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
Thanks for being part of the blog tour today Suze x
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. x
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