pine’s first book.

All in all, I think “The Killer in the Snow” is a really good follow-up to “The Christmas Killer” and I definitely think that Alex Pine has cemented himself as a go-to author for me. All the things I enjoyed about the first James Walker mystery were back, and some of the things I didn’t enjoy were smoothed over. All in all, I think this is a great book to pick up (as a sequel or standalone; it works well enough either way), with a satisfying mystery set in a beautifully cosy setting that is just perfect for getting lost in. I am very much looking forward to the next book that Alex Pine has to offer.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

This is the second book in a series but you don’t need to have read the first one as I hadn’t although now I have read this one and enjoyed it I am going to read the first one.

The main character is James a detective who has moved from London to the Lake District. He thinks it will be a quieter life than London but boy is he wrong!

A family is discovered on their farm dead just after Christmas. It looks at first like the father killed his wife and daughter and then kills himself. But, there are some bloody footprints in the snow leading away from the property, who else was there, did they have anything to do with it, or did they see what happened. At the same farm 24 years ago the previous owners were killed and their baby went missing, are the cases linked or is it just a tragic coincidence.

Add into the mix a London gangland criminal after the main character and you have a great book.

Another Christmas for DI Walker and another killing in his small town. He and his wife moved here to get away from the city and all of the crime and it has followed him to Kirkby Abbey. This time his wife is pregnant and they are both fearful that a crime lord who got released from jail is coming to exact revenge. It doesn't help that a family is found murdered and the detective is up to his eyeballs in leads/suspects. This book follows the detective investigation step by step to help him solved this crime.

Well what a gripping page turner this book is. It kept me reading into the early hours.

This is book 2 in the DI James Walker series. It has just as much drama and intensity as the first one.

I was hooked from page one and even though I guessed a small part of the plot I was intrigued to find out why. Full of twists and turns that keep the pages turning. I loved it and can't wait to read the next one.

A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet and he was hoping for a smooth and uneventful for this year. Unfortunately, that's not what happen.
A day after Christmas, a body of a local farmer was found alongside with his wife and daughter. They lived in a secluded area which makes it even more difficult searching for eye witness and evidences to find out the reason for the gruesome murders.
Not just that, the crime scene was most likely being staged as the same unsolved case happen in the same place 24 years ago. Is there a connection to all this ?

I really like how the plot is easy to follow, the flow is smooth with all the complicated evidence and the mysterious unsolved case 24 years ago this one is quite a page turner for me!
I keep flipping the pages to know which clue came up and what will happen next.

There's also some things mentioned about the case that happens a year ago which actually can be read in the first book, there are no major spoilers in here but it does makes me want to read the first one now!

The characters is pretty well developed, even though the conversation is a bit too formal for me. There are several suspects introduce in this story and each suspect has a motive that makes it a bit difficult to pin point the real culprit to the crime which added a lot of questions, hence making the story even more gripping and interesting.

There are a couple of twists in this story. Some of them I manage to guess right before the big reveal, some of them manage to surprised me in a good way. I have so many theories and I was so excited near the ending to know whether my theory is right or not.

While I really like almost all the mystery and detective aspect in this one, one thing that really bothered me with this story is the side plot with Andrew Sullivan. I wasn't really that interested with Andrew Sullivan on the loose, every time his news came up in this story while DI James Walker was trying to solve the main case in this book I got annoyed.

Overall, this is a really good mystery book and I have such fun time creating theories and guessing which one is the culprit. This is very enjoyable as well as entertaining and I can't wait to read the first book after this!
I'm looking forward to other books in this series!

<b>Special thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books and Alex Pine for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!</b>

A nice cozy mystery for the Christmas period! Set in the small village of Kirkby Abbey, a triple murder is called in which at first glance appears to be a murder suicide. But, as the case unravels and it is discovered an eerily similar murder happed in the same house years ago, things get interesting 🧐

This is the second in Alex Pine’s James Walker series, but I found it very easy to read as a stand alone. The author gave a helpful overview of the characters and where he has left them in the previous book, so you felt confident diving straight in.

The plot and characters were great, and I enjoyed having the added mystery of the cold case from the past, it really brought some needed intrigue and variation to the usual plot lines. I did find the middle chunk of the book dragged a little as we chased many red herrings and leads that seemed not to amount to much, but once the book approached its final stages it got back into rhythm. We meet some interesting characters along the way, and the threads of the two cases were cleverly woven throughout, keeping it relevant but not overtaking the main plot line. The main character is a typical British crime novel police type, and it is heavily focused around the police side of the crime solving, so if you enjoy those type of novels I would definitely recommend checking this out!

The best clues always come out easy in the fresh snow. But what actually happened in the basement?
This is a must read story! From the first chapter, I was hooked and couldn’t read fast enough to see where the story takes me. Everything seemed so easy to solve but so twisted and so many turns at the same time. Those 24 years old cold case were scary and brought up quite a fes theories along the the new investigation.
Suspenseful and interesting read overall.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley.

The Killer in the Snow - Alex Pine

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The first fall of snow can be fatal…

A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season.

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Last year I read the first book in this series and when I saw that the sequel was available to request I did not hesitate. As this book only briefly mentions events from the first book I feel that this could easily be read as a stand alone. I enjoyed the many twists that Pine has included with the story and whilst I had some idea of the ending - it still came as a surprise.

This book will easily keep you on your toes, and if you have read the first book you will know to expect that there are multiple potential killers. The scene at Oaktree farm could easily be put down as a murder suicide but something doesn't feel quite right to DI James Walker - especially after events that had happened at the farm 24 years earlier.

Rating: 4/5

Gripping from the start!
I also read Christmas Killer by Alex Pine and love that there are some characters carried forward into this book but that it can also be read as a stand alone book.
James and Annie are an amazing couple that go through a lot with James's job as a DI.
I need Alex to so another book already haha!

A family is murdered on Christmas in the same house that had a murder more than 20 years ago. Now what are the odds of that? And what if I threw in that the father murdered in the present day worked at the farm all those years ago? Now are you intrigued? And the daughter from the first murder went missing as a baby and was never found. Could you ask for a more interesting case? I was hooked.

This is a typical British crime novel, focusing on the team investigating the murders in addition to solving the murder. DI Walker is a former Metropolitan copper that moved to the country to get away from something. The comparison between the two murders as told through flashbacks for the older one was an interesting way to follow the progress in the case.

This is the second book in the DI James Walker series and while I haven’t read the first book, I was able to follow along. The case from the first book is referenced a bit in this book, but the author reminds the reader what they need to know.

I enjoyed the book. I can count this as a Christmas read, right?

I really enjoyed this book it had me gripped right from the start and I was keen to keep reading to see what happened next.
The story goes back and forward in time to give the full story between both sets of murders.
It really keeps you guessing until the end.

This book is the second in the DI James Walker series. I haven’t read the first book as I didn’t realise this was a follow on but I found it worked just as well as a stand alone. I have now purchased the first book to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast paced thriller with a plot full of lots of twists and turns.
This was the 2nd book in the DI James Walker series but i read this as a stand alone book. I didn’t feel disadvantaged Having not read the first one as there was some information at the beginning of the book about the characters and plenty of background information in the book.
I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.

The Killer in the Snow is the second book in the DI Walker series but can be read as a standalone.

A man, his wife and daughter are murdered on Christmas Eve in an isolated farmhouse. These murders are similar to the murders that took place in the same farmhouse 24 years earlier. Too similar for DI James Walker to ignore.

The plot was intriguing with twists and turns and multiple red herrings as new suspects emerged during the course of the murder investigation. While I did figure the twist and predict what was going on I was still hooked to find out how everything would come together in the end. I devoured this book in just two settings. Suspenseful and full of action from the get go, simple and easy to follow writing, Alex Pine is definitely going to be on my 'new to me author's list' to explore.

A digital copy of this book was given to me by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book comes out today 10/28/21.

In Kirkby Abbey a quiet village in the north of Cumbria, the residents hope for a peaceful Christmas, but as dawn breaks after Christmas so does a new murder.

But not only does DI James Walker have to tackle a new murder case, he must keep him and his wife safe from an old nemesis, who feels it is time to settle an old score.

What a great second book to the series. I didn't know this was actually a series, so I haven't read the first novel. However, don't let that put you off. Pine puts enough detail to fill you in, but also to make sure you aren't missing out.

He entices us with a little golden nugget at the end of each chapter to keep us wanting more!

This is a pacey engaging read that will leave you wanting to watch out for the series. I know I will definitely be watching out for these; and will go back to read the first novel of DI James Walker.

If your go-to is James Patterson this will be on your list to read!

Gripping dual timeline murder mystery and police procedural, loosely based around a Christmas theme.

The Killer in the Snow is the 2nd book in the DI James Walker series, set in Cumbria after Walker moved there from London with his wife.

With the previous Christmas seeing a serial killer terrorising the small rural community, everyone is hoping for a less eventful festive period this year. But when Walker returns to work after Christmas, he soon finds himself investigating the brutal murders of three people in their isolated farmhouse, bearing eerie similarities to a previous murder-suicide which took place in the same farmhouse two decades ago, and from which a missing baby girl has never been found.

A compelling read, in which the author pulls together a number of intriguing interrelated storylines and twists which keep us guessing, and with relevant history from the previous instalment included.

Skillfully done and I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Killer in the Snow is fantastic. It is the second book in the DI James Walker series and in my opinion this one is even better than the first (which I loved). Once I picked it up I could not put it down and all the twists and turns helped to build the tension right up to the ending which did not disappoint.
I look forward to reading further books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

I received this as an ARC thanks Avon books UK.
I enjoyed the second book in the DI Walker series, but I have a couple of areas that frustrated me. I find Anjie's character development very weak, she only seems to moan, be anxious or fixing dinner... more development is required. The DI seems to be the main one to do all the big work, again I understand the concept, but even DC Abbott who always drives didn't drive in the car chase?
I normally do not include spoilers so I apologise for mentioning specific section of the book. The overall story was great bit I did feel the middle dragged and could have delved deeper into the characters more.
I feel this series has significant potential, with some tweaks and non repetitive explanation about procedures etc.

The Killer in the Snow is the 2nd book in the DI James Walker series.

"A family is found dead in their farmhouse after the Christmas weekend. The same farmhouse where twenty years ago another family was found dead of an apparent murder-suicide. DI Walker and his team struggle to find a killer and a motive. What really happened inside that farmhouse?"

This is a straight-on police procedural. Detectives follow lead after lead - questioning suspects along the way. Walker is really the only character with any depth (and there's not much there). If you read much crime fiction, it will feel like the rules and procedures are a little less important. Lots of holding people on just suspicion and no evidence here.

There is a lot of overly-descriptive language and repetition. It tends to bog the story down. You could edit out 50-75 pages and have a much tighter story.

When Pine gets to the ending, he writes a nice twisty finish. Secret cubbyholes and forlorn lovers that are not revealed until the end.

Fans of crime fiction procedurals should enjoy this book from Pine.

I have not read the first book in the series which is not a real problem, however I feel it would be better read as part of the series as there is some follow on. The synopsis of characters at the start does help.

The story follows another Christmas in Kirkby Abbey, and unfortunately there have been more killings. James is heading up the investigation when he also hears that his nemesis is on the run for murder and may well be coming for revenge.

The two stories run alongside each other with the nemesis story being decidedly the background story. In all honesty I am not sure what this part brings to the book and assume it is more to do with tying the series together.

The main story has a good few twists and turns which keep you interested and there is no shortage of suspects.

The characters are good and the main story kept my interest. For me the nemesis storyline was excess to requirements.

I didn't realize this book was part of a series but it read as a stand-alone so I wasn't lost.

I enjoyed the mystery in this police procedural. The writing is atmospheric and I found myself captivated by the snowy village. The plot is complex and at times predictable but I was engaged throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.
3.5 stars rounded up.