Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka.
When beloved high school student Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched – not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the police officer assigned to investigate. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three unforgettable characters – Cameron, Jade, and Russ – must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.
A good read. Likeable story. 4*.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

This book is billed as a thriller but it’s more of an exploration of three characters, and once I realised that’s what it was I really quite enjoyed this novel. The premise is that a teenage girl, Lucinda, has been found murdered and the novel is told from the perspective of three other characters: Cameron – a teenage boy who is quite obsessed with Lucinda, Jade – a teenage girl who thinks Lucinda has a perfect life and she wants that for herself, and Russ – one of the detectives investigating the murder. I did hope for a bit more depth in these characters but having said that I did get completely invested in wanting to know what had made them the way they were, and how far Cameron and Jade’s fixation with Lucinda might have led them. It’s a book that really looks at what makes us who we are and makes us do the things we do, and what the consequences of that is. I’ll definitely look out for more books by this author and I recommend this one.

I have loved the opportunity to spend time researching novels to re-stockl our senior bookshelves in the school library that plays a central role in the life of the school. When I first took over the library was filled with dusty tomes that were never borrowed and languished there totally unloved.
Books like this, play a central role in ensuring that the library is stocked with fresh relevant fiction that appeals to the readers. It has a strong voice and a compelling plot that ensures that you speed through its pages, enjoying both its characterisation and dialogue whilst wanting to find out how all of its strands will be resolved by the end.
I have no hesitation in adding this to the 'must buy' list so that the senior students and staff of the school can enjoy it as much as I did. This is a gripping read that will be sure to grip its readers whether they are fans of this genre or coming to it for the first time through our now-thriving school library recommendation system. Thanks so much for allowing me to review it!

I have already reviewed this previously, I didn't realise at the time it was the same book just re published!

A thought-provoking and interesting character driven story with a more of a YA feel than thriller but nonetheless a worthy read from a promising new author.

Girl In Snow was a brilliant story, I read it in one fell swoop and as soon as I finished I read it again!!

Struggled with this so I had to abandon as the police procedures whilst handling/questioning a teenager were just wrong - like illegally wrong - and as a consequence I couldd't read further. Sad because it looked and sounded great!

Schoolgirl Lucinda Hayes is dead. Murdered and left in the snow for the school janitor to find the next morning. Now everyone in this small Colorado town is eyeing each other with suspicion, trying to work out who murdered Lucinda.

The story is told from the point of view of three characters. The shy student Cameron who immediately becomes the prime suspect due to his habit of standing outside Lucinda's house and watching her family through their windows. Cynical teenager Jade, who has a troubled relationship with her abusive mother and is dismissive of the sudden grieving of Lucinda's friends. Cop, Russ who had some dark secrets of his own concerning Cameron's father. Each character is very well written, they all have their own distinctive voices and all are fully fleshed out. I struggled to understand the character of Cameron, though. His nighttime visits to Lucinda's house are supposed to be the actions of a misunderstood child but I found a section where he goes into Lucinda's room after her death quite odd and creepy and I lost any sympathy I had for the character then.

This is a beautifully written book. The author is certainly a skilful writer and created a very dreamy yet sinister atmosphere. Lucinda falls into the background fairly early on and we never really learn much about her character, she acts more as a plot device. There's nothing really wrong with this book but in the end it just left me a little cold.

I received a ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Girl in Snow is an interesting examination of people's lives in the wake of the murder of a 15-year-old schoolgirl.

The main themes are of obsession, delusion, loneliness and the distance between people. All of the characters in the novel have some awareness of a chasm between who they believe they are and how they live their lives, there is the sense perhaps that older characters are wearily resigned to this whereas the teenage protagonists are angry or in turmoil.

The story is told by Cameron, Jade and Russ. Cameron is 15, the same age as Lucinda Hayes, the girl who has been killed. He has been an obsessive observer of Lucinda, watching her through glass, drawing her compulsively, and he has secrets even from himself as he suffers from blackouts when he is 'Tangled'. Jade is also a teenager who observes others, including Cameron and Lucinda. Like Cameron, she is overwhelmed by her emotions including her disgust with herself and her yearning for someone with whom she has little meaningful interaction. Russ is older, a policeman who worked with Cameron's long-gone father, but he too is filled with yearning, he too has a secret, needy inner life hidden beneath a very passive outer life.

I was fascinated by the complex narratives that these characters told themselves, they constructed fantasy love relationships based on tiny encounters which may have held potential but they made no real attempt to actually get to know better the objects of their obsessions. Yet there is progress within the novel, as each of the main characters starts to reach out and build real connections with others.

I found this an absorbing story, in which the murder victim and the solution of the crime are subordinate to the drawing of the protagonists' lives.

I received this ebook free in return for an honest review.

I can see this novel having strong crossover appeal. It is the story of the aftermath of a girl found murdered. The novel follows three people who want to find out what happened to Lucinda. This is very much a story about how those left behind are affected more than a whodunnit, though that is a part of the story. I found myself suspecting most everyone. I look forward to reading what Kukafka writes next. Recommended to readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries.

“When Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched—not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the officer assigned to investigate her murder. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three indelible characters—Cameron, Jade, and Russ—must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.”
I struggled to get into this book as the three main characters are all a bit strange...
I didn’t connect with any of them and found myself not really caring eho had killed Lucinda.
I expected this book to be a gripping crime thriller but for me, it didn’t meet my expectations.
Thanks to NetGalley and Picador.

There are plenty of great characters in this multi-layered novel, but the storyline itself failed to grab me. I found I didn't really get into it, and so decided not to continue - I think parts were a little slow for me. It's definitely more about character development than I expected, and though this of course is not a bad thing I think I was just waiting for there to be more developments in the murder case, at a quicker pace. I can definitely still appreciate the beautiful writing though.

Winter in a Broomsville, Colorado and popular high school student, Lucinda Hayes is found dead in the school playground. She has a gash on her head and her neck is broken. As shock waves ripple through the town, the question every wants to know, is who killed her.

As the town tries to come to terms with the crime, its effect on three of its inhabitants is both deep and profound.

Cameron Whitley, product of a broken home, his father a disgraced police officer long gone leaving him in the care of his mother is devastated by her murder. Lucinda was the love of his life though they had rarely spoken, but she knew and so did the town that Cameron watched her, stalking her movements.  As suspicions of his guilt grow so does the intensity and erraticness of his behaviour.

Jade Dixon-Burns, hated Lucinda for taking away good things in her life, wishing Lucinda dead. Was she to blame for an illfated wish come true?

Russ Fletcher is a local police officer called in to help solve Lucinda's murder, ex partner of Cameron's dad forced to confront his past whilst keeping his promise to look after Cameron.

This is not your straightforward crime novel, it is much more and certainly goes deeper  than that. Girl in Snow is totally character driven, told in alternating chapters from each of the characters perspectives. What effect did the murder have on each individual, how do they reconcile their feelings and did one of them commit murder?

Kukafka's characters are complicated and total misfits, unaccepted by community in which they live.

I was particularly drawn to Cameron, this young teenager struggling to make sense of what is happening around him, his emotions and thoughts all over the place. I found myself questioning his innocence or guilt throughout the novel, whilst feeling sorry for him, wishing someone would reach out and help him.

Jade was totally different, your classic goth, overweight, and a victim of an abusive, uncaring mother. Kukafka was brilliant at using her to show how hard it is to be different from your peer group and to not want to conform to the norm. I especially liked the the way Jade's thoughts and story were told as as if she were in a screen play, perhaps the only way Jade could understand and make sense of her circumstances and feelings.

Russ, is important to the story, but I felt somewhat secondary to Cameron and Jade. Russ's story was more about the secrets that dwelt in his past, his marriage and his desire for a better future.

Kukafka's writing is brilliant, the characters emotions and conflict shining through. It is also brilliant at showing the narrow mindedness of a small town, how we are too quick to judge and accuse without looking below the surface.

I did guess who the murderer was and it is not a huge surprise, but it is not the objective of the novel to merely solve the crime but more about how we get there, how the characters evolve and confront their inner demons.

Girl In Snow is not fast paced and it may not suit some readers, but it is superbly written, and deserves to be hugely successful..

It would make a great Netflix series!

This a dense character driven mystery set in Broomsville, a small town on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado. A 15 year old popular student at Jefferson High School, Lucinda Hayes is discovered murdered, coated in snow. This is less crime fiction, more an insightful look at the repercussions of the death on the people of a small town. We never really get to know Lucinda herself, only how she is perceived through the eyes of others, and opinions of her differ substantially. There a a number of suspects with a motive to kill her from school janitor, Ivan and Cameron. There are short chapters that switch from the perspectives of outsiders Cameron, Jade and Detective Russ Fletcher, all interested in finding out what happened to Lucinda.

Cameron Whitely is a confused, lonely, anxious, odd and troubled student, he is fixated on Lucinda, believing himself to be in love with her with countless sketches of her. Others see him as obsessive and observe what they believe is stalking behaviour. His father, Lee, ran out years ago, and used to be a former police partner of Russ. Cameron's memory is hazy about where he was when Lucinda died, he worries that he could have carried out the killing. Russ ruminates about the nature of his long ago relationship with Lee. Russ's marriage is disintegrating, and he thinks Ivan, his brother-in-law, an ex-con, is responsible for the murder. Friendless, fat, but courageous Jade Dixon-Burns loathed Lucinda, she had everything Jade wanted, including the boy she is interested in. Her homelife leaves a lot to be desired, and Jade wonders if the spell she had cast to rid herself of Lucinda is the reason for the murder. In the story, Jade expresses how she feels things should work out in the form of a script.

The revelation of Lucinda's killer takes second place to the lives affected by her death. This is not a book for those looking for a fast paced crime thriller, it is far too slow paced. This is for those who like a look at the layers of darkness that underly small town living and the unsettled and disturbed characters facing disillusion, disappointment and broken lives. Kukafta has a gift in exposing the rich interior lives of the characters, offering an in depth look at the misfits at the centre of the novel, who find Broomsville reluctant to accommodate them. This is a well written story with beautiful descriptions, that is not really interested in being plot driven. If you are interested in complexity in your reading, with a focus on relationships, then you are likely to enjoy this. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Lucinda Hayes has been found with her neck broken in a small town in Colorado.

The story is told from 3 protagonist’s point of view. Jade – a very angst ridden emo type that is perpetually angry with the world. And angry with the late Lucinda for stealing the love of her life.

Cameron – a young man who has been in love with Lucinda to an obsessive level. Then we have Russ – the policeman assigned to the murder case.

Being completely honest I found this story a little slow. I couldn’t seem to connect with the characters and found it hard to empathise with them.

Kukafka is very descriptive in her plot, and whilst the writing is well done, it was a little excessive for me. It’s just my personal taste to have a little left to the imagination.

The development of the characters was incredibly well done, for me I like a bit more meat in the plot line with a balance of character development.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Lucinda Hayes, high school student, has been found murdered and her small Colorado town is rocked by the death. This story is told by three people, Cameron Whitley, the boy who loved her too much, Jaden, the girl who couldn’t stand Lucinda and Detective Russ Fletcher, the man tasked with finding the teen’s killer. There is a lot of detail about the tree people who have intersected in the life and death of Lucinda Hayes, so the narrative is a little slower than traditional thrillers. But this is still an intriguing portrait of what goes on in a small town after a tragedy