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  • The Snow Killer

  • The DI Barton Series, Book 1
  • Written by: Ross Greenwood
  • Narrated by: David Thorpe
  • Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (105 ratings)

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The Snow Killer cover art

The Snow Killer

Written by: Ross Greenwood
Narrated by: David Thorpe
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Publisher's Summary

‘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…

The first in a new series, Ross Greenwood has written a cracking, crackling crime story with a twist in its tale which will surprise even the most hardened thriller readers. Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Stuart MacBride.

©2019 Ross Greenwood (P)2019 Boldwood Books

What the critics say

"Move over Rebus and Morse; a new entry has joined the list of great crime investigators in the form of Detective Inspector John Barton. A rich cast of characters and an explosive plot kept me turning the pages until the final dramatic twist." (Richard Burke, author)

"With The Snow Killer, master of the psychological thriller genre Ross Greenwood once again proves his talent for creating engrossing and gritty novels that draw you right in and won’t let go until you’ve reached the shocking ending." (Caroline Vincent)

"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." (Kath Middleton, author)

What listeners say about The Snow Killer

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good

I liked it a lot. Decent writing, likable characters (a little performatively PC, but in a realistic way? I can't explain it, but it's not annoying. I feel like it is a fair depiction of modern policing and the complicated feelings officers have of both nostalgia for [and relief at the end of] old school policing). It's actually really refreshing to find a cop protagonist who isn't a hot mess and has a fairly stable family life. I loved the sympathetic villain/antihero? It was a well developed mystery, with a twist that was actually good and not simply for the sake of having a twist. I will definitely seek out more books in the series.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Subpar British Mystery-Thriller. Oddly Upbeat

On paper, this Ross Greenwood offering is quite promising. The book follows the day-to-day concerns of Lincolnshire Detective Inspector John Barton & his team's hunt for a serial murderer in his community, and simultaneously follows the "Snow Killer" (who committed a series of unsolved revenge murders as a youth and comes out of "retirement" decades later). The prose is passable, the characters are well-developed, the setting includes ugly/gritty drug addiction, and the nicely-structured plot is fairly clever with a completely unexpected twist at the climax.
Unfortunately, the execution is inadequate. It took me a while of listening to figure out why the story feels "off" - but I eventually figured it out. Greenwood uses far too light a touch for a tale incorporating rage, torture, and thrill-kill murder. The descriptions are sometimes whimsical, characters (and victims) often have silly nicknames, and part of the protagonist's character development includes cleaning poo off of his toddler's bum, attending prenatal appointments, and holding cutesy dad-child conversations. The incongruity with the violence is striking.

Unfortunately, better than average narration from David Thorpe can't rescue this recording. To be certain, his lilting cadence is unusual and he reads far too slowly (I found 1.20X was the best playback speed for Thorpe's narration), but his diction, timbre, and voice-acting are genuinely commendable. The most annoying aspect of the performance is undoubtedly the tone: To his credit, Thorpe tries to inject some tension and gravitas into the more suspenseful scenes, but sadly he also seizes on the generally lighthearted tone Greenwood gives to most of the text.

I'm frankly surprised that so many reviewers scored this tale so well. I suspect they were largely fans of PG-13 "Cozy" mysteries who felt deliciously naughty "slumming" with this moderately gory story. If you are a fan of 'Cherringham'/'Mydworth' books or 'Midsomer Murders'/'Murder, She Wrote' - type TV Shows, this is a considerably darker tale that might work for you.
As a more conventional "Mystery" fan, I can't give 'The Snow Killer' more than 3.5 stars out of 10. If you can get it for free (as I did with the 'Plus' program), it's not a total waste of 8 hours, I suppose
..but, if they asked, I wouldn't spend money on it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pleasantly Surprised

I honestly went into this one thinking it would just be okay. After all they announced the "dramatic twist" right there on the cover. Turns out I loved it, and have gotten the next few books in the series already. The plot kept me engaged throughout and I think this is one of the few mystery novels I met with dual perspectives that works for me. Generally I'd prefer one POV over another but I thoroughly enjoyed both DI Barton and the Snow Killer. And that twist really did get me. It came from nowhere, but it made sense and worked great.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • JJM
  • 2022-07-04

Very Good

Enjoyed the narration very much. Slightly different to what I have listened to before. Surprise twist at the end - very well placed, did not suspect at all. The story was good and well paced but stretched out a bit too long in my opinion.

I look forward to listening to other stories by this author and I hope the narrator is the same.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended!!

I highly recommend this book!! I couldn’t put in down and spent every moment listening! Amazing story, Awesome narration! Thank you!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not your run of the mill mystery story

We get to Hear both sides of the murders,’s and I found it very well written, entertaining.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

easy reading with a nice twist

I listened to this book for my snow walks, it was a perfect suggestion from audible

it's well written, catchy and has a great twist.

loved the ending and the characters diversity in addition to the reflections done on crime life and the changes in policing over the last few decades

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The snow killer

Wasn’t who I thought it would be. I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

very well done very enjoyable

I enjoyed it very much. Great twists. Well written. I highly recommend. I can't wait to read/listen to the next 1.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Compulsive listening

What a finale, loved this listen all the way. Great story with a great twist towards the end, which I didn’t see coming. 5 stars all the way!

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