The Snow Killer

There are some authors who you know will give you a good read. Ross Greenwood is one of those and The Snow Killer's fantastic.

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Book description

‘Fear the north wind. Because no one will hear you scream…’

A family is gunned down in the snow but one of the children survives. Three years on, that child takes revenge and the Snow Killer is born. But then, nothing - no further crimes are committed, and the case goes cold.

Fifty years later, has the urge to kill been reawakened? As murder follows murder, the detective team tasked with solving the crimes struggle with the lack of leads. It’s a race against time and the weather – each time it snows another person dies.

As an exhausted and grizzled DI Barton and his team scrabble to put the pieces of the puzzle together, the killer is hiding in plain sight. Meanwhile, the murders continue…

My review 

Wrap up warm and read this!

Part of the story is in the words of a killer and part is a third person telling of the team trying to solve the murders. It’s only when a cold case of fifty years ago comes to light that detectives start to make connections. This looks like the beginning of a good series. Interesting characters and guess what? The DI is happily married and has kids. It’s a long time since I read a crime or police procedural that didn’t feature a maverick with an alcohol problem. Ross Greenwood doesn’t write clichés. What he has written here is a fast-paced, action-filled puzzle of a story with believable characters and spiced with a lot of humour. I want to meet Barton and Strange again!

About the author

I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King's School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I'm still a little stunned by the pace of it now.

Fifty Years of Fear book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then after working in sales management all my life, i randomly spent four years as a prison officer. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours.

I've now written five further books. My second book, The Boy Inside, was picked up by a publisher, and Lazy Blood is also out. All my books are thought provoking, and told with a sense of humour. Reading the reviews has been great.

~~~

Just a thought

Get books, sit yourself down anywhere, and go to reading them yourself
― Abraham Lincoln

Abel's Revenge

This is one of those stories that I suspect will stay with me!

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Book description

This is a story about a city. As with all others, it’s a place of violence. There are murderers, and they live among us.

This is also a tale about a couple — sometimes friends, occasionally lovers, but always partners. Dan and Olivia are fighting modern battles; the ones parents have over a lack of money, time or peace.

An escalating serial killer terrifies the streets and homes. The body count rises as their relationship crumbles. Society reveals its dark side, and no one is safe. Dan and Olivia experience this first-hand as danger closes in.

Will Abel’s reign of terror ever end?

Who will live, and who will die?

My review -

I’ve said before that Ross Greenwood writes an unusual story. I’ll say it again! Ross Greenwood has written something here that stands alone. He takes the ten-year relationship of Dan and Olivia, now going stale under the pressure of their jobs and childcare for their two small children. Dan suffers a breakdown and Olivia gets the chance to work in California, taking their children. The author sets it against a city in meltdown, suffering the attacks of a serial killer. I loved the fact that Dan was obsessed with their weird postman and milkman, even his neighbour. The kind of thing we can all do. Olivia, who liked to go running, feared the attacker. There’s a sense of danger throughout this book and the ending is a corker.

About the author

I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King's School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I'm still a little stunned by the pace of it now.

Fifty Years of Fear book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then after working in sales management all my life, i randomly spent four years as a prison officer. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours.

~~~

Just a thought -

I love the way that each book—any book—is its own journey. You open it, and off you go….
― Sharon Creech

Shadows of Regret

My first Ross Greenwood book. What a stunner!

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Book description

Katie committed a terrible crime. Sixteen years was the price she had to pay.

Once released from prison, she finds the world has changed. But Katie is a survivor.

Isolated and alone, she struggles to make sense of her new life. Starting again isn’t easy, especially after what she’s done.

Despite not feeling free or safe, Katie overcomes her fears and confronts the future. Although history won’t remain forgotten.

Gradually, memories of the past are revealed. When Katie finally exposes the awful truth and sees there are others who share the blame, she must choose her path.

Will she seek redemption, or will she take revenge?

My review -

Katie is being released after sixteen years in prison. Over the course of the story we see what she did to merit this sentence. Sixteen years is a long time for regrets and anger to fester and the book shows us how she deals with them. She’s intelligent and resourceful but trusts very few people. I have to say that in spite of her past, I warmed to her a great deal. She’d got the mucky end of the stick in life. The book’s well written and we are seeing the world from inside a young woman’s mind, brilliantly done by this male author. In parts it’s sad, exciting, thought provoking but never at any point is it boring.

About the author

I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King's School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I'm still a little stunned by the pace of it now.

Shadows of Regret was inspired by my time on the women's side of the jail in Peterborough, and analyses the close relationship between victim and villain. You won't have read a book like it.

~~~

Just a thought - Once you have read a book you care about, some part of it is always with you.

Louis L'Amour

The Boy Inside

The second in the Dark Lives trilogy by Ross Greenwood. I must make sure I read the third.

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Book description

Book 2 of the critically acclaimed Dark Lives Series

With absent parents and broken friends, a young Ben makes choices that could ruin his life. After two spells in prison, he finds himself involved in more serious crime. 

Soon, he finds himself in situations out of his control with a woman he doesn't love. Ben looks to escape but finds that leaving is not an option.

Will Ben escape before people begin to die?

My review -

Ross Greenwood knows better than most what life in prison is like, as he used to be a prison officer. In this book we can see, through the early life of Ben Jones, that a life can balance on a knife edge. Ineffective parenting, the lack of a parent for one reason or another, the influence of unsuitable friends, and just one bad decision can push a boy like Ben onto the steep slope of a criminal life. Ben has a couple of opportunities to change his future and go straight but the lure of money is too strong. I found the waste of young lives quite haunting. The writing is engaging and gets right to the point. I hope there are still people within the prison service who share Ross Greenwood’s humanity and understanding. This is a book you’ll remember.

Author info

I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King's School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I'm still a little stunned by the pace of it now.

Fifty Years of Fear book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then after working in sales management all my life, i randomly spent four years as a prison officer. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours.

I've now written five further books. My second book, The Boy Inside, was picked up by a publisher, and Lazy Blood is also out. All my books are thought provoking, and told with a sense of humour. Reading the reviews has been great.

The first three books are stand alone, however, some of the characters cross over, and you can see how at times, their lives overlap.

~~~

Just a thought - In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you. 

― Mortimer J. Adler

Fifty Years of Fear

Ross Greenwood is a fairly new author to me but I do like his style and his thoughtful take on things.

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Book description

Could you forgive murder? What if it was something worse?

A childhood accident robs Vincent of his memories, causing him to become sensitive and anxious around others. His differences attract bullies, and he comes to rely heavily on the support of his family.

After the devastating loss of his parents, a remarkable woman teaches him to embrace life and, little by little, he realises the world is far more forgiving than he imagined. When fragments of his memory return, he begins to unravel his past.

Who was his mother? What kind of a man is his brother, Frank? And why does death surround them?

Fate is cruel. History is dark. Things are not as they seem.

Perhaps he should have stayed at home.

My review -

Although this book is about the life of a fairly ordinary man I found it completely engrossing. Vincent retells fifty years of a life lived as a fearful loner. His few relationships are less than satisfactory and his brother disappears from his life for years at a time. Vincent’s great sin seems to be a naiveté but it causes him a huge problem. By the end, although he is a character shunned by many, it’s hard not to sympathise with him. The author has a way of putting you into a character’s mind so you can see the world from his point of view. There’s a question of whether evil traits are heritable or not and the whole story really stretches your mind. Highly recommended.

Author info

I was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until I was 20, attending The King's School in the city. I then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

I found myself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually when things had gone wrong. It was on one of these occasions that I met my partner about 100 metres from my back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. I'm still a little stunned by the pace of it now.

Fifty Years of Fear book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then after working in sales management all my life, i randomly spent four years as a prison officer. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave me the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep I completed it in the early morning hours.

I've now written five further books. My second book, The Boy Inside, was picked up by a publisher, and Lazy Blood is also out. All my books are thought provoking, and told with a sense of humour. Reading the reviews has been great.

~~~

Just a thought - “but for my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short.” 

― Jane Austen