Tuesday 16 June 2020

Snow Light by Danielle Zinn

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Snow Light by Danielle Zinn. Donna and Jessica are also sharing their reviews today so do see what they have to say too. Huge thanks to Sarah Hardy at Book on the Bright Side Publicity & Promo for inviting me to take part and to the publisher for my review copy.



The Blurb:

When Detective Inspector Nathaniel Thomas encounters a man attacking a young woman in a local park, the DI is unable to save her. Out of guilt, Thomas quits his job at Homicide Headquarters and relocates to the tiny village of Crottendorf, where he regains control of himself and begins to enjoy life again.

However, a year later, all the guilt and shame of the park incident re-emerges when a local hermit, Ethan Wright, is murdered with an unusual weapon and left on display in the centre of the village.

For Thomas, the situation gets worse when Detective Sergeant Ann Collins, a colleague from his past, appears to help with the case. But things become complicated when the victim’s identity is put into question.

Who is the victim? And why was he murdered?

Whilst Thomas and Collins find themselves trying to solve the unusual case, they may have more in common than they could have ever imagined. 

Snow Light was published by Dark Stroke Books on 1st June 2020 and you can buy it here.



My Review:

Traumatised policeman Nat Thomas has quit his job and take  himself off to the Ore Mountains to become a village constable in Crottendorf. All is quiet for a year before a violent murder takes place in the village triggering terrible memories for Thomas. He must put them to one side if he is to catch the killer.

I liked Thomas. Although clearly haunted he has worked hard to get himself into better shape, both physically and mentally. He's likeable, relatable and easy to care about. His living situation is unusual but it endeared him to me. His former colleague, Ann Collins, assigned to work with him here, is another matter. She's cold, spiky and tactless. She is very hard to like but much is explained later in the book, with one particularly heart tugging moment. All of this makes the relationship between Thomas and Collins an interesting one. But my favourite character was 11 year old Sky - funny, smart and sassy. Brilliantly described. 

The setting of Crottendorf is beautiful. I loved the village traditions - the lights in the windows, the pyramid in the vsquare. It's also very cold, at least it is when this drama takes place. The winter weather definitely plays its part in this story - short days, dark nights and thick, thick snow. I could feel the cold through the pages! But there is warmth here too, both in the village  fireplaces and in the personalities of many of the characters.

The storyline itself is complex and covers events over 30 years or more. It starts quite slowly but builds momentum, mirroring the police investigation. There are some red herrings and a few gruesome moments along the way as we move towards a conclusion that I didn't see coming.

I did find the writing occasionally a little clunky and put that down to English not being the author's first language. I was also curious as to why the characters had English names, rather than German ones. But overall I found this to be an engaging slow burner of a read and a fine debut. An intriguing, well thought out story of hidden identity, old wounds, new pain, murder and revenge.

The Author:


Danielle holds a BA (Hons) degree in Business and Management from New College Durham/UK and has settled down in Leipzig/Germany, where she works as a Financial Controller at an IT Consultancy.

Born and raised in a small village in the Ore Mountains/Germany Danielle was introduced to the world of English literature and writing from an early age on through her mother – an English teacher.

Her passion for sports, especially skiing and fencing, stems from her father’s side. Danielle draws her inspiration for writing from long walks in the country with her partner as well as circumnavigating the globe and visiting friends scattered all over the world.

Mix everything together and you get Snow Light, a detective mystery combining a stunning wintry setting in the Ore Mountains with unique traditions, some sporty action and lots of suspense.


Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: @DanielleZinn4    https://twitter.com/daniellezinn4
Facebook: Danielle.zinn.7  https://www.facebook.com/danielle.zinn.7

2 comments:

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