Skip to main content

 

The Snowdonia Killings (DI Ruth Hunter, #1)The Snowdonia Killings by Simon McCleave
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you are an "Arthurian Thirsty" reader like me, the setting of this book alone is enough to draw you in. Simon McCleave writes with such vivid detail that he could easily be working for the Tourist Board! He doesn’t just describe Snowdonia; he breathes life into it. Between the legendary history of King Arthur and the mysterious pull of the Lady of the Lake, you almost expect the landscape to become a character itself. For someone who lives on the border and has kin in Wales, it was refreshing to "return" there, even if it was to witness a series of grizzly killings.

The story kicks off at a blistering pace. We meet DI Ruth Hunter, who has just traded the Met in London for the Welsh peaks, only to hit the ground running as the SIO for a brutal murder case.

The Characters: Beautifully Broken
What I loved most were the "ordinary" vices of the leads. Ruth is a dedicated smoker with absolutely no intention of quitting, and Nick is a struggling alcoholic who knows he should. Simon writes these habits so vividly that I’ll give you a warning: if you don’t smoke, this book might make you want to start, and if you’re trying to quit, stay alert! These aren't polished superheroes; they are real people with real weaknesses navigating a "broken world."

The Pace: High-Powered Pursuit
The "police lingo" (to use a Scouse word!) is handled expertly. Simon clearly knows his field, taking the reader by the hand through the technicalities without ever slowing down the action. You feel like you’re standing right there at the murder scene, or white-knuckling the steering wheel in a high-speed pursuit, screaming at the tractors to get out of the way!

The Verdict
The plot is a masterclass in red herrings. I won’t tell you how many are killed, and I certainly won’t reveal the motive, but I will say the tension is vice-like. Having read some incredible books this year by John Marrs, Daniel Hurst, Gillian McAllister, and Mark Edwards, I can confidently say Simon McCleave is right there beside them on the top shelf.

An absolute must-read. I’m already reaching for the next one!

View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Happy Family (The Hunt Family, Book 3)

  The Happy Family by Daniel Hurst My rating: 5 of 5 stars Book Review: The Happy Family (The Hunt Family, Book 3) Author: Daniel Hurst Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (A "Sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat" Masterclass) If life were a game of poker, Daniel Hurst just cleared the table. The Happy Family is the explosive finale to the Hunt Family saga, and let me tell you, the cards were stacked in the writer’s favor from the very first page. I usually pride myself on spotting a twist from a mile away, but Hurst threw down a trope I simply did not see coming. The Tension: From the Sofa to the Taxi This was the fastest I have ever devours a book. From the start, the tension is cranked to the absolute limit. Because there are children involved, the stakes feel agonizingly high—you don't just want to keep reading; you have to. There were moments of temporary heartbreak that hit me unexpectedly; at one point, I found myself thinking of my own Mum, and that’s when you know a thriller has crosse...
Post a Comment
Read more

Betting Against the Master: A Review of "I Stole Your Family"

Betting Against the Master: A Review of "I Stole Your Family" I Stole Your Family by Daniel Hurst My rating: ★★★★★ (5 of 5 stars) I’ve just finished Daniel Hurst's latest, and once again, I am blown away by his writing style. He plays his cards so well that I honestly wouldn’t ever want to play a game of poker against him! This story is incredibly tense, largely because there are children involved. While they are physically safe, they are being emotionally torn apart, which is almost harder to read. If you’ve read book one, I Want Your Family , then you’ll know that Book Two is all about the "paving stones." It’s paving the way for the chaos to come, but the ground feels like it’s at a 15-degree tilt—that lingering sense of vertigo where you know things are about to slide. The whole point of a series is to let the narrative unravel slowly, and Daniel is a master of the slow burn. Your heart is in ...
Post a Comment
Read more
The Wasp Trap by Mark Edwards My rating: 5 of 5 stars A Review of The Wasp Trap written by Mark Edwards I have never read a book that gripped me quite the way The Wasp Trap did. At first, I wondered: Shouldn't it be the Honey Trap? I read the blurb and thought, Hmm, sounds like an Agatha Christie novel. You know the one—ten people go to dinner—only it wasn't called that when I had my copy, and I certainly won't repeat the original title here! I was intrigued. What could possibly happen to a group of students returning for a dinner party after 25 years? The premise immediately took me back to my own student days. It made me wonder: if I were invited to a specific reunion by one of them, would I go? After reading this book, the answer is a resounding no . I’d blame Mark Edwards for my non-attendance! I knew something was up when one of the characters couldn't even go into the yard to vape. It reminded me of when smoking was seen as a vice and we were all told to ...
Post a Comment
Read more