When a young, newly qualified, Forensic Scene Investigator goes out jogging in the snow the day before her first day on duty she didn’t expect to be a witness to a murder.

First on the scene she attempts to protect it from being destroyed by the victims dog, and preserve tacks that are being lost as the snow melts.

Her knight in shining armour arrives in the form of Senior Investigating Officer Craig Gillllard, one of Surreys Murder Investigation Team.

The victim is Tanvi Roy, the owner of a large Indian Cuisine Company and the matriarch of the dysfunctional Roy Family.

The family are Hindus and run their business, and their family affairs, in a traditional manner.

Mrs Roy’s husband had died before the story starts but his influences run right through the book. The multi-million pound fortune is tied up in a Codicil which sees unequal sharing of equities, with Sons, Grandsons, and even Son-in-Laws, being given much more value than, wives, daughters and granddaughters.

The unequal distribution of share holding’s means that it’s nearly impossible to get a group decision, and one rival company has been trying to buy the Roy’s business for years

This gives just about everybody in the family a reason to see Mrs Roy dead.

Throughout the investigation Gillard uncovers years of resent within the family.

I love a book that gives me new knowledge as well as entertains me. This book has done just that. I fell into a Google worm-hole that lasted for hours looking at Hindu family traditions, including Codicil Wills, arranged marriages and Castes.

Nick Louth has written a wonderful book. Some people will do as I did and research the Hindu faith, and I’m sure will learn they did not know as much as they thought.

I think this was a brave book to write. It looks at a religion and bases a family murder firmly in the way that people of that faith act. It looks at the differences between generations, and the conflicts between the older, first generation of immigrants, and their more westernised younger generations, and the problems that it can.

A wonderful book that kept me reading when I should have been doing other things.

I am grateful to net galley and Canelo for a review copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book it was a great murder mystery, drew you in from the first chapter and there were plenty of plot twists that had the reader guessing what was coming next.

It is essentially a story of a culture, a culture which I dont have a lot of experience or knowledge in but everything was explained, so my lack of knowledge of Indian culture wasn't a drawback. I read this book in about four sittings, it is by no means a long book but some of the chapters do go on for a bit longer than nessecary in my opinion.

Two slight observations, I felt there were too many characters in the book, too many who didn't really have a role to play but were in some senses integral to the story, it was a bit much for me to try and keep all of these characters names in my head as to who they were and what their relationship was to the other characters, nevertheless it didn't overly detract from my enjoyment of the book.

The second observation is that this book is part of a series of books, I haven't read the first few books and so am missing some of the backstory to the characters, sometimes it felt like I was missing something important but it did make me want to go away and read the rest of the books.

All in all i would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin or that ilk, I dont think you will be disappointed.

Body in the Snow is another excellent read in the DCI Craig Gillard crime thriller series.
On a snowy day a body of an Asian woman is found in a local park. She is head of an extremely successful company selling spices and food. Due to Indian tradition males only are deemed fit to head businesses, females expected to take a back seat.
There are plenty of suspects within the family, gradually most are cleared of any involvement but this story just gets better and better as the investigation continues. With lots of twists and turns, packed with an abundance of great characters this is a cracking read, plus I really hadn’t worked out whodunnit so it was a complete surprise at the reveal!
A gripping read, with Gillard also having a tough time in his personal life with an anxious pregnant wife who has previously had a miscarriage and his foul Aunt still living across the road causing trouble, I fear there is more sheer awfulness to come from this character.
I can’t wait for the next, in particular due to what was alluded to in the final paragraph. Well done, brilliant!
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly

This is the fourth novel in the DCI Craig Gillard series. Prepare to enter a world of curries, exotic spices, arranged marriages and where sons are preferred over daughters. DCI Gillard has to deal with all this when Tanvi Roy, a successful Hindi woman, boss of the Empire of Spice is bludgeoned in the snow. A tense and gripping read and provides a great insight into the Hindu family life.
Well written as always, Nick Louth does not disappoint, I love all his novels! Good police procedurals and a great storyline. Although 4th in the series, all novels are stand alone. Recommended reading.

An easy, enjoyable read. The story had plenty of plot twists and the characters were well developed.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. #TheBodyintheSnow #NetGalley

What a good book. Lots of twists and turns and you are left guessing as to who did it. There are also a number of red herrings just to add some variety. Great book

I love this series of books, and this instalment did not disappoint one iota. An excellent who dun it,combined with family problems for both the Gillards and the victim’s family. Loved it. Hope there is another instalment

The fourth, and best so far, in the DCI Gillard series. This time he is on the trail to find the murderer of a high flying Indian matriarch of a food and spice company, whose death starts off as mysterious but then becomes a rather bizarre murder. She ruled her family in almost completely Hindu fashion as determined by her late husband - the girls are irrelevant, the son all important (but they all benefit from the wealth he created, just not necessarily how he meant them to). They all have issues and things to hide, of course. There are detailed descriptions of traditional Hindu life and you can feel the conflicts through living in modern Britain at times. Business and finance deals abound all adding to the mystery, The novel focuses very much on the murder with little, but enough, dealing with Gillard's family issues. His wife Sam is pregnant again and starting to feel vulnerable/getting less tolerant with an ever increasingly absent husband as the case takes over. The ghastly Aunt Trish of previous stories remains but, fortunately, as an annoyance rather than a key part. Phew, but I guess she might come to the fore again in the future; fingers crossed not! Gillard's team work as well together as ever - his reliable second in command Claire, the somewhat work shy Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the forensics team. The research behind the story is as detailed and comprehensive as ever making it a joy to read despite a few rather gory bits. Roll on the next one Mr Louth, please.Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a gripping read. Not only is there an exceedingly well crafted story,it is impressively researched. The context of the Indian family and its influence on its members' behaviour is fascinating. Being a Louth novel, the detailed knowledge of investigation procedures is important to the tale. The story keeps having unexpected twists after the initial assumption that all is solved. It is hard to guess who is the culprit as the obvious candidates are ruled out. The end is a race for time,carrying the reader along with the action. If you want a story designed to hold your attention,this is it.

Indian cuisine magnate Mrs Roy is found dead in the snow by trainee CSI Kirsty on the day before she starts her job.

DCI Gillard uncovers an extremely complex set of relationships in the course of his investigations. Those with the greatest motive had the least opportunity to commit the crime, and those who appear to be lacking in alibis had the least reason to kill.

THE BODY IN THE SNOW is #4 in Nick Louth's intriguing British police procedural DCI Craig Gillard Series. A brand-new CSI tech discovers a killing while Sunday jogging, opening a consequent investigation that kept me puzzled throughout. A seemingly random on-the-spot murder of a well-known Indian business entrepreneur, but also a health situation that may have been either accidental or planned. Accompanying the mystery and its investigation is a fascinating examination of traditional Hindu culture and its assimilation into contemporary British society.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
Another really good story from Nick Louth - #4 in the DCI Craig Gillard series.

Craig is called to attend the scene of a murder early on a Sunday morning in a local park. Tanvi Roy, a wealthy business woman, was attacked by a hooded cyclist whilst she was walking her dog. Kirsty Mockett, due to start working with Surrey Police as a trainee CSI, was first on the scene and valiantly tried to preserve the area, ready for the police to arrive, amidst the now-thawing snow.
As the investigation gets underway we are taken into the worlds of Indian culture and traditions, inheritance, shareholdings and arranged marriages. Who, and why, would someone want Tanvi dead? The 2 daughters had very minor shareholdings and each have their own businesses whereas their brother Harry was finance director of the business and largest shareholder. Their father, having died previously had made strict stipulations in his Will and Harry is looking at an arranged marriage into another extremely wealthy family - but can he let go of his relationship with Morag, the operations manager?
Craig and his team have to navigate their way through the red-herrings which the family members keep throwing at them to get to the truth, but the DCI.is very observant and small details throw the investigation into another direction. The Serious Fraud Office become involved and the original heroine of the day, Kirsty, has a secret to reveal.

This story is really well plotted; I like all the main characters and the everyday-believable dialogue of a police procedural. The epilogue rounds off everything nicely.
A really good read.

One of the best reads for a long time! An intriguing story with lots of twists and turns keeping the reader guessing almost to the end. A guaranteed page turner, a must read for all crime reading enthusiasts.

DCI Craig Gillard is on call when the head of an Indian Food and Spice Company is found dead . He arrives to find Mrs Roy of Empire of Spice( an International food company) bludgeoned to death in the snow with her dog guarding her body. Is this a common mugging or does it go deeper. As the investigation deepens a number of issues arise between Mrs Roy's family and the Police with a number of twists leading the Police away f4om the identity of the murderer.
Another good read by Nick Louth enjoyable and not revealing the true identity of the murderer until the end.

5 stars

This book is extremely well written and plotted. It is a detailed telling of a police investigation into the beating death of an elderly woman named Tanvi Roy. She was a businesswoman and in control of a large food industry and appeared on many cooking shows.

The investigation is not without its problems and difficulties. A suspected is arrested, but when some evidence turns up tainted, the suspect's guilt is in question. Is the family involved? Mrs. Roy had ongoing and suspicious health problems. Did they play a part in her death?

Since the business was a family business, there are jealousies and rivalries that play into the police's considerations. While the family seems so bereft, DCI Craig Gillard is not sure that he is buying it.

A couple of detectives who tend to shirk their duties add to the problems. Gillard must keep on top of them.

This is a very good story and a sterling example of a police procedural. It detailed all the things the police must consider when looking for a killer. The book covered the tedious, the painstaking and the occasional excitement of an investigation. I liked DCI Gillard and (most of) his team. Gillard was intelligent and quick to admit his own mistakes. The team seemed to be competent and hard working. I was a little put off by Gillard's wife's jealousy. It was jarring in the middle of such a good story. Strait away I went to Amazon to look at his other Craig Gillard books.

I want to thank NetGalley and Canelo for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Pretty good premise that was new for me and I really enjoyed the business wheeling and dealing elements.

I had thought that perhaps this was a first novel as I found the dialogue a little clunky and the characterisation shallow. The ending was all quite Agatha Christie with loose ends all being neatly tied off. Nonetheless, I read to with enjoyment and I will , most likely, read the next in the series

A young police officer is out for a jog when she sees a murder. And so enters DCI Craig Gillard. He discovers the victim is Tanvi Roy, one of the wealthiest women in England and owner of a food company. Trying to sort out a web of secrets and business issues will be a challenge to get to the bottom of the murder and bring a criminal to justice. You really have to suspend disbelief when you read this because the behavior of the characters resembles nothing like real life. I can't imagine DCI Gillard would still have a job after some of the things he does and honestly I didn't find him very appealing. The word unputdownable was used to describe this but I struggled to finish it. It wasn't bad but some of the things that happen in the story were distractingly unbelievable. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Reaching for a jar of lime pickle will never be the same again after reading The Body in the Snow by Nick Louth. It’s a novel woven around intrigue, jealousy, sexuality, money and lines of succession within a highly successful family business specialising in all things spicy. Oh and did I mention murder most foul?

DCI Craig Gillard battles hard to make progress in the case with ever increasing pressure from his boss Chief Constable Alison Rigby. At six foot two inches tall she cuts an imposing figure made more scary by her pale blue eyes which bore in to your very soul.

Mind you, Gillard takes leave of his senses when along with DC Michelle Tsu they tuck in to homemade chocolate brownies at the home of a woman suspected of poisoning. Furthermore, he did not exercise professional judgement over a CSI with a pretty face! I guess we all have flaws.

Great pace, intrigue and action makes this an excellent novel in the DCI Craig Gillard series.