I found this wasn't the isolated thriller I expected it to be with ruined some of the atmosphere for me.
While this sounded like my type of book I found this to be underwhelming. I enjoyed the book enough but it didn't wow me. In fact it's kind of forgettable.
The characters felt rather flat. With no reason to really care about who died.
While I did try figure out what happened and why the book felt a little all over the place at times.

Thank you to Bookouture for this Arc copy on Netgalley.

Everyone is a suspect.

This book had me on the edge of my seat for the entire thing! It was so grilling and well written. I very much enjoyed the writing style, it flowed beautifully and felt very natural. The descriptions were perfectly detailed, you could really get a picture of the setting in your head and imagine the scene unfolding without it being over detailed, which is when things can get a bit tedious or boring.

I loved the foreshadowing throughout, “A picture falls off the wall? It means someone is going to die.”

I did feel like maybe we needed more tome to get to know Maura, Seamus, Sorcha and Ferdia, so we could form a bit more of an attachment to the characters. As it would have been a lot more impactful when Maura was found dead and the reveal of the killer and the plot twists would have been more shocking if we had known the characters a bit more.

“Flames of her rich, auburn hair had escaped and now, medusa- like, snaked off at every which angle.”

I did not guess who the killer was correctly, who I thought it was, it was not.

I read this book in less than 24 hours. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

I gave this 4⭐️.

I loved that this book took place on a remote island in Ireland, during a crazy snow storm. Right off the bat, the isolated feelings were set. Parts of the dialogue (even the English parts) were a bit hard to understand right away as they use different words for things than we do in the states, but Walsh’s writing was so easy to follow that I quickly picked it up.

I got a Lucy Foley vibe from this book but without the multiple POV and honestly, better written. Walsh made you connect with the group of characters and share in their heartache which made you second guess who you thought the killer was, multiple times.

Yes, parts of the story were obvious and easy to figure out but it didn’t take away from the overall thrill of the book.

Short chapters, quick to the action, and likable characters made this a quick and enjoyable read.

I will definitely look out for more books from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

New Years Eve….sold. Snow storm & everyone is stuck in one location…sold. Murder mystery…..SOLD! This hits so many of my reading sweet spots so I’m very glad to have received the ARC.

The first chapter drags you completely in, I loved the Irish setting & the addition of superstitions & the language. The lush writing makes you feel truly the icy chill of the storm.

The crime itself is eerie & so sad for Cara. Having to try & solve then murder during the extreme weather, in a small community where she knows everyone, is so difficult. She is such a strong & well drawn character, one of the strongest leads I’ve read in a long time. The group of suspects are so tough to figure out, I truly did not know what the solution would be for most of the book. When the result came I had a sinking suspicion & then it was even better than what I had imagined!

My 150 NetGalley read/Review!
Thank you!
I do not normally read books with cops solving mysteries., especially when the mysteries involve their friends, but it isn't something that can be avoided on an isolated island during a blizzard so I figured I'd give it a go.
Cara is pretty awesome. She is living on this tiny island as their only officer.
She finds a body and spends the rest of her holiday weekend dashing around trying to solve the mystery. Meanwhile, her sweet grandma is minding the kids at home, also on the island, and she's staying in her late husband's house with his brother and these horrible friends of hers. A girl has to work though.
The island seems like a horrible twisted place to live and I suspect Cara knows that but also she has memories there so she stays and does all this work and I bet she didn't get paid overtime.
With friends like these, who needs enemies.
By the end of the book the island's population has decreased by about 10 percent but she solves the mystery.

The Snowstorm by Triona Walsh is a gripping thriller set on a windswept island off the Atlantic coast of Ireland where a savage winter storm has cut off access to the mainland. Given it s small size and population of only a few hundred people, it is not surprising that the island's inhabitants are a close knit community which can seem unwelcoming to those they deem as outsiders. Six friends have reunited in memory of a friend who died in a fishing tragedy a decade before, including his wife Cara, who is now the only member of the police on the island and his brother Seamus , a successful Hollywood screen writer. When the body of one of the group, Maura, a popular primary school teacher on the island, is found bound, gagged and thrown over a cliff edge into the icy waters below it falls to Cara to investigate until reinforcements arrive from the mainland, She is acutely aware that the killer is still trapped on the island. As her investigations hit one brick wall after another she is worried that more of her friends may be in danger , and even worse that one of them could be the killer.
This was an incredibly atmospheric read, the author really brought a sense of isolation with her descriptions of the island and the attitudes of many of the locals to Cara reinforced this feeling. I really appreciated the use of the Irish language throughout the book and loved how it fed into the story and character development. I found that I wanted to keep turning the pages as I urged Cara on in her investigation and I loved how the ending was revealed. Overall a very engaging and entertaining read, perfect for this time of year.

2/5 stars! The premise of this story sounded great and the first few chapters were engaging and drew me in. However, the pacing of the story was off and there was a great deal of the author telling us something instead of showing us. The last 50 pages just read like one long monologue from the main character and the plot twists were evident very early on in the story. Overall, not a bad attempt at a thriller, but some adjustment in writing style moving forward would be good.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This was a fun mystery to read! We are brought along as Cara tries to solve the mystery of who killed her friend Maura. As the book unfolds you learn secrets about the characters and follow the clues left behind. It was a solid story that wrapped everything up by the end. Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

Cara and five friends reunite to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the ten year anniversary of her husband’s death. A murder occurs and everyone is under suspicion. Cara investigates the case and many deadly secrets are revealed. This was a very chilling and gripping read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC that will be released February 02, 2023.

Had everything I love in a suspense : a group of friends get to there , a snow storm, a disappance, murder, lies ,blackmail. Action from the very start . The atmospheric setting which helped set the tone of the story , the way the author brought her characters to life and made it feel like they was coming off the page .

I would rate The Snowstorm 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. I was excited to read this novel based on the synopsis. It begins with a major snowstorm blanketing the island and cutting the inhabitants off. The setting was very atmospheric for a tale of murder but for me it just fell short of the mark. I found the plot laboured in places and I couldn’t really gel with the characters. I’m sure others will love this book but it wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

2 ⭐️

The premise was amazing. I love isolated thrillers and unbelievable narrators but this was kinda predictable and boring unfortunately.

So this one was a bit difficult for me to get through. The Irish names and talk was rough for me. I actually had to go look at pronunciations quite a bit because I wanted to get it right in my head as I was reading which kind of took me away from the story. But that's on me.

Now as for the story itself, it's good. It had a small cast of characters with their own personalities so it was easy for me to differentiate each character and follow along. I had my suspicions right off the bat and they were proved accurate by the end. Only once did I start to question based off a direction the author took.

There were some twists to the story and the trail of clues left by the victim were an interesting facet to the storyline.

My only qualm with it is how Cara worked some of it out. We were kept in the loop most the time until it came time to her figuring who did what with who or to who. Otherwise this was a solid read for me.

The Snowstorm

Special thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Tríona Walsh for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description:

“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.

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.

Nobody knows who to trust. No one is who they seem. Because one of them is a killer, and one will be dead next…”

My Thoughts:

2.5/5 Stars

I came across this book on NetGalley and was very intrigued by description and the cover. I was so excited when I was approved. However, I was very disappointed in this book. It didn’t do very much to grab my attention and I had to force myself to make it through it. If it wasn’t an ARC I was approved for, I wouldn’t have finished it. There were so many things going on with very little description or follow through in some cases. I think it had a lot of potential to be good, but it wasn’t quite there. I felt like the author was trying to add to many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing but it wasn’t executed well.

However, with all of that being said, I did enjoy the characters. At first it was hard to keep them all straight with the traditional names but after a while I got it. I also enjoyed the setting. It was very easy for me to picture as we had just gotten a huge snowstorm where I am from. To summarize this book was at all it for me, but it may be for one of you! This book is out early February.

This is a mixture of Rock Paper Scissors with the edge of your seat drama that Nine Perfect Strangers gives you. An unexpected Netgalley find that turned out to be awesome and thrilling

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

4.5/5 stars
Cara is the only garda (aka police officer) on an Irish island. She is looking forward to reuniting with friends after years of not seeing them. They are coming together for the 10th anniversary of her husband’s death. However, one of the friends goes missing right as a blizzard sets in. When she is found murdered, Cara must investigate, including those she thought she could trust.

I really enjoyed this mystery! It had a lot of suspense and a great progression of clues. One of the twists I saw coming and some of the ending felt clunky (which is why not 5 stars). However, I thought this was a great book overall. I feel like the “secluded group where someone is a killer” idea is big right now, and I was worried this was going to be like that. But it wasn’t! The author did a great job of getting around that by making them stranded on an island but other people were around too.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
A slightly complicated but great book. I love a good murder mystery set in a storm, especially when you’re stuck on an island or on a vacation.
So this book was right up my alley. Lots of people and storylines that all come together for a great great ending that I was surprised with.
I know others complained about Irish phrases but I didn’t have any issues with those at all. Everything in Irish was translated and I didn’t find much other slang and it was a very easy to read book. So not sure why others had that issue.
Great book!

nothing in this book really stood out to me. it was pretty predictable (i called who the killer was within minutes of reading), and had multiple plot twists that i ALSO called super quickly.
however, i liked the writing style, i liked how the characters were decently developed, i liked the ending a LOT (pretty intense !!) and i liked the story overall !
4 stars !!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "The Snowstorm" in exchange for my honest review.

This story had me glued to it, turning the pages, wanting to know what would happen next, but not wanting the book to end because it was that riveting! Set on Inis Mór on the Aran Islands - it all takes place during a snowstorm that is simply raging on the island. Without cell service, power, heat or a way off the island Sergeant Cara Folan has to solve the murder of her bestfriend. Cara is the only Garda on Inis Mór. Her childhood friends are gathering to remember the 10th anniversary of the death of her husband Cillian. Daithi Derrane owns the local pub and is very close to Cara. Maura Conneely is the teacher at the small island school. And the 3 other friends from the group - Sorcha McDonough and Ferdia Hennessy are married and have come over from London. Seamus Flaherty rounds out the group of 6 came over from California. He was the younger brother of Cillian.

With the storm raging there are no planes, no boats and no help coming when they find a body in Serpent's Lair. They have only a GP on the island who can do some basic checks. The main question is why would anyone bound and gag a dead person? There is a missing package that someone is willing to kill for - to break into homes, threaten people - what is in the package is what Cara wracks her brain over. At the same time she learns that someone is supplying illegal drugs. Cara doesn't want to think it but she's convinced that one of her friends is at the heart of the killing of her bestfriend. There are many twists and turns in this story before Cara puts all the pieces together in the right order.

This book was simply brilliant. I can't wait to read something else by Ms. Walsh. This has to be one of the best books I've read this year and I'd happily give it more than the allowed 5 stars.