Book Review: The Killer in the Snow (DI James Walker #2) by Alex Pine

“The first fall of snow can be fatal…”

The second book in the DI James Walker series, The Killer in the Snow by Alex Pine is set a year since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season. But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter. Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little evidence. And the crime scene has strange echoes of another terrible murder committed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier.

Rating:

Thank you to NetGalley for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read The Christmas Killer last Christmas and am always on the lookout for a thriller set during the festive season, so I was excited to pick up the second book in the series, The Killer in the Snow.

While I enjoyed the first book, I did find it a little slow at the beginning, although I was still excited to see more from the characters. And this second instalment definitely picks up the pace. There’s a lot of action throughout, the pace is quick, and it’s an exciting case to follow.

Pine starts off by summarising the events of the first book without giving any spoilers, so this can easily be read as a standalone. I also love that he provides a set of character profiles at the start for any new readers, making sure that everybody starts off in a knowledgeable place.

The case is a really interesting one to follow and will feel similar to certain true-crime documentaries that have been popular this year, with a desolate farm being the setting for a crime in both the present and past.

Although the case is complex with two stories coming together, it’s easy to follow and constantly intriguing. I did guess the twist early on after making a wild prediction, but I was still excited to see if I was right and how the answers would be revealed.

A definite improvement on the first book, I look forward to seeing what DI James Walker is faced with next and whether he can get through a Christmas without a murder happening on his doorstep.