Blood on the Snow

Two friends, Nicola and Emily, have gone away for a holiday break. They are found in a hot tub, the water turned red around them, victims of a frenzied attack. There is no sign of forced entry and both their phones have vanished, which leaves DCI James Walker with very little to hold on to at the darkest, coldest point of the year.

The case opens onto a knot of betrayal, and every new suspect James turns up has a reason to want the women dead. Alex Pine keeps the procedural detail tight and the list of possible killers long, with the clock running as the holiday season closes in. This is the latest DCI James Walker thriller, and it suits anyone who likes their crime wintry, rural and properly puzzling, best read with the curtains drawn.