‘The Snowdonia Killings’ by Simon McCleave

Published by Canelo,
10 April 2025.
ISBN: 978-1-80436997-5 (PB)

Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter is still recovering from the sudden, unexplained disappearance of her partner and has become disillusioned with her high-octane life working in the Metropolitan Police Department dealing with violent crime. She decides to opt for a quieter life transferring to rural North Wales. However, she barely has time to introduce herself to her new team before she and DS Nick Evans are called to deal with the brutal murder of the deputy head of the town’s secondary school whose body has been found in the staff car park with strange symbols carved onto the back of her hand.

It is not long before a second body associated with the school is discovered. The headmaster is found murdered in his own home marked with the same strange symbols. It is clear that the killings are connected. There are plenty of suspects and each member of the team will need to be at the top of their game to ultimately identify the culprit.

The plot is complex and fastmoving keeping the reader turning the page. There is plenty of misdirection not helped by the conflicting accounts given by the suspects during their interviews.

The characters are realistic the two main protagonists are particularly well-drawn. Ruth’s vulnerability is never far below the surface, but this does not stop her from breaking down the barriers between her Welsh team’s suspicions about the English Met officer brought in to take charge. It doesn’t take long to win the respect and confidence of DS Nick Evans who has his own demons and alcoholism to deal with.

McCleave’s love for his native North Wales is well in evidence from the atmospheric descriptions of the harsh beauty of the countryside enhanced by the folklore associated with various locations.

Although The Snowdonia Killings, the first in the DI Ruth Hunter series has only just been released by Canelo Crime it was previously published independently in 2020 and has continued to top the Amazon charts. Since then, McCleave has published 21 more Ruth Hunter novels selling over 3 million books to date.  
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Reviewer: Judith Cranswick

Simon McCleave is a million selling crime novelist who lives in North Wales with his wife and two children. His first book, The Snowdonia Killings, was released in January 2020 reached #1 in the UK Chart, selling 250,000 copies. There are now  21 books in the DI Ruth Hunter Snowdonia series  and they have all been top 20 bestsellers. Simon most recent series features retired detective Frank Marshall.

www.simonmccleave.com 

Judith Cranswick was born and brought up in Norwich. Apart from writing, Judith’s great passions are travel and history. Both have influenced her two series of mystery novels. Tour Manager, Fiona Mason takes coach parties throughout Europe, and historian Aunt Jessica is the guest lecturer accompanying tour groups visiting more exotic destinations aided by her nephew Harry. Her published novels also include several award-winning standalone psychological thrillers. She wrote her first novel (now languishing in the back of a drawer somewhere) when her two children were toddlers, but there was little time for writing when she returned to her teaching career. Now retired, she is able to indulge her love of writing and has begun a life of crime! ‘Writers are told to write what they know about, but I can assure you, I've never committed a murder. I'm an ex-convent school headmistress for goodness sake!’

http://judithcranswick.co.uk/