The Red, Red Snow (An Anderson and Costello Mystery, #11)

by Caro Ramsay

"An attention-grabbing procedural with unsettling surprises inside every snowbank" - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

Called to investigate the bloodstained aftermath of an eventful Christmas party, detectives Anderson & Costello discover that the holiday season can be anything but merry.

A family man is stabbed to death at a crowded Christmas Ice Show. Murdered in plain sight. No clues, no witnesses, no known motive.

A week later, two bodies are discovered at a holiday cottage in a remote highland glen: one in the kitchen; the other sprawled outside on the icy lawn. The killer would appear to have arrived and left without leaving a trace, not even a footprint in the snow.

What secrets are lurking within this isolated, superstitious community? As the snow piles higher, detectives Anderson and Costello put their wits to solving a seemingly impossible crime, and gradually uncover a twisted tale of greed, obsession - and cold-blooded murder.

• ISBN10: 0727889230
• ISBN13: 9780727889232
• Publish Date: 28 February 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
• Imprint: Severn House
• Edition: Main
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Red, Red Snow is the 11th book in the Anderson & Costello series by Caro Ramsay. Released 2nd June 2020 by Severn House, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a modern procedural with a returning ensemble cast with a complex interwoven past both together and severally. I hadn't read any of the previous books, so the very intricate and involved interrelationships took a while for me to sort out in my own mind. Like many police procedurals, there are lots of disparate plot threads which wind together more tightly as the book goes on. All of the action is set against a backdrop of approaching Christmas holidays in Scotland. The author is quite gifted with immersive atmospheric ambience and the Glasgow setting was believable and encompassing. It *felt* cold and dark. The characterizations are superb, and the characters are distinct from one another and well delineated. The dialogue is believable and never rang false for me.

The denouement (especially the epilogue) was top notch, well written with an extra twist which I definitely didn't see coming. It was a satisfying end to a very well written book. I'll go back and pick up the earlier books in the series, though there are major spoilers in this book which will color earlier installments. If readers are planning to read this one, I would recommend picking up the backlist first.

Four stars. This is a really well written modern murder mystery with believable characters.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.