8stitches 9lives's Reviews > The Body in the Snow

The Body in the Snow is the fourth instalment in the DCI Craig Gillard Crime Thrillers series of which all of the books can be read as standalones without any issues whatsoever. Louth manages to strike an often difficult to achieve balance between an exciting and intriguing plot and showing the tedium of police work. When prominent local businesswoman Tanvi Roy, who had been out walking her dog, is found slaughtered by trainee CSI Kirsty Mockett, DCI Gillard is sent to begin an investigation. There is little forensic evidence to be found at the scene and Craig and his team are struggling to find a motivation for the cold-blooded murder. They soon establish, to their horror, that there is much more likelihood of the crime having been committed by either one of Roy’s business contacts or her family and begin a deep dive into all her associates.

I very much enjoyed the fact that there were plenty of suspects once the police determined the direction to go in and the investigation team as a whole were proficient and worked exceptionally well together. From the opening pages, you are hypnotised by Louth’s writing making it almost impossible to put down, and I raced through it in one sitting. It’s an easy, entertaining read and one that can be enjoyed by every type of crime reader as it has so much to offer in terms of plot, characterisation and endless reveals. We watch as slowly but surely the Roy family secrets and indiscretions are unmasked. Louth is undoubtedly one of the best and most accomplished British crime writers working right today, and I hope he soon gains the recognition he deserves. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.