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

by Simon McCleave (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 26,915 ratings
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Starting a new life in Snowdonia was always DI Ruth Hunter's dream. Until a twisted killer turned it into her worst nightmare.

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. If you like dark police procedurals, psychologically complex characters, and shocking twists, then you’ll love Simon McCleave’s pulse-pounding debut novel.

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  1. Book 1 of 19
    A DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller
  2. Print length
    390 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 13, 2020
  6. File size
    1617 KB
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  1. Snowdonia was where Owain Glyndwr, the last native prince of Wales, had been crowned.
    Highlighted by 209 Kindle readers
  2. His dad was full of the ‘ISM’ – I, self, me. He was the kind of man that was also full of the ‘me toos’. He found it impossible to listen to anyone’s news without relating it to himself in some way. He wasn’t remotely interested in anything anyone had to say unless he could bring to back to himself. Self-absorbed didn’t really describe his depths of his overwhelming self-obsession.
    Highlighted by 183 Kindle readers
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08268L6L8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stamford Publishing (January 13, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 13, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1617 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 390 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1916245811
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 26,915 ratings

About the author

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Simon McCleave

Simon McCleave

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Simon is a million selling crime novelist. His first book, 'The Snowdonia Killings', was released in January 2020 and soon became an Amazon Bestseller, reaching No 1 in the Amazon UK Chart and selling over 400,000 copies. His seventeen subsequent novels in the DI Ruth Hunter Crime Thriller Series have all been Amazon Best Sellers and many have hit the top of the UK Digital Chart. He has sold over 2 million books since 2020.

The Ruth Hunter Snowdonia books are currently in development as a television series to be filmed on location in North Wales in 2024.

SImon also has a very successful crime series set on Anglesey with Harper Collins (Avon). 'The Dark Tide', the first of the series, was the highest ever selling Waterstones' Welsh Book of the Month.

Simon McCleave was originally born in South London. When leaving University, he worked in television and film development. He was a Script Editor at the BBC, a producer at Channel 4 before working as a Story Analyst in Los Angeles. He worked on films such as 'The Full Monty' and television series such as the BBC Crime Drama 'Between The Lines'.

Simon then became a script writer for television and film. He wrote on series such as Silent Witness, Murder In Suburbia, Teachers, Attachments, The Bill, Eastenders and many more. His film, 'Out of the Game' for Channel 4 was critically acclaimed - 'An unflinching portrayal of male friendship.' (Time Out)

Simon lives in North Wales with his wife and two children.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
26,915 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tony Parsons
5.0 out of 5 stars crime thriller
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
3/201/7, Crane House # SE15. DI Ruth Hunter (49, North Wales PD) directed the CID officers & AROs to go to the 5th. floor.
SE London, England. Peckham Pelican Estate Flat # 127. Kossi “Taz” Asumana (husband/father, drug dealer, Peckham Boys gang member), Zaria Asumana (wife/mother), & their 2 young children resided there.
Kossi had already been shot/killed.

Zaria was covered in blood but alive.
11/5/2013, Sarah Goddard (Ruth’s partner) got on a train at Crystal Palace station & was never seen again.
Ysgol Dinas Padog. Mike “Tan” Gardner (Nick’s Uncle, caretaker retired Parachute Regiment ex-paratrooper) tried to perform CPR on Arabella “Bella” Dixon (51, Jamaican, Deputy headteacher), it was to no prevail.
DI Hunter & DS Nick Evans (North Wales PD) arrived at the crime scene.
CID Major Incident Room #1. DI Hunter, DS Evans (SIO), DC Luke Merringer, DC Sian Hockney (Llancastell PD) were listening to DC John “Mac” Macdonald’s (CID boss) presentation on the Dixon murder case.

Mrs. Bronwyn Wright (50+, history teacher), Graham Williams (Ysgol Dinas Padog teacher), Chris Roberts (Ysgol Dinas Padog teacher), Gareth Thomas, Dan Hughes (Scouts leader), Reverend Arlo Lincoln (husband, Methodist), Mrs. Lincoln, Alex Noakes (20, Arabella’s son, marketing/PR degree), & Jonathan Noakes (55+, Arabella’s ex, Alex’s father) were all interviewed.
The investigation continues.
Neerav Banerjee (husband/father, Muslim, headteacher, 2 kids) was the next victim.
A suspect had been ID. A warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Will DI Hunter & DS Evans solve the murder cases & bring someone to justice?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written Crime Thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Crime Thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author (s); Stamford Publishing; BookFunnel; Author; PDF; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
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carolynfromoz
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent murder mystery in Wales
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2020
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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.

DI Ruth Hunter has transferred from London to North Wales in search of a quieter, less stressful life dealing with petty crimes instead of violent murders. However, instead she finds herself SIO of a murder case as soon as she walks into her new station. The Deputy Head at a local school has been brutally murdered in the school car park after a parent teacher evening with a strange symbol carved into her hand. Ruth's second in command, DS Nick Evans is a great help to Ruth with his local knowledge and connections and she's pleased to find a competent and industrious team of local police at her command.

It's really refreshing to read a police procedural where the police all get along and work well together without any tension or jealousy. Ruth is very likeable and gets on well with her partner Nick, despite his problems with alcohol addiction and it was great to see Ruth confront Nick about that and support his attempt to overcome it. Ruth also has a vulnerable side and feels lonely since her partner Sarah boarded a train in London and disappeared without a trace four years before. Theirs was a harmonious, loving relationship so Ruth is convinced that Sarah met with foul play.

I really enjoyed the way this murder mystery unfolded with credible police work and relatable characters. I also loved the wonderful descriptions of Snowdonia (which I visited on a Girl Guide camping trip as an 11 year old) and the little snippets of information about Wales, its myths and legends that the author inserted. I have a feeling this is going to be one of my favourite series!
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Mainer
3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but other issues
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2023
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Ruth Hunter is tired of solving crimes in London, so she transfers to a Northern Wales police unit. On her first day, she's put in charge of a murder investigation.
The author tries to give some interesting background to Ruth and her sidekick Nick. Ruth is a lesbian, and her partner Sarah mysteriously disappeared four years earlier. Nick is an alcoholic, and Mr. McCleave goes into a lot of detail about this. I'm not qualified to judge, but it did seem odd to me that Nick tries to wean himself off by measuring his alcohol count and taking drugs. Maybe that's a viable treatment in Wales, but the author does spend a lot of time on it.
The story itself was good, veering from suspect to suspect, grounded by forensic work and logical police work. The ending is a bit of a twist that I didn't see coming, though there did seem to be a plot hole unless my knowledge of Welsh law is lacking <spoiler> (how is underage sex at age 14 not immediately classified as rape?)</spoiler>.
Unlike other reviewers, I enjoyed the historical and mythological references. I didn't care for the constant musical references and travelogues that felt like padding. The action sequences were written well, but often there was too much repetitive telling - Ruth rolled down the window to let her smoke out. Or every sentence in a paragraph starting with "She" or "He." It felt like a good first effort but ultimately not a series I want to continue.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
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Characters were believable. Plot was logical.

I like the main

characters with their own foibles.
Will continue reading series. And her partner, still missing.
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Top reviews from other countries

Joanne H.
5.0 out of 5 stars I Didn’t See it Coming
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I can pick out the guilty party in many of the mysteries I read, but I definitely didn’t see this one coming. The characters are interesting - flawed, but not in the usual “damaged detective” way. The setting is one I haven’t read about before. (My mum was Welsh, so some of the place names are familiar; but unfortunately I haven’t visited North Wales.) The main characters have interesting backgrounds, which I look forward to reading more about in further books, as I’ve bought the set. I found it a bit difficult to keep some of the minor characters straight - but then there are several of them in the book (many of them suspects). All in all, a good read. Hard to put down.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars sensational!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2024
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This was an absolute excellent first read in the series. I was hooked from the start. I absolutely loved the way it ended and it was completely unexpected. The characters are great as well.
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Andrew Edward Earl
5.0 out of 5 stars The first in the series
Reviewed in Germany on January 15, 2023
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This is my first Simon McCleve book, but it's a winner. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
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Ryan J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in France on January 26, 2020
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Good storyline and characters. However quite a few spelling and grammar mistakes in the book. Several times it felt like it was Yoda speaking! This was annoying but didn't detract from a good read. Want to know more about the characters so will buy more in this series
One person found this helpful
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lynne hewitt
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story
Reviewed in Spain on January 22, 2020
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Loved the story set in an area I know well. The twist at the end was excellent.
Characters were very believable and well drawn
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