The Body in the Snow (DCI Craig Gillard Crime Thrillers): 4

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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 Body in the Snow is the fourth book in the DCI Craig Gillard series and although there are a few references to the previous book, this would only really be noticeable to anyone who has read it so this can definitely be read as a standalone. Following an investigation conducted by Avon and Somerset Police, Yeates’ neighbour 32-year-old Vincent Tabak was arrested and later convicted for her murder in October 2011. A new Channel 5 docuseries, Body in the Snow: The Murder of Joanna Yeates, will follow the investigation in detail, focusing on how Tabak was brought to justice. But where is Joanna Yeates’ killer now? 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.

Figuring out the puzzle in a mystery is always a lot of fun and has the added perk of exercising the brain. 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.And finally, not meeting Beth, the protagonist, till well past the beginning of the book, created such a sense of relief and footing, I don't know how else this potentially first in a series could have been written. At the time of Tabak's secondary charge, Avon and Somerset police’s temporary assistant chief constable Julian Moss said that it was “crucial” that these charges were added to Tabak’s criminal record, “so the full nature of Tabak’s offending is on record.” I’ve enjoyed this series despite not particularly warming to the hero, who’s a bit sleazy around women and inconsiderate of his wife, the increasingly pathetic jealous whiny Sam. While his team are quite involved in this one, they are not well developed as characters, so when something awful happens to one of them, there was no emotional punch, it just felt like a plot device. On the other hand the dynamics of the Indian hereditary system, and their impact on women in particular, were fully explored and lay at the root of the murder. And all the references to delicious Indian food had me craving curry! I will say I always looked forward to reading the next snippet of story I sneaked in at bed before no longer pretending I could still see the print well enough to read (smiles). The leisurely style of the story plus the relatively short chapters did make it easier to pace myself reading.

This is the second Craig Gillard book I have read in this series and it didn't disappoint. The ending to the previous novel indicated changes in his private life which could only add to the stresses of everything else he was involved in. This was continued with just enough storytime to show it would continue into at least the next inslment, the first chapter of which is included at the end of this story and begins immediately this book finishes. And due to personal time constraints, the time it took me to read the book reflects only on my circumstances, not the book. After hearing screams a young soon-to-be-CSI, who is out running on the day before she starts her new career, finds Mrs Roy’s body. Putting all her new knowledge to use she secures the scene as best as is possible given the circumstances – weather, dogs, people!

A violent struggle

It soon becomes apparent that there are many things going on in this very male dominated Hindu family. There is a lot going on in the business & within the family. An early breakthrough with DNA leads to an arrest, but Gallard is not happy that they have the right person. Each day seems to bring up more questions than answers. Bebe originally landed in a remote area of Wales because she was on the run. She wanted to hide from the press and obnoxious paparazzi obsessed with her lagging singing career and the scandal associated with her divorce. I take the view that it will be possible for Mr Tabak to have a fair trial,” Ford QC concluded. Tabak entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to a further 10 months imprisonment, which was started immediately and ran concurrently to his initial sentence for Yeates’ murder. He has also been added to the UK’s Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years, and will be banned from working with children or young people upon his release. I would like to thank Netgalley and Canelo for an advance copy of The Body in the Snow, the fourth novel to feature DCI Craig Gillard of the Surrey Police. Greg believed that he and Joanna would have gone on to be eventually married and was left distraught watching Vincent's trial in 2011.

Joanna had met Greg, also an architect, at Hyland Edgar Driver firm in Winchester. They later moved in together from 2009 and settled in Bristol when the company they both worked with moved there. Joanna and her boyfriend shared a flat in a large house on Canynge Road at the time which was divided into several flats. 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?

Tabak is currently serving a minimum sentence of 20 years for the murder of Yeates, which is being carried out at HM Prison Wakefield according to the Express. My short and minor wish list includes a desire for a few well placed metaphors or similes. Like a spritz of lemon or sprinkle of herbs on fresh cooked vegetables, short emotional extensions of a description or the garnishing of a stream of consciousness, would have I think widened my imagination. Tabak was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 20 years on the grounds that he was found guilty of murder.