This book was not for me. I could not find any empathy for the FMC, Fiona. Her constant paranoia was draining. She was suspicious of everyone without any valid reason other than her conjectures. It felt like she was jumping at shadows which didn’t inspire any confidence in me about her capabilities as an investigator.

I really liked the previous books in this series. However I wasn’t such a fan for this one. It was descriptive but also very slow moving. I do like Fiona and look forward to her next book

Fiona MacLeish is back investigating another murder case and just like always this also takes place in the midst of a blizzard where a group of fellow hikers are in dire trouble and have to take refuge in a shelter. One of them is a killer and Fiona must move fast and identify the killer before they strike again.

While I loved the setting of the remote Scottish mountains, I found the plot to be slow moving and we get to look into Fiona's thought process as she tries to work out what is going on. The last third of the book is exciting with non stop action and a dramatic conclusion.

Thank you @bookouture for having me on the #booksontour and @netgalley for the advanced digital copy to read and review.

Not Again. HOW? At Least The MC And Author Acknowledge It. Third book in the series - and the third murder within a few weeks that our MC, police officer Macleish, finds herself locked in an enclosed environment with the bodies piling up and a murderer prowling about - but at least there is a quick line early where the MC (and thus, the author) acknowledge that this just doesn't happen to people normally. Which then allows the reader to settle in and just enjoy the book. For the established formula, this one again works well - though perhaps with even more pure speculation and even less actual evidence throughout this particular tale, due to the exact nature of this particular "locked room" isolated environment. (Here, a blizzard in the Scottish Highlands, vs the first book's flood-blocked valley and the second book's storm-blocked island.) Solid overall character work again with the MC though, bringing in the best friend for this particular event and then having some solid progression on the overall mythos of the series in the finale. Which leads to lingering questions of if this series will continue and if it will continue with the existing formula...

Overall a solid book of its type, and one that is well worth the read. Very much recommended.

I love a good walk, one to blow the cobwebs away, a mental and physical challenge but I draw the line at walking in snow. Snow is evil stuff so trekking up a mountain is the worst kind of walk! But our Fiona is up to the challenge and yet again she’s thrown into a murder case where the weather is not making it easy (again) – it’s like Mother Nature just doesn’t like Fiona!!

Fiona is definitely an overthinker but that’s what you need when you’re put on the spot like she is. She goes through every permutation as she tries to keep up with event and solve the case she’s been thrown into inadvertently. The way she goes through the suspects around her in this close quarters mountainside shelter shows her capabilities no matter what those around her say.

I loved the way Smith injects some of his familiar humour into what is a chilling story. He lightens the dark narrative briefly before wrenching me back to the midst of Fiona’s thought processes in this tension packed story. Each time Fiona or one of the supporting cast left the shelter, I feared they might not return, worried the blizzard and icy conditions would cause hypothermia … or worse, they’d leave with the killer for their last snowy trek!!

The Shelter is a cracking addition to this new series from Smith. He left me wanting more – I want, nay, need to know what’s happening next!!! I need more Fiona!!!

Set in the remote Scottish mountains Fiona and her friends Donna and Jack are hiking when they meet up with six other walkers. As they get chatting a blizzard makes its way towards them. Suddenly there's a scream and when Fiona looks behind there are now five people instead of six.
So begins a search for a missing person but when the missing Kevin is found and taken to a nearby shelter will his injuries prove fatal and if it's not an accident is Fiona trapped with a would-be murderer?

As with the previous books, The Flood and The Island, Fiona is once again on a serious case in an isolated environment with no backup.
While entertaining as a standalone novel the circumstances do feel a little forced to set up what is effectively another locked room mystery.

It's a slower moving plot than the previous books with a lot of repetition of Fiona's thoughts as she tries to work out what is going on but this is great if you are a fan of psychological mysteries as she tries to understand who these people are and why one of them would attack Kevin.

The last section of the book is exciting as we get answers and action and also a little more of Fiona's ongoing story that is gradually unfolding as the series progresses.

A quick read. I'm hoping for Fiona's sake that she gets to work a case with other officers and detectives next time.

Absolutely loved the 3rd book in this series. Fiona MacLeish is at it again and trying to sort out what looks like an accident but we all know looks can be deceiving. Could put it down once started. Really recommend the series :)
My thanks as always to Netgalley and the publisher Bookouture for the early read

My 3rd outing with Fiona (from the Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller series by G.N. Smith).
Set in Scotland, Fiona sets out on a hike with some friends and poor Fiona gets caught up in a murder, with no back up, no phone signal and not much a equipment she tries to discover who is the killer. Managing to get the groups of hikers to a shelter, they all seem to be hiding secrets from each other and things for Fiona get worse and she ends up having to deal with not just one murder but 3.

Thank you to Bookouture, Netgally and G.N.Smith

I enjoyed book one and two. So three was definitely on my tbr.
The Shelter is book 3 in the Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller series by G.N. Smith.
I loved being back in the company of police officer Fiona MacLeish.
This story is set in the remote Scottish mountains and the eerie setting made the tension here intense and exciting.
G.N. Smith delivered a hard hitting and fast-paced police procedural.
A character-driven police procedural is dark and twisty with interesting and relatable characters, an intriguing and twisty plot, and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

4.5⭐

PC Fiona MacLeish is back and once again finds herself isolated and vulnerable. When she spends her day off hiking one of the Munro Mountains with her two oldest friends Jack and Donna. 

As on the way down from the summit. The trio bumps into a group of six hikers and as they continue down. A scream renders the air, and Fiona is quick to notice one of the six hikers is missing, and as a snow storm starts to move in. It becomes clear the hiker has gone over the edge of the cliff. 

So, before the weather worsens Fiona, her friends and the other five hikers scramble down to rescue the fallen man, ready and willing to carry him off the mountain before its too late.

However, Fiona realises that something isn't right and her gut is telling her his fall wasn't an accident and now the snowstorm has turned into a blizzard.

And the group is going to have to take shelter in a Bothy. If they're to survive.

Which gives Fiona the chance to observe those with her and when the hiker succumbs to his injuries. She begins to question everyone.

But nobody has a bad word to say about him.

Then another attack happens, and Fiona has to face the fact there is a killer amongst them.

And with so much tension and danger. As the characters are stranded, short of food and water. With no mobile signal and only a dead body for company. This was an enthralling read. That really packs a punch when it comes to the feeling of claustrophobia and uncertainty, and for me it's the best of the series so far.

Thank you, NetGalley, for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, honestly, that was underwhelming.

While I don't hate this book, I don't have much good to say about it either. I am a big fan of thrillers and crime novels, which meant requesting this ARC was a no-brainer.

If you are someone who likes a cut-and-dry crime novel with very little mystery, then this may be the book for you. Unfortunately, it was a little disappointing for my taste.

Most of the story comprised of speculation by the main character about who may have committed the crime, but without any real evidence. Full chapters are filled with speculation based on imagined situations between the characters, rather than on what the MC, a cop, actually can deduce from the facts.

My second problem with this book is the fact that the male-written female MC is so obsessed with thinking about sex (e.g. "sex is always the motive," "i don't have real relationships, just random sex," "this person's sexuality must have something to do with the murders"). And this stuff is mentioned over and over and over.

Then, there is the (also female) best friend whose only personality traits are physically clinging to her husband and making crude sexual jokes. Are there women like this out there? Of course! But certainly not every one. And the fact that a man is portraying the only important women in the story in this fashion gives me an indescribable amount of ick.

Finally, and most upsetting for me, is the lackluster ending. We find out the killer way too early, and then there is no twist, just a painfully long chase and an explanation that I don't really care about at all.

I really wanted to like this. I really want to like every book I read. I don't read to hate, but this was not at all my cup of tea. I wish better luck upon my fellow readers.

Fiona goes for a walk up a munro (Scottish hill) with her friends Donna and Jack, and runs into a group of hikers who are in a bit of strife. One of their number has had a fall. Was it an accident, though? When he is retrieved, there is a question mark around his injuries.

As a snowstorm traps the hikers plus Fiona and her friends in a shelter, she starts to speculate that the fallen hiker was actually injured on purpose and so she goes about trying to figure out who out of the hikers could have done it. When another of their number is injured, Fiona knows they are in big, big trouble....

Now, I really like Fiona. She is tough, hard-working and a dedicated police officer. And I really loved the first 2 books. However, this book, with it's endless speculation of "whodunnit" started to get a little tedious and I found my attention drifting. It was an effort not to begin skim reading.

The ending was a little bit weak as well, the high level of tension was missing with this book, compared to the other two, for some reason.

I like Fiona, I like the bones of this book...but the middle of it was just a little flat for me.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Fiona, Police Scotland's unluckiest cop, is back! Fiona is back for another "locked room" mystery based outside with Geography and weather once again trying to thwart her investigation!

This time her long-time friend Donna and her husband, Jack are climbing a Munro near to Loch Fyne. When the weather takes a turn for the once they make their way downhill. Sadly not all of them make it down unscathed and Fiona has another murder to solve. Who can she trust? Who has their sights set on more trouble? Is she on her own with an angry, scared mob or does she have some allies at her back?

I really enjoyed being back with Fiona. It's a bit of a Busman's holiday for me since I actually do work for the Police, lol. So there is some "artistic licence" but nothing too outlandish!

Fiona has to think on her feet with being hemmed in with so many possible suspects. Eliminating people from her investigation isn't easy and her own feelings don't come out untouched. She has to face some harsh comments levelled at her and still do her job.

There are twists and turns, a red herring or two and fabulous "gotcha" moment. Again the weather takes centre stage and I really did feel like I was right there with Fiona et al in the snow and wind. I did have a wee smile at the end when get to meet an often referred to character and we learn just what Fiona has been up to since we last saw her!

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

well its the sort of book i would normally go for ...a snow storm and stranded people on the mountain and a killer amongst them

but the descriptive nature was off putting for me... i like an all action book with these elements but there was to much thought processing going on that it was to over whelming for me

WoW! This latest book by G.N Smith was Just Brilliant. This author has just got better and better. The Shelter is the third book in the brillant
PC Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller series and this was another brilliant book from start to finish. This book is set in the peaks of the Scottish Highlands.

When Police officer Fiona MacLeish stumbles upon a group of fellow hikers in dire trouble in the dramatic peaks of the Scottish Highlands, she has no choice but to help. One of the party has fallen off the path, lying below with the crisp white snow around his head starting to turn scarlet.

However, Fiona soon learns the potential accident is actually a deliberate murder. But who would want to hurt this man and why?

With visibility worsening and the snowstorm getting worse, Fiona and the group of hikers make it just in time to a nearby shelter. Fiona needs to question everyone in the party, But, no one knows she is a Police Officer, she soon realises that everyone is keeping secrets about their relationship with the victim, and any one of these hikers could be the killer…

When another brutal attack happens, it is clear that the murderer is still among them.

All trapped in a shelter at the top of a mountain, Fiona must move fast and identify the killer before they strike again. Fiona herself also becomes a target. With tensions rising and food running out, she knows she doesn’t have long until more people die.

But can she find the killer and save herself and the innocent hikers in time?

WoW, Once I opened my kindle I became hooked from the very first few pages and it was just as tense as the last book with great twists and turns throughout with a great storyline. I ended up reading this all day.....So glad for take aways!!!! lol.

But with this book I have given it another 5 stars. Its Brilliant!

I am looking forward reading more books within this series.

Big thank you to netgalley, and Bookouture and the author G.N.Smith for an early copy of her book.

The Shelter is the third book in the Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller series. I do recommend reading the books in order as there is a lot of backstory to Fiona that is important to know. The series is quite intriguing. Just a heads up, though each story seems to drag a bit, I encourage you to keep reading on.
Fiona seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. This is the case in The Shelter. A ordinary hike turns into so much more for Fiona. Can she discover what is going on? What other potential dangers await her?
The conclusion is dramatic and full of suspense.
A tension filled story that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Another adventure following the police officer Fiona where the weather is against her and she has to find out who is/are the murderer/s. This is the 3rd book of the serie and the same setting, where there is a group of persons, victims, and the weather does not allow her to ask for back up. Anyone could be the culprit and she's the only law officer in this shelter. It was great to read another of her adventures.

This premise should have placed this book among my favourites— a Locked Room Mystery, set in the mountainous region of Scotland during a wild, unexpected winter storm. The story continues as the group shelters in an isolated stone cabin protected from the blizzard and freezing cold.

Police officer Fiona MacLeish has been hiking with her two friends, Donna and Jack, who are a married couple. As they make their way down the mountain, the wind and rapid snowfall reduce visibility. They hear a group descending behind them and then a scream. One of a group of those six hikers has disappeared in the storm. The missing hiker is recovered, and it looks like he has been severely injured in a fall, but Fiona realizes that this was a case of attempted murder. The injured man soon dies.
As she begins to learn about the individuals in this group of five people, the pace slows down as Fiona theorizes who the killer might be. All this early unsubstantiated wild speculation seems like a filler and serves little purpose.

Once sheltered in the cabin, they find several others already there who seem to know the group of five. Conditions are grim, with no communications, little food, and the storm making a helicopter rescue impossible. Another person dies, and it is apparent that there is a killer in their midst. There is no safety inside the shelter. Fiona questions the occupants of the cabin, hoping to discover the perpetrator before they claim another victim. Her life is in danger when it is learned she is a police officer.

The pace of the story quickens amidst twists and turns. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. Publication is set for November 2.

This was the first book I read out of the Fiona MacLeish series and it was a great read! It has made me want to read the two books that came before this one. I did find at times that the story felt like it was dragging but it eventually built up and became a page-turner for me. I had hope that each victim was going to survive and was sad when none did. I am happy that Fiona and Donna stayed friends after everything that happened.

Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for the advanced copy of this great read!

The Shelter is the third book in as many months in the Fiona MacLeish series however I found it fairly repetitive at times and a lack of urgency coming through the storytelling which was a disappointment after the promise of the previous book.