Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman

Cover of Snow (Wheeler Publishing Large Print Hardcover)

by Jenny Milchman

WINNER OF THE MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

Jenny Milchman’s Cover of Snow is a remarkable debut, a gripping tale of suspense in the tradition of Gillian Flynn, Chris Bohjalian, and Nancy Pickard.

Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide.

The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them.

Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.

Praise for Cover of Snow
 
“Well-defined characters take us on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the darkest night, with blinding twists and occasionally fatal turns. This is a richly woven story that not only looks at the devastating effects of suicide but also examines life in a small town and explores the complexity of marriage. Fans of Nancy Pickard, Margaret Maron, and C. J. Box will be delighted to find this new author.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“Milchman reveals an intimate knowledge of the psychology of grief, along with a painterly gift for converting frozen feelings into scenes of a forbidding winter landscape.”—The New York Times
 
“Milchman makes [readers] feel the chill right down to their bones and casts a particularly effective mood in this stylish thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Milchman tackles small-town angst where evil can simmer under the surface with a breathless energy and a feel for realistic characters.”—The Seattle Times
 
“The plot unfolds at an excellent clip . . . ultimately rushing headlong to a series of startling revelations.”—San Francisco Journal of Books
 
“Milchman expertly conveys Nora’s grief in a way that will warm hearts even in the dead of a Wedeskyull winter.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Reviewed by layawaydragon on

3 of 5 stars

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As I started reading the first chapter unfold and then finish with such a eerie, disturbing, "oh, fuck" moment that was just perfect, I was hooked.

In the middle I had some solid thoughts about what was going on and what was going to happen. At that point it started feeling a bit slow but it was still good. It was still intriguing.

The ending was...not really satisfying. On one hand, I don't want the "everything was okay and they all lived happily ever after since the villains were vanquished", on the other hand I felt it needed more resolution. It's hard to explain without giving anything away. Hmm....okay, say for instance there's this story, right? The main character is trying to get everyone to see "the light" and get rid of "the darkness". We go along this journey and the story ends with the main character revealing "the light" to everyone and they finally see "the darkness" for what it is. That's great! But what happens after? Do people embrace the light, fight it or flee? Does the darkness end, stay or get away unharmed? What happens?!? The main character's current main focus is done but the story isn't. Since I haven't read, heard or seen anything to suggest a sequel to this book, I feel...blah about the ending. I get not wanting to drag the story out further, leaving some room to maybe continue, letting the reader wonder and that it felt like a good place to end the book. I get it, I just don't particularly like it in this case. Now, if I knew this would be a series instead of a stand alone, I'd be okay with it.

I disagree about the pace being "racing" fast. I feel it was slow. With the reader getting information, events and clues before Nora does, Nora is constantly playing catch up. She's like the epitome of an amateur detective and it gets dull waiting for her to get it together. I think this caused the slower feeling to me. While there were moment of "Well, finally!", "It's about time!" and frustrated "OMG, it's so obvious." during the middle (mainly) and (somewhat) during the end, I still enjoyed the ride. There was just so much information given; those with the knowledge, memory, and experience can put together the mystery before it's revealed. Which, understandably, can cause the book to feel too slow, too obvious and fall flat.

I'm in the middle. While I felt it was slow, I was hooked in and patient. While I felt somethings were obvious and grating how long it took Nora to put it together, there were other things I didn't see coming. While I loved the writing and most of the characters, not all of the relationships, actions and people made sense. While the opening chapter was gripping, the final scene felt bland. Which is why this book is enjoyably average.

I agree with other reviews about Ned & Nora. I went from confusion to hesitation to out right resistance about their hard to define relationship.

I really liked Nora's character progression with Dugger. Dugger is a great, memorable, stand up, stand out character that doesn't feel gimmicky at all. I really appreciate that. It was rather refreshing.

I really liked the writing and the style. It's detailed, enveloping, gloomy, moody, questioning, atmospheric feeling. Maybe it was too well done because I was mostly numb, tingly pins and needles feeling from the snow and cold instead of being really involved emotionally. I was caught up with Nora's stumbling, bumbling, numbness so I wasn't that emotionally attached. I didn't really get the "heart pounding, nail
biting, thrilling" feeling. I was more riding along to find out the answer to the mystery but that's about it. It's like a thriller without the thrill. The cozy mystery without the light humor. The contemporary without the heart-string pulling impact. So it comes off feeling like a solidly average mystery.

I think of this book like quicksand. If you can move slowly, calmly, and not fight against the unfolding events things should turn out fine. Worse case scenario is a bit of sand in uncomfortable places.

If you thrash, struggle, fight and try to race out like a bat out of hell, this book isn't going to have a happy turn out.

In my opinion anyways.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 November, 2012: Finished reading
  • 25 November, 2012: Reviewed