The Snowdonia Killings: A Snowdonia Murder Mystery Book 1 (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller)

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A small-town murder. A big city detective. Can she unravel the gruesome trail of clues before the killer strikes again?

This debut novel is a wonderful introduction to what looks like being a great new series of murder mysteries. Set in Wales in the area around Mt Snowdon, the rugged and beautiful countryside is as much part of the novel as the characters. The Snowdonia Killings is the first book in the DI Ruth Hunter series by British author, Simon McCleave. After almost twenty-five years with the London Metropolitan Police Force, DI Ruth Hunter transfers to North Wales. The idea is she has come up here for low-level crime, less murder and less politics, and it doesn’t hurt that she will be away from reminders of her missing, and much missed partner.

I didn't like the victims at all. They get what they deserved and so I really didn't care who killed them. Even the initial suspects are eternally unlikeable. The coppers don't have a clue until the very end when an accidental reveals all ends the mystery. What really annoyed me was the two victims were POC and so a lot of nastiness can be said about them to do with the colour of their skin. They were both English, what does it matter? Felt very pointed. I loved how Welsh culture and folklore was integral to this story, it gave such added value to this book. It was the quality of the detail that impressed me, it was not the obvious tourist highlights but obscure nuggets like the Demon of Cerrigydrudion. I loved the strong Welsh identity that this novel supported and shall ignore the little dig about the people of Cardiff.

Any mistakes? Yes, of course, there are some, the main one is that the age of the teacher is first given as 53 by herself and later as 51 by the team. The reverse would be more likely unless she fibbed to the school. It may also be good to point out that acronyms as CPS have a completely different meaning in the UK than in the USA. Simon McCleave is a mystery author best known for his debut novel, The Snowdonia Killings. Born in South London, this talented author worked in television as a Script Editor with BBC and Channel 4 before switching to become a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. Some of McCleave’s outstanding works as a scriptwriter include Murder In Suburbia and Silent Witness series. His Out of the Game film with Channel 4 also earned him some recognition. Currently, McCleave resides in North Wales with his wife and their two children. This book is so English, it hurts. This is a very strangely written book with some stinky red herrings that were and weren't obvious in the end. Research tells me that this book was published last year, which means the subsequent novels have all been published straight after. It's got to be the first book ever set in Wales where the English interlopers are hardly confronted by the infamous Welsh chip and also the first book where an Englishwoman can pronounce Welsh phrases and place names, without anyone correcting her. In her defence, she had spent some time in Wales as a kid, but Welsh is really hard. The arrogance of CID officers towards uniform was often a source of conflict. It had always been that way and Ruth remembered exactly what it was like when she was in uniform. Being treated as a glorified assistant, expected to take statements and other ‘menial’ tasks. Ruth had worked with police officers who, once they had transferred from uniform to CID and bought their Matalan suit, thought they were Inspector bloody Morse.After moving to Worthenbury, near Wrexham, he worked as a teacher before writing his debut novel, The Snowdonia Killings.

Hoping to find the crime here less gruesome, and the politics less intense, DI Hunter was to be sorely disappointed: her first case involved the death of Ysgol Dinas Padog’s deputy head, a symbol carved into her hand. Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter lives with the pain of her partner’s mysterious and unsolved disappearance. About to hit 50, the veteran police officer trades in the crime-ridden streets of London for a more peaceful life in rural North Wales. But Ruth has barely settled into her new position in North Wales Police, when the body of a brutally murdered woman is discovered...with strange symbols carved into her skin. Teaming up with an obstinate deputy, Ruth struggles to eliminate anyone from a long line of suspects. When another slain victim is discovered with the same cryptic markings, she’s forced to re-think the investigation. Some reviewers were rather scathing about Deryn Edwards performance, but I thought she did very well and added a definite flavour of the place to Simon's story.I loved the way Simon put so much more into the story than a great plot, and well, developed characters. It explores the way alcoholics cope with daily life. He includes wonderful descriptions of Snowdonia and surrounding areas. I also loved how Welsh culture and folklore was integral to this story, even with the Welsh/English “racism”. The detail was impressive, it wasn’t just the obvious tourist highlights but obscure little snippets of information about its myths and legends that the author inserted. With such a complex case, and all the red herrings the author sends your way, guessing who the killer is turns out to be very difficult. The ending is surprising, moving and hard hitting. However, after the reveal there’s a long section of exposition which didn’t quite fit the rest of the storytelling. Perhaps Simon McCleave wanted to tie up as many loose ends as possible, but he could easily have left some of them hanging. Having been born in Liverpool, grown up in the Wirral, and spending many childhood weekends and holidays in North Wales with both my own parents and later my own kids, I found the mention of so many Welsh place names quite nostalgic. A character is smoking Marlborough cigarettes. "Fynydd Snowdon" is used instead of Yr Wyddfa. King Arthur is described as ENGLISH, of all things. This book is so English it hurts.

Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter lives with the pain of her partner’s mysterious and unsolved disappearance. About to hit fifty, the veteran police officer trades in the crime-ridden streets of London for a more peaceful life in rural North Wales. But Ruth has barely settled into her new position in North Wales Police, when the body of a brutally murdered woman is discovered…with strange symbols carved into her skin. The Harlech Beach Killings comes second in the DI Ruth Hunter series. DI Ruth Hunter is still under a lot of stress, and the case of the disappearance of her partner has just been reopened. When the body of a rich businessman washes up the North Wales shore, Ruth has to prove that she and her team can handle this case. However, the more she digs into the case, the more details about a link with an infamous drug lord emerge. Is it possible that Ruth had bitten into more than she can swallow? What happens if she discovers that her murder victim was linked to the infamous Liverpudlian drug baron? The book is not perfect but it is a fine start to an ongoing series. McCleave's unpretentious writing style nicely mirrors the nature of the setting in which the story takes place and is, to my way of thinking, perfect for the book. I can comfortably recommend The Snowdonia Killings to those who enjoy a solid cop investigation and I shall certainly read the next book in the series - although not right now since I never read books by the same author in succession. Why, you ask? It's just one of my many quirks. Starting a new life in Snowdonia was always DI Ruth Hunter's dream. Until a twisted killer turned it into her worst nightmare.I couldn't begin to pronounce some of those place names in an authentic way like the narrator did and I googled her details to see if she is Welsh. Surprisingly she is not. Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter lives with the pain of her partner’s mysterious and unsolved disappearance. About to hit fifty, the veteran police officer trades in the crime-ridden streets of London for a more peaceful life in rural North Wales. But Ruth has barely settled into her new position in North Wales Police, when the body of a brutally murdered woman is discovered…with strange symbols carved into her skin. Teaming up with an obstinate deputy, Ruth struggles to eliminate anyone from a long line of suspects. When another slain victim is discovered with the same cryptic markings, she’s forced to re-think the investigation. All the books were penned by London-born Simon, a former Hollywood scriptwriter who subsequently worked on TV shows in the UK such as Silent Witness, Midsomer Murders, EastEnders and The Bill. It’s remarkable how many plot twists and new directions crop up in this novel. The police procedural aspect is strong, but using a huge variety of characters the author manages to drive the story in various directions. It’s complex but very believable. There are secrets galore, and often the characters have attitudes and issues that complicate matters for Ruth. As well as hate crimes, mental health problems, suicide and autism play a role – affecting the characters, the investigation and how it’s handled.