Listened to the audiobook. Took me a hot minute to get used to the accent and names. I actually was so curious that I messaged the author to learn who some of the names were spelled as I’d never heard of some of them before. She was so awesome and messaged me back and we talked quite a bit about the book. Now isn’t that cool?
The book was very good but OMG the end came together and I was really satisfied with everything. Nice job Triona! I’ll look into more of your books!!!

It was meant to be a time of remembrance, but also one of moving on. Six friends were going to get together after a tragedy that had occurred 10 years previously. Friends since childhood yet secrets have torn them apart. When one of them does not arrive, they soon realize it is because she has been found dead.

Not only is it very likely that one of the friends is a murderer, they are all now stranded by a snowstorm that has trapped. One of the friends did not arrive with the others, and that is Cara, who is a police officer. She was on the last ferry that was able to get to the island before the snowstorm stopped all transportation. As Cara begins to question the permanent island residents as well as the friends that have arrived on the island, no one wants to speak. In fact, everyone appears to be holding secrets.

Friends and villagers alike are treating Cara in a rather cold manner. This does not deter her determination, and she powers on. As I listened to the audiobook that was expertly narrated by Jacqueline Milne, I will say that I was fully pulled into the story. The Irish accents gave an extra air of mystery while imagining what it would be like to be trapped on an island overcome by snow, as well as the secrets and lies that seemed to make what happened even scarier.

I loved not being able to ascertain who the killer was, even though it was rather evident that it had to be among the group of friends. Although this book was written in third person perspective, there was the unique perspective of the voice of the victim, and that only increased the the suspense and tense nature of this well-written book. I love atmospheric books and this one definitely hit the mark. Kudos for this intriguing read that kept me tapping my Kindle until I came to the shocking ending. I very much look forward to the next book by this delightful new author.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/w9VzrLyE28c

<i>"So we just have to not get murdered until then, is that it?" - The Stormstorm.</i> 

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio copy of The Snowstorm by Triona Walsh. 

Set on the remote town in the wild Aran Islands off the Coast of Ireland over the New Years break - Cara and her friends are reunited for the 10 year anniversary of their friend's death after nearly a decade apart.It has all the hallmarks for a potentially great mystery - an isolated and atmospheric setting, a friend group with a tumultuous past, a storm cutting them off from the rest of the world, and a murder. As Cara, who also happens to be the island's sole police officer, begins to unweave the trail - things get more and more complex. 

The story has a relatively slow build up and the plot did get slightly repetitive - which did detract a bit. There were plenty of amusing lines peppered throughout - but I can't go past; 

<blockquote>"The smell of bacon and sausages filled the room. A finer Parisian perfume wouldn't have lifted the mood so well"</blockquote>

Because that smacks of delicious honesty and I could practically taste the New Years fry up as soon as I heard it. 

The audio version of this story did it great justice, as you're able to hear the character names and locations as they're intended, as well as the gorgeous, if sparing, inclusion of the native Irish tongue. Hearing some characters complete with accents really did bring it to life.This is Walsh's premier publication - and would be a good fit for fans of Alice Feeney or Lucy Foley.

The blizzard in this story has 6 friends stuck together on an island for New Years Eve and the tenth anniversary of their friend, brother, and husband’s death. Though it starts out a touch slow, as you come to know the characters you’ll find this chilling tale contains more than just a murder mystery and some greats twists. Cara, one of the friends, is a police sergeant who becomes amateur detective while investigating her best friend’s murder stuck on the island with no back up and no cell service. Watching her learn along the way and piece together this puzzle was quite the ride. I gave this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 on Goodreads!

I’d recommend this read to those enjoy
❄️ Childhood friends reunited
❄️ Hidden clues
❄️ Secret relationships
❄️ Snowy surprises
❄️ Irish lore

A special thanks to @bookouture and @netgalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of The Snowstorm by Triona Walsh in exchange for an honest review. This was a really good, intriguing and suspenseful book. I really enjoyed the Agatha Christie feel at the wrap up reveal moment. I felt like Poirot was hanging out with the characters and helping solve the mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Triona Walsh for providing me an ARC for an honest review.

The Snowstorm was a great debut thriller by Triona Walsh. The core concept bullet points consist of

-Murder mystery: which I always enjoy
-Whodunnit
-Isolation: which was almost a character within itself
-Atmospheric setting: where the story lacked in excitement, it made up for with painting a clear picture that made me feel like I was there

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and would recommend to someone looking for an atmospheric psychological thriller.

The book was slow to start but was well worth finishing. The slow part at the beginning was necessary to help understand the rest of the story. Very good read.

The Snowstorm by Triona Walsh
Narrated by Jacqueline Milne

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

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 Opinion

Well this was filled with twists. Cara is meeting up with her friends to celebrate the New Year, it also happens to be the 10th anniversary of the death of one of the friend group. A snowstorm is preventing anyone from leaving or arriving on the island, so when a body is found Cara is left without any outside help to investigate the murder. A very chilling read that just goes to show that you cannot trust anyone, no matter how long you have known them.

Rating 4/5

I think this one just wasn’t for me. The plot was slow getting started and then the varying Gaelic names were hard to keep track of on audio. I struggled to connect to the characters, and while the ending is supposed to be twisty and fun, I just was not invested by the time I reached the conclusion. I’d recommend trying the ebook or physical book over the audio for this one.

My thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me to review this arc Audio.

A group of friends gather to remember the life of one of their friends who passed a decade prior. One of the friends turns up dead in the Serpent s Lair. Cara, one of the friends, also a Guarda tries to find out whodunit. Then a storm traps them all on the island. Which friend did it? The further Cara digs, the more she uncovers.

Not a bad story but a bit confusing keeping track of all the plot points.

Book Title: The Snowstorm
Author: Triona Welsh
Narrator: Jacqueline Milne
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: February 2, 2023
My Rating: 3,4 Stars

It is New Year's Eve and snow covers this small island off the coast of Ireland. Six friends gather as it is the tenth anniversary of the death of Cara’s husband and they want to celebrate his life. But their reunion is shattered by a dead body. Cara is the only police office on the island. She needs to solve the mystery of who had killed her friend Maura.
The snow storm has gotten worst and now no one can come or leaving however we know the killer is already on the island.

I love this cover ~ living in Sothern California means driving an hour to so the mountains and the have fun in the snow. However, this snowstorm isn’t fun.
The audiobook narrator Jaqueline Milne is fantastic in performing these characters. Her accent certainly added to keeping me engrossed in this story and curious about whodunit!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 2, 2023

I almost didn’t request this book because the whole group of friends get together for a reunion and things go very wrong has been done before. How glad that I did though as it’ is an excellent story very well told with a manageable number of believable characters you can either like or dislike. The plot is clever and the setting just brilliant.
My only criticism is something I cannot share on here because it would be a spoiler but it’s only a little gripe that in no way spoiled the book.
I very happily recommend this audiobook and I’m sure it would be equally good to read too.
My dog walks were so enjoyable whilst I had this to listen to.

Three stars from me means I believe the author has achieved their aims and that the book is worth reading, but that I personally just didn’t fall in love with it.

In this case I couldn’t get on with any of the characters, or understand why they had stayed “friends” all these years. After the trauma of a death in their circle years earlier they just seem like the sort who would drift apart, not cling together. The only one who made sense to me was Cara, who at least obviously wanted to find out what happened to her husband (the one who died).

However, the plot is a strong one and it’s beautifully written. And I loved the setting of the book.

Really grateful to the publisher for the opportunity to listen to it via NetGalley, and can think of a few friends to whom I’ll be recommending it - they love working out whodunnit and this one will, I think, be the right sort of challenge for them.

The Snowstorm is set on a remote Irish island where 6 childhood friends return for New Years Eve to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the death of a friend. One is missing one evening and then her body is discovered and it is clear that she has been murdered. With the storm setting in, no-one can get on or off the island, meaning that the murderer is on the island with them. What follows is a race to unravel the secrets of their group and discover which one of them is guilty of murder.

This is not a new idea for a story; I have read numerous books about people trapped on islands in storms as well as one of a group of friends being a murderer. Unfortunately, for me, this is an example of it not being done as well as it could be. Whilst I love the wild and rugged setting of the story, something just fell a little flat. I didn't really bond with any of the characters and felt that the story just didn't pull me in as I had hoped.

Overall, it wasn't a bad book, I have just read better versions of a similar story.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

A fantastic twisty read! I loved all the twists and turns in the plot. The characters were really well developed as well! I also enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery & the small Irish town life. I cannot wait to read more from Triona Walsh!

3/5 ⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay so I didn’t hate this but I didn’t love it either? Like it reminded me a loooot of One by One by Ruth Ware and I loooved that one. Idk. I didn’t really like a lot of the characters, but I did try to guess the killer and of course I was wrong.

Happy publication day to The Snow Storm by Triona Walsh! This fast-paced thriller kept me guessing and needing to know more. Narrated by Jacqueline Milne, the audiobook is perfect to curl up with on a cold night and a warm drink.
❄
Set on Inishmore with an impending blizzard and just a few days before the new year, six friends convene to honor the 10-year anniversary of their friend’s death. Cara, a peace officer on the island of around 800, looks forward to visiting with her friends and putting aside her island responsibilities. But things take a turn when she receives a call that a body has been spotted in the Serpent’s Lair, a dangerous natural tidepool on the island. What unfolds are a series of events that will make Cara question everything she thinks she knows.
❄
While I truly enjoyed this book, there are some unconventional plot devices. For example, one of the friends published his memoir from his time growing up on the island. Now it is set to be a film, so there are actors on the island who will be playing each of the friends. These doppelgangers feel random at best most of the time. Another time, the island becomes inundated with visitors when just moments before it seemed no boats could get to the island or leave because of the storm.
❄
All things considered, I enjoyed Walsh’s book. It has some unusual elements at times, but the mystery and suspense were consistently strong. Messages from the dead, clues from your childhood, and crumbling relationships keep this book interesting. This book is a great choice if you want a mystery thriller with twists and turns.
❄
Thank you @bookouture and @netfalley for the ARC of this audiobook to review.

Location is everything. I enjoy books that are set in cold, snow swept environments. They create the atmospheric, chilling, and ominous feel that becomes like a character in the book. In The Snowstorm, six friends have gathered on an icy new year’s eve on an Irish Island. It has been 10 years since tragedy tore them apart. It is meant to be a happy reunion, a time to catch up and put the past behind them. But a dead body changes things - dead bodies have a way of doing that. Now their happy reunion is one of mistrust and anxiety as one of them is a killer. No one can get on or off the island as the sea rages and the snow falls.

Cara, a police officer, begins investigating the case. She comes across suspicion and people who don't want to talk. As she trudges through the snow and asks questions, the tension mounts. People are protective of their secrets.

This was a well-done whodunit. I enjoyed watching Cara investigate the murder, having to questions old friends and villagers. She is a determined and smart character who doesn't back down even if it means questioning her friends. This book had a nice number of twists and turns with a shocking reveal. I especially loved how this book felt like an old mystery book vibe to it (that is a compliment). The ending felt very much like an Agatha Christie book. Very nicely done.

I also enjoyed the writing and the descriptions of the local, environment, characters, and the interactions of the characters. There are quite a few characters, but they are all fully fleshed out and easy to keep track of.

I enjoyed reading the book and listening to the audiobook. This was my first book by Triona Walsh and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

Chilling, tense and well thought out.


Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Six friends gather at the end of the year to celebrate the anniversary of the passing of the seventh. Cillian, Cara's husband and Seamus' brother, fell overboard during a New Year's eve fishing expedition with Seamus 10 years ago. Cara still lives with her children and grandmother on the tiny Arran Island in Ireland, along with Maura and Daithi. Seamus is living in sunny California, and Sorcha and Ferdia are married and living in London. The group has not been together for years and most of them are excited for the reunion, despite the horrible snowstorm blowing in. However not all of the friends are excited to be home, because like any group of friends there are secrets. And resentments. And rivalries. When one of them disappears and is found dead, the tension rises. Was it an accident or murder? Cara, as the only Garda on the island, collects the body and starts investigating, in an attempt to preserve evidence until the detectives can get to the island. Plus she can't help herself - her best friend is dead and the killer is still on the island. But who is the killer?

There is a great feeling of claustrophobia throughout the book. The inhabitants of the island and anyone who got caught by the storm are stuck. No boats, helicopters, or planes are coming to the rescue. Cell phone service is non-existent unless you are in a building with Wi-Fi. The tension throughout is palpable. There are plenty of twists and turns. All in all, this is a great mystery.

Pub: Feb 02.

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…

First it was the cover, and then description... I was intrigued instantly.

Isolated Location ✔️
Snow storm ✔️
Mystery ✔️
Dead Body ✔️
Whodunnit ✔️

Full of twists and turns, this book was written well. I was so intrigued to know the killer. I guessed wrong btw.

While I did enjoy the Story, the setting and atmosphere, It took me a while to really get into it mainly because i was not familiar with Irish names and slangs making it a bit difficult for me to connect and understand. I had to replay certain chapters, but it became easier with time.

Cora ❤️

Generally its a good story, it'll even be better for those who are familiar with Irish.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Triona Walsh for a free advance audio copy of "The Snowstorm" for an honest review.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.