Six childhood friends gather together at an isolated island house to honor the ten year anniversary of a friend's death. One of them is killed and it's up to the main character, who happens to be a police officer, to figure out who the murderer is. Meanwhile she slowly uncovers the secrets they are each hiding as a storm keeps them isolated.

*4.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This book was a really good read with great characters. Would recommend.

I read this to review for Netgalley. Thank you to them, and the publisher for a chance to review this book.

A nice chilly thriller, with a perfect wintery setting. It really kept me guessing. I'm sure I didn't understand everything as there is some Irish language here and there. I think the Irish language is beautiful even though I was sometimes struggling to remember how a name was pronounced. It didn't stop me from finishing.

A book with twists,turns,and murder is always fun in my book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC. This was a thriller, a group stuck in a snowstorm on an island, with no way to leave. Someone dies, and that means the killer has to still be on the island. Edge of seat thriller. I did get confused at first on who was who, there are alot of characters.

Amazing. Thrilling. Claustrophobic and tense. Loved this pacy, intense, gripping read. Very highly recommend this one. Just wonderful

From the cover and description, I thought this looked and sounded like an interesting book.

My first impression, after just a couple of chapters, was that the characters were likeable, and they all seemed to have a bond and wanted to look out for each other. That was something I liked, and something that made me feel emotionally involved, and I found it moving later on.

As I read on, I began to feel that I never knew what was going to happen next, and it definitely had me turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

A real interesting take on a book. I loved the twists and turns throughout and would definitely recommend

Cara is a police officer on Innis Mór, an island off the West coast of Ireland. She is not well liked as she is considered an incomer, even though she is the widow of one of the islanders & spent her childhood summers there. Ten years ago this New Year she lost her husband Cillian in an accident at sea. Now her childhood friends are getting together for a memorial. Three of them live on the island & three are making the trip. Having missed their first night there because she was on the mainland for work, she manages to get home ahead of a blizzard that cuts off the island. She meets up with the old gang (although one doesn't seem to have recovered from the previous night & doesn't join them) In the morning she is woken by the news that there is a body in the pool by the cliffs. Cut off from the mainland Cara has to try & make sure everyone is safe.

I really enjoyed this 'closed island' whodunit! The setting & the weather descriptions really put the reader in the action. If I had one complaint it was the Irish names- there are lots of chose from- why go for the most unpronounceable(Daithì) & I kept thinking Ferdia was female!! That aside it was a good five star read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

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

well who doesnt like a snow storm

cara and her friends are getting together for the first time in 10 years, and its been 10 years since she was made a widow

she is hoping that it will bring them closer together but since the tragic death of her husband they had all gone their own ways

and to celebrate the new year what better way than being with her best friends since childhood but the island is cut off after the snow storm hits and all communication with the outside world is gone until the storm eases

and then the first body is discovered and cara realises that the murderer is still on the island and she is the only police officer there ....

well the twists and turns with this one kept me guessing and i loved it....never guessed who the perp was

"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.
A happy reunion is shattered by a dead body."

This was a fun isolated murder mystery. As the story unfolds we learn more about the six friends, their history together, and the secrets that they've kept. I enjoyed the setting and characters in this story but the pacing felt a little slow. I found myself solving the clues in this story chapters before the main character. I did still enjoy the story, I just think that it could have been paced better to allow the reader to walk along with the characters instead of ahead of them. If you like an isolated murder mystery, this is a quick read with a nice cast of characters.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for the gifted copy of this book.

This was a good read throughout but I felt the ending let it down a little..The characters were interesting although with the unusual names slightly confusing, the story itself was great and the style of writing was perfect. This is the first book I have read by this author, I’ll be keeping my eye out for more in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a honest review.

A gripping story about the lengths and desperation that people will go to in order to hide their secrets. Even from the people closest to them. This thriller had me up way too late trying to figure out what happened and who was responsible. I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Triona Walsh and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I seen so many amazing reviews on this one but I don't think it was it. I mean I was so bored at times and all the conversations made me mad!!!! And I don't know but what an awful sergeant this was!!! I knew there was some things going on, obviously, my problem is that when the revealing is happening I couldn't care less. It wasn't that impressive. The author might have felt was letting some clues put there but basically told all the story and the rest was just extra. I don't like that. I didn't hate the book but I didn't really enjoy it and I didn't feel much for the characters.
I have been reading mysteries lately, and this wasn't my favorite, not even close.
Loved the cover and the premise, I was excited to read it and didn't live up my expectations.

The story starts out slow but does pick up.
All in all, an intriguing and interesting murder mystery.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Snowstorm by Tríona Walsh Narrated by Jacqueline Milne was so good I ended up listening to it in one sitting. It was an absolutely gripping, pulse-pounding thriller packed with lots of twists and turns that just had you hooked from the beginning till the very end.....WoW I loved it. This book was fast paced and just had you sitting on the edge of your seat.

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

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.

A happy reunion is shattered by a dead body.

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.

Do they all survive this storm and live to tell the tell the story.........WoW this is so good!

I highly recommend this book and the Narrator Jacqueline Milne was excellent.

Woah! I love books like this! Fast paced thrillers with twists and turns. Keeps you rolling through the snow wondering what is going to happen next! I also love books that keep me guessing!

What an awesome debut novel from Triona Walsh.. Cara and five of her friends are reunited to celebrate New Year's eve and the 10 year anniversary of her husbands death on the Aral islands off the coast of Ireland. Where they have become completely cut off from society when no one can leave the island. When a brutal snowstorm cuts off all contact from the mainland. when a body is found in the sea, Cara becomes wrapped up in a murder investigation. With no one able to arrive or leave the island, Cara begins to unearth long buried secrets and to question all she knows, even about her closest friends.

First I want to mention how incredibly lucky I was to have both the audio and book version as I would have never figured out how to pronounce those Irish names. Jacqueline Milne did such a good job with the narration of the story. I appreciated her Irish accent and enjoyed the audio version as much as I did reading the story.

On the 10 year anniversary of her husband’s death, a group of friends meet to remember Cara’s husband. This really did give me vibes of a Ruth Ware book. That slow burn, set on an atmospheric island in the middle of a snowstorm. Since no one can get on or off the island, there are only so many suspects when one of the friends turns up dead. As the facts start to unfold, it seems the friend had a secret she wanted to tell Cara, that Cara works so desperately to figure out.

Layered and complex, the story slowly unfolds during a snowstorm that is almost like a supporting character. The friendship is at the root of this story and while I was a step ahead of the story in figuring out the culprit, it is the atmosphere of the story that the author focuses on.

If you like slow burn mysteries and are a fan of Ruth Ware, you should check this one out. And you can always google the names if you aren’t an audiobook reader.

This was a first time author for me and I will read more from her.

It's set at New Year's Eve where 6 friends are snowed in a cabin with no way out and murder happens.

I really like Cara's character. The way the author has described the setting and situations was amazing writing.

It's full of tension and unexpected twists all the way through.

Highly recommended

My Thoughts and Review

I enjoyed reading this thriller suspense book with many twists on every page. Six friends Sergeant Cara, Daithi, and Maura - the local primary school teacher- were best friends when they were eight years old. Seamus, Ferdia and Sorcha formed the rest of the gang from those glorious summers. Cara and her friends lived on the Irish island when they had all grown up. The weather was horrible, wild, and harsh as the snow thickens. Cicillian, Cara's late husband who was lost in the sea on new year's eve had his tenth anniversary approaching, therefore they decided to meet at Seamus Flaherty's house, another home on the Island. They were all overjoyed at the idea of celebrating their friendship hugging and demanding each other's attention. Maura was not there. Maura was missing. To Cara Folan's disbelief, confusion, and horror the police reports finding Maura's missing body in thrown from a clifftop in the Serpent's Lair. It was Maura Coonnely's body lying there lifeless. Cara decides to investigate Maura's murder at the Serpent Lair path. Maura was Cara's best friend who had introduced the rest of the gang to Cara. Maura and Seamus were together as a couple. Cara with the help of forensic evidence from Dr, De Barra confirms Maura's killing at the Serpent Lair. Nine hundred people lived here on the Island. Who would have done this awful thing to Maura? This is truly awful. This novel definitely kept my heart pounding till the end. Cara was feeling tearful to see her poor friend on Doctor's bench, half-naked, bruised, and broken. What had they done to her? She was gagged after she was killed. Why on earth she was tossed dead into the Serpent's Liar. Everybody loved Maura. It was very strange anyone would want to hurt Maura.

I just reviewed the book, The Snow Storm by Triona Walsh. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Publishers for an Advance copy for my honest review.

https://smithareading.blogspot.com/2023/02/book-review-snowstorm-triona-walsh.html