Unfortunately, I did not finish this one. Plotting was a bit slow for me and I never became interested in the story. The characters were also a bit thin for me. Just not right for me.

I especially enjoyed the way the numerous threads were presented by the author in such a way that never confused. I couldn’t see the connection until it was obvious and then the twist in the tale was great.
A well written police thriller with some very good characters. I will definitely look out for more from Alex Walters.

What starts as a snowed in pub with strangers stranded leads very quickly to the impossible murder. There is a huge twist and missing children are involved.
This is an unputdownable story that really keeps you on your toes.
Really relatable characters will keep you wanting more.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Good police mystery connecting two cases and actually had an unexpected twist from what I had expected the conclusion to be. An ok read.

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

2 missing children
2 murders
mens rights

are all these connected and if so how....

its a puzzling one for annie and her crew and it also doesnt help with the snow

this book will keep you awake until you finish it... lovely to catch up with the characters again

The setting was beautifully, viscerally written. A tense, compelling thriller with well-developed characters.

Alex Walters is a familiar author to me through his Kenny Murrain and Alec McKay investigations; however, this is the first book I have read in his DI Annie Delamere series.

Annie is called to the unexplained death of a woman found in a snowdrift outside the Peak District pub where she was sheltering.

It becomes clear that Alison Evans was murdered and Annie questions the married couple stranded with her, but senses something is being held back. Not long afterwards, the wife is found dead.

Added to this is the sudden disappearance of two young children that may be linked to a fathers' rights movement.

This was a fast-paced and intriguing story, with good character development and realistic procedural elements. The two separate investigations come together as a common link is discovered via an unexpected source, leading to a dramatic denouement.

I will definitely be reading the three previous books in this series.

I received a free digital ARC of this book via Canelo, and am voluntarily leaving this review.

A murder inquiry and the kidnapping of two young children are introduced into the convoluted storyline when three guests are mistakenly snowed in and left stuck for the night in a lonely pub on top of a hill in the Peak District.

The book's pace was good throughout. The plot had a lot of turns and surprises, which kept it intriguing. I had only read the first book in the series, and I thought the characters were fairly uninteresting. Character development might have occurred if I had read the earlier volumes, but by book four, they appeared to be well-established in their positions. Though I occasionally thought the plot was a bit clumsy and unbelievable, overall I thought the book was well written and I loved it.

It's advisable to start from the beginning, even if you're told it can be read as a standalone.

Another episode in the detective Annie Delamere series set in the Peak district in the UK. Like others in this series the cases are quite complicated and appear in initially to involve different perpetrators. As the book progresses, the reasoning becomes more obvious as more information becomes available about the relationships between the people of interest. Although this reads ok as a stand alone, it is probabily better to read it as part of the series, this because some of the background of the detectives builds up throughout the series, though this does not affect the current investigation too much.
I like the setting and the detectives in this series. The reasoning behind the crimes credible, though there was slender evidence in places and I found the ending to be abrupt
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a good police procedural series: tense, twisty and gripping.
It starts with a claustrophobic situation and becomes a tense and fast paced murder investigation
I thoroughly enjoyed it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was my first book of Alex Walters‘ series featuring DI Annie Delamere, her team and her wife. What starts as three guests accidentally being snowed in and stranded overnight in a remote pub on top of a hill in the Peaks soon turns into a murder investigation and the kidnapping of two small children with some vindictive Men‘s Rights activists thrown into the twisty plot. Kept me on the edge of my seat and whetted my appetite to read the previous and the future books of the series.

A really good, gripping read, with lots of twists.

Alex Walters has woven an intricate web with this cleverly thought out plot.

Two people murdered, two children missing, several stories running concurrently and then, they all start to come together as DI Annie Delamere and her team join the dots and one of them discovers that it’s personal!

I haven’t read the previous books in this series and my only criticism of this great book is that some of the previous events weren’t explained, primarily whatever has happened to Annie’s Mum.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Alex Walters and Canelo for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I gather this is one in a series but the mark of a great stand alone novel is that you don't notice.
A well thought out plot (If a little far fetched), excellently executed.
Would certainly read the others.
Many thanks.

DI Annie Delamere and her main team Zoe and Andy, plus senior officers, have two cases - a dead woman with, apparently no history, and two missing, presumed kidnapped, children. All set in a very snowy Peak District. Eventually the two cases are linked via men who are part of a group to "put men first" - abusers who feel no remorse because they didn't do anything wrong, in their eyes. The story itself was good, interesting in how the two cases came together with horrifying behaviours. As part of a series, it can be read alone for the detecting but the personal lives of the main characters are complex and developing. If you haven't read previous books in the series I think you might miss a lot of the nuances. Pity. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

The first time I have read this Author but I enjoyed the style of writing. A solid four star read. Great premise. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

snow-season, blizzards, procedural, law-enforcement, rural, adopted, due-diligence, thriller, missing-persons, suspense, British-detective****

I don't think this one can stand alone (at least for me). There just seems to be more background on the ongoing characters than I could sort out.
There are many plot twists and good detective work in this interesting but confusing work.
I requested and received an EARC from Canelo Crime via NetGalley.

Compelling, Engaging…
The fourth entry in the Detective Annie Delamere series of mysteries and two bizarre cases with apparently no connection are soon to become inextricably linked. It’s not long before the detective and her team are in a race against time. Another well written and immersive entry to this series with a multi faceted narrative, a plot populated with a credible cast and a well imagined backdrop. Compelling and engaging.

This is one of those fictions books that leans heavily into the fiction so yeah, it's jot the most realistic or believable that all these coincidences would ever actually happen but so what..... hence it being a work of fiction! If you don't look too deep then it's a decent police proceedural/ thriller. There are some twists and turns, as I said some very unlikely coincidences and connection but hey ho! There are a lot of characters and they're all bit basic so I didn't feel particularly invested in what happened to anyone really lol. It wad a decent enough book though

Really good police procedural, just the way I like to read them with plenty of main character details. Loved Annie, and the relationships with her colleagues, wife and mother felt very realistic. I especially liked that her superior officer is supportive and gets involved. Will definitely read more of this series.

Part thriller part police procedural set in the beautiful peaks, this wintry mystery has all the right ingredients for a cracking read but somehow it doesn't quite work.
The characters aren't particularly memorable and there are far too many introduced in the multiple pov chapters. The adoption storyline felt too coincidental and contrived and several conversations between characters just didn't feel natural.