The beginning of this was slow for my taste, but it picked up as the story went on. The writing was so engaging and kept me turning the pages, despite the slow start. I loved the characters and also how I didn’t know who I could trust. It made for an exciting story that had so many well placed twists and turns. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

An atmospheric and tense thriller that I enjoyed. Well written with a compelling storyline. i couldn't put it down

An Irish Murder mystery, I should have really loved this one but it was just ok for me.

I found myself skipping paragraphs just to move the story along.

I liked the idea of old friends coming back together, a tragic happening from their past that they all need to deal with and being trapped in a snowstorm while they begin to learn there is a murderer in the area.

But the actual story line was just too drawn out for me. Too much repetitive hashing of old events.

I know a lot of people really loved this one so if you like these kinds of mysteries, definitely give this one a try.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Decent cover on this one.

The Snowstorm by Triona Walsh is a thrilling mystery novel that takes place on an isolated Irish island during a New Year's Eve snowstorm...

Six friends reunite after ten years, only to find that their once tight-knit friendship has been replaced by secrets and jealousy. When a dead body is discovered, the group realizes that one of them must be a killer. As the snowstorm intensifies and they become trapped with no electricity or phone signal, trust becomes scarce and suspicions rise.

This author does an excellent job of creating an atmospheric setting that adds to the tension of the story. The cold, bleak, isolated island feels like another character in the book. The writing itself is well done, and the pace keeps you turning pages. Although there are some twists and turns in the plot, it was fairly easy for me to figure out who the killer was with such a small pool of suspects. However, this did not detract too much from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall, The Snowstorm is a super engaging read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good mystery novel. The author's ability to create suspenseful settings and well-written characters makes this book worth reading.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

If this is the debut novel then I am looking forward to seeing what’s to come from this author. This book kept me guessing throughout and I couldn’t guess any of the twists or turns. A brilliant read!

A cabin. A group of old friends. A storm. An isolated island. No help on the way. Whodunit.

*Very slow burn 🔥

[[The cover tells you everything to expect]]

Narrator ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (audio)
Setting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters ⭐⭐⭐
Story ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reveal ⭐⭐

I love the cover. The red cabin against the white snow.

A great setting and premise. All the things I love in a good mystery thriller. I read this book in tandem with the audiobook. This is a very slow burn and I'm not certain how I would have fared if I had only read the text version. I admit it's likely I would have struggled to stay engaged but the audio kept me going.

The characters were okay but I didn't connect with and love them as much as I would have liked. I didn't find myself caring about what happened to them - which is a real shame!

But my main disappointment was the ending and exposing whodunit. The ending was just Cara telling everyone who commited the murder and how they did it. And then the murderer just reiterates that by also telling everyone how and why they did it.

Things I liked:
-The setting. The entire book takes place on a secluded island in Galway Bay. A perfect setting for a thriller, and the author did a good job describing the landscape.
-The inclusion of the Irish language throughout the book. I listened to parts via audio. Such a beautiful language.
-The MC is the only police (Guarda) on the island, and she takes no prisoners.

Things I didn't like as much:
-Pretty much all of the other characters except the bar owner Daithi (pronounced Day-hee).
-The ending was rather predictable.

In the end, while the book doesn't add anything new or particularly exciting to the genre, it is a solid, enjoyable thriller.

How well do you know your childhood friends? Are they still the same people you've shared secrets and laughter with when you were still young? Or have the years created a profound chasm between friends? These are the questions Cara suddenly found herself asking after Maura, her best friend, is found dead in Serpent's Lair during a terrible snowstorm.

Cara, Maura, Seamus, Ferdia, Sorcha, and Daithi, were supposed to celebrate New Year's Day and the ten-year anniversary of her husband's death together after being apart for years. However, things suddenly take a turn for the worse when Maura's dead body is found. While Cara investigates what happened, she uncovers secret after secret which makes her question just how much she still knows her friends.

This gripping atmospheric thriller set in Innis Mór, Ireland kept me on the edge of my seat. The fast-paced plot was a joy for someone like me who can't take slow-burn books and I loved that I wasn't able to guess who the killer was but I did have a hard time pronouncing the characters' names.

Overall, this is a great read for those who love whodunnits and all loose ends were neatly tied at the end when the killer is finally revealed. Looking forward to more of this author's work.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. #TheSnowstorm #NetGalley

A solid Christmas/New Year read. Great atmosphere and a nice mystery.
However....the entire "fault" of the main character was completely unbelievable and it annoyed me no end whenever it was mentioned - you're telling me Des Bishop can become fluent in Irish for that tv programme way back when but I'm supposed to believe that someone whose father's first language is Irish, husbands first language is Irish, best friends' first language is Irish, children's first language is Irish, and grandparents first language is Irish, who spent every childhood summer from the age of 7/8 in an Irish speaking community, and the past 5 years living in said community *can't* speak even basic Irish? yeah....no. So once I just let myself get over that I quite enjoyed the rest of the story, the backstabbing, doubts, secrecy of a group of ex-tightknit friends.

3.5*

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. Totally unbelievable and didn’t catch my attention much. Ending predictable and also way too drawn out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Six long lost friends are together for what is supposed to be a happy reunion. Before you know it, someone ends up dead and everyone else is trapped based upon a snow event raging outside. Who can you trust? Who wants you dead and why? These are the questions that the remaining survivors are asking themselves as they are trying to get to the bottom of the murder, and to also uncover secrets from over ten years ago. I liked the second half of the book better than the first half. The first half was slow and difficult to gain momentum. However, I did like the clues that were provided throughout the story. They kept me guessing until the end. The characters were well developed with a lot of background provided which really allowed me to get to know the characters and to decide which ones I liked and/or didn’t like. There were twists and turns provided, which kept me guessing. I found the Irish names difficult to keep track of and that did impede my reading of the story. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery and places in the story. Thank you the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so entertaining and exciting. I never expected the ending. It was such a great read that kept me guessing up until the end. I hope to see more from this author.

Six friends gather on a remote island, finally reunited after 10 years apart. but one friend never arrives at the gathering and is found dead the following morning. Her death occurred after the last boat departed so the friends are trapped on the island with a killer...
The Snow Storm is a murder mystery thriller set on a small Irish island.
Police officer Cara has always felt like an outsider on the island. Her husband died 10 years ago and her friends dispersed but she stayed to raise her children. Now Cara is forced to investigate the murder of her formerly close friend Maura.
The claustrophobic atmosphere is maintained well throughout the book. The weather and landscape feautre heavily and provide a lot of description. I found the pace quite slow as Cara needs to battle against the elements to get anywhere physically with the case and then has to take time to warm up or dry out.
The murder itself is quite emotional as the friends consider their wasted years. Memories from the past and tension between the friends stir up various feelings and Cara wonders who she can trust on the island. I was sympathetic to Cara as she is treated as an outsider, is still dealing with her grief, and I really felt her heartache at having to examine the body of her friend.
The Snow Storm is an intriguing and atmospheric murder mystery.

I loved the setting of this book and the awful winter weather creates a wonderful atmosphere for the reader and really helps you feel like you are right there with the Characters trapped on an isolated Island. Great descriptive writing that pulls you right into the story and you wont want to put this down,

Another gripping and absolutely immersive book from the brilliant @bookouture

This is one I found myself pulled into quickly and unwilling to put down. I have loved how descriptive this has been, I became completely pulled in and unwilling to put this down.

Six friends, one dead and one is a killer. This is slightly claustrophobic but completely atmospheric. You have moments of your heart thudding loudly as you read this gem.

This is a book which is unpredictable and perfectly paced. I have devoured this book in just a couple of hours. I can’t wait to see what @trionawalsh has in store for readers next.

This book honestly just seemed a little too out there to be believable. But it did have a few good twists!

I'm in two minds over this. While I did like it and found aspects I really enjoyed, there were others that didn't holding my attention and, because of that, made me not like this as much as I hoped.

The writing in this is really strong and I found the descriptions of the island and the coldness. You can feel the cold creeping out of the story.

But the pacing in the first chunk of the book is really slow and, because of that, I didn't really care for the characters or the story. It's, also, a little predictable with the ending and who the killer was...

Loved the writing, loved the idea and the premise, but the pacing and the characters need to be stronger.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the settings of the book, it really made me feel like I was on an isolated island during winter. There was a nice set of interesting characters though I didn’t really felt connected to them, plus introducing everyone almost at once was a bit confusing.

The first half was slow for my liking but it picked up in the second half. I liked the small clues being slowly scattered around, the author did a great job with descriptions. There were a nice number of twist and turns which kept me reading, and it made all the characters suspicious to me.

Cara and her 5 friends reunite 10 years after the death of her husband but when one friend turns up dead. Secrets start coming out.

I love the authors Bookoutoure has! Their writing is always amazing and pulls me in. This is the first book I have read by Triona Walsh. She was descriptive about the characters and the island. You could really feel like you were stranded on a Irish island.

You could not figure out who it was because everyone felt guilty. It felt like I was reading a version of clue.
“It was Sorcha in the.. with the…” or “It was Férdia in the… with the…” Everyone had a motive but the real motive didn’t come out until the end. Great book!

There is something about winter that always puts me in the mood for a really well done thriller. So, when I found this book, it seemed like the perfect match for my winter mood. Set on a small island in the middle of a snowstorm, this book was claustrophobic, bordering on unsettling from the start of the opening scene. That strong start really set high hopes for the rest of the book.

Those high hopes were met through a majority of the beginning of the book. It was fast paced, interesting and the stakes were high enough where I couldn’t put the book down. However, that strong start washed away somewhere near the middle of the book. The evidence and connection between the characters became repetitive and less believable the more time that they spent together. After the initial excitement wore off, I still couldn’t put the book down because I kept waiting for that excitement to come back for a strong ending. Unfortunately, it didn't. The entire ending felt unnecessarily drawn out. I kept waiting for the last page of the book, but it took forever to finally hit that point.

I did enjoy the small town island feel. It was fascinating to watch the characters interact with the locals after being away from the island for so long. The memories that pop up for each person and the ways that memories can be twisted over time really took its toll on the town and its inhabitants.

In a book with so many characters, there is usually a strong sense of connection and purpose between each of the characters. In The Snowstorm, the connections were forced and only felt natural for the beginning. There was so much that happened outside of what I was able to piece together, that I didn't have my usual fun of trying to solve the mystery alongside the detective.

Overall, I enjoyed the timing of this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a wintery thriller, it definitely lives up to the claustrophobic feel of being stuck in a snowstorm.

3.5/5 rounded up because I enjoyed the setting so much.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Be sure to check trigger warnings.