Challenge Corner discussion

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

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. Has Ruth got what it takes to solve the case before the murderer attacks again?


The Snowdonia Killings is the first book in the DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller series and set against the majestic backdrop of Snowdonia, a timeless land of Arthurian legend, folklore and myth.

25% (view spoiler)[This is the first ebook I've read that I can say I am very attached to. I really like Ruth and Nick, and I want them to succeed. I also have a feeling that Sarah's disappearance, Megan's death, and Arabella's murder are all somehow connected, even though we know virtually nothing about Megan's death yet.

I like that this is mostly in Ruth's POV but sometimes switches to Nick, and Arabella before she was murdered, and I guess maybe a few others. I'm usually not a huge fan of POV switches without them being defined as such, but Simon McCleave does this aspect of the novel very well. (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[This is the first murder mystery or detective novel I've read where the characters are not only defined by their roles as police officers. I really like where this is going, Simon McCleave's style is impressive. Nick and Ruth are likable, complex characters from the beginning, and the plot is very hard to predict. I'm liking this much more than most of the mysteries I've read recently. I expected it to be a lot more of a thriller, but it's kind of exactly what I needed right now. (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[Huh, maybe I am getting better at this detective novel stuff. I had a feeling it was Bronwyn all along, but I'm not sure what little things I picked up on. Maybe Nick's intuition? I've fully believed she was the murderer from the beginning. Maybe, too, it was the spiral as a symbol of rebirth, something Ruth and Nick overlooked as too generic. If Bronwyn killed them in cold blood and as revenge for taking away her job, maybe the idea of rebirth was something she was playing with. I guess I also suspected her because she is said to be an expert in Welsh mythology, and the symbols had two defining mythological origins.

Can't wait to see where this goes! (hide spoiler)]

Finished! (view spoiler)[Wow this was amazing. That ending was not what I expected at all. I mean, I expected a twist, but not that the killer was Mike. I guess I had originally predicted that the murders were connected to Megan's death, but I didn't think it would be Mike. It did seem a little suspicious that they never investigated Mike beyond an initial interview, but between him and Graham, who they also didn't investigate, I suspected Graham far more. But this is definitely my favorite mystery I've read so far, and I definitely want to read the sequel too. (hide spoiler)]