The Snowdonia Killings: A Snowdonia Murder Mystery Book 1 (A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller)

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Schedules have yet to be agreed, due to the Covid crisis, but there are hopes filming could take place next summer ready for a 2022 release. Detective Inspector Ruth Hunter lives with the pain of her partner’s mysterious and unsolved disappearance. About to hit 50, 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.

I loved the way Simon put so much more into the story than a great plot, and well, developed characters. It explores the way alcoholics cope with daily life. He includes wonderful descriptions of Snowdonia and surrounding areas. I also loved how Welsh culture and folklore was integral to this story, even with the Welsh/English “racism”. The detail was impressive, it wasn’t just the obvious tourist highlights but obscure little snippets of information about its myths and legends that the author inserted. DI Ruth Hunter has made the difficult decision to leave London and the Met for the much quieter life in the North Wales Police Force. Her last year in London has been made all the more difficult by the disappearance of her close friend and lover, Sarah, who, one day got on a train and never got off. She seems to have vanished.

Publication Order of DI Ruth Hunter Books

The team work through the evidence and their investigations uncover new details, and then a second murder occurs, they find their confidence that their focus is on the right suspect shaken time and time again. Do any of the characters tell the truth? There are plenty of lies and misdirection, along with a generous “supper “of red herrings. That will keep even the most astute reader from even suspecting, let alone deciding who the perpetrator is, until the final chapters. Not kean on her attempt at Scouse accents though, but very few can get that spot on to a proper Scouser 😆 I couldn't begin to pronounce some of those place names in an authentic way like the narrator did and I googled her details to see if she is Welsh. Surprisingly she is not.

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. Having been born in Liverpool, grown up in the Wirral, and spending many childhood weekends and holidays in North Wales with both my own parents and later my own kids, I found the mention of so many Welsh place names quite nostalgic. The arrogance of CID officers towards uniform was often a source of conflict. It had always been that way and Ruth remembered exactly what it was like when she was in uniform. Being treated as a glorified assistant, expected to take statements and other ‘menial’ tasks. Ruth had worked with police officers who, once they had transferred from uniform to CID and bought their Matalan suit, thought they were Inspector bloody Morse. Some reviewers were rather scathing about Deryn Edwards performance, but I thought she did very well and added a definite flavour of the place to Simon's story. A deal has been agreed to film the first of Simon McCleave’s “Killing” series in Snowdonia and north east Wales.This debut novel is a wonderful introduction to what looks like being a great new series of murder mysteries. Set in Wales in the area around Mt Snowdon, the rugged and beautiful countryside is as much part of the novel as the characters. Netflix is among the distributors interested in the project and a “high profile” actress is being lined up to play the part of DI Ruth Hunter, the book’s main protagonist. I thought the plot was great with tension running all the way through. I enjoyed reading about the police procedures and jargon like “Victim is an IC3 or M1 female”. Ah yes, you spot those codes and the ugly face of racism has it’s part to play too. I liked the advice DI Ruth Hunter shared with the reader about interview techniques. I loved the attitudes within the police force that were explained, for example… After quitting teaching three years ago, Simon began work on the DI Ruth Hunter series, publishing three at the start of 2020, and four more since. Starting a new life in Snowdonia was always DI Ruth Hunter's dream. Until a twisted killer turned it into her worst nightmare.

Fortunately, she has a supportive team of competent staff by her side. The second in command, DS Evans, is knowledgeable on the local landscape, and through his connections, the team is able to launch an investigation. Ruth has a long list of suspects to work through, so she works tirelessly to unravel the mystery. When a second body shows up with the same cryptic markings, Ruth is convinced that she has to rethink her steps to stop the ruthless killer. Can DI Ruth solve this case fast enough to prevent another killing? What is it about this case that has her so unsettled? I am constantly on the lookout for authors to add to my list and I believe that I have found one in Simon McCleave. The Snowdonia Killings is far from perfect but it has a very good plot, some wonderful characters that McCleave has done a nice job of developing, a few red herrings (and maybe a blue one), and the obligatory twist at just the right time, mercifully cutting off what seemed like a rather choppy ending. A character is smoking Marlborough cigarettes. "Fynydd Snowdon" is used instead of Yr Wyddfa. King Arthur is described as ENGLISH, of all things. This book is so English it hurts.

Publication Order of DC Ruth Hunter Murder File Books

The Snowdonia Killings is the first book in the DI Ruth Hunter series by British author, Simon McCleave. After almost twenty-five years with the London Metropolitan Police Force, DI Ruth Hunter transfers to North Wales. The idea is she has come up here for low-level crime, less murder and less politics, and it doesn’t hurt that she will be away from reminders of her missing, and much missed partner. Not long afterwards, another teacher is killed and the victim also has a spiral carved on their hand. I loved Simon’s writing style and content. There is so much more to this book than basic crime scene investigation and the search to find the bad guy. This novel explores how alcoholics cope with daily life and how married mothers can move on to find love in a same sex relationship. Also the family lives of the police officers are skillfully woven into this story which adds perspective to this tale. Real past events like Operation Trident and the murder of Claire Tiltman in 1993 were mentioned to explain to the reader how certain things can happen. Simon McCleave is a mystery author best known for his debut novel, The Snowdonia Killings. Born in South London, this talented author worked in television as a Script Editor with BBC and Channel 4 before switching to become a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. Some of McCleave’s outstanding works as a scriptwriter include Murder In Suburbia and Silent Witness series. His Out of the Game film with Channel 4 also earned him some recognition. Currently, McCleave resides in North Wales with his wife and their two children. I loved the way Simon built the personalities of his characters, making them multi dimensional and often flawed, but all the more human and relatable for it!