A Wicked Snow [Paperback]

Gregg Olsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2011

Hannah Griffin was a girl when tragedy struck on her family's farm. She still remembers the flames reflected against the newly fallen snow and the bodies the police dug upone of them her mother's. It was the nation's worst murder scene in decades and the killer was never found. Two decades later Hannah is a CSI investigating a case of child abuse when the past comes hurtling back. Years of buried questions are brought to life. A killer with unfinished business is on the hunt. And an anonymous message turns Hannah's blood cold: Your Mom called...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his first novel, true crime writer Olsen (The Deep Dark) brings complex mystery and crackling authenticity to bear on a cold case police procedural. Hannah Griffin has spent most of her life trying to forget the notorious Christmas Eve house fire that claimed her family and turned up almost two dozen other bodies buried in their yard; though the case remained unsolved, Hannah's mother became, posthumously, the de facto prime suspect. Twenty years later, Hannah's a happily married mother of one, a crime scene investigator for Santa Louisa, Calif., and a lifetime away from her traumatic Oregon childhood—until a series of mysterious events indicates that her mother may still be alive. Hannah reopens the case, as well as old wounds, after enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Jeff Bauer, the still-haunted chief officer from the original investigation. Thanks to Olsen's true-crime work, the case's particulars—both grisly and mundane—all carry genuine weight, though his characters can be cloying: Hannah's neuroses occasionally seem more dingbat than damaged, and Agent Bauer's tough-but-tender act is a familiar one. That said, Olsen's flashback narrative shines with lurid, carefully distributed details, and if it ultimately overshadows the present-day plot, his bizarre, many-layered mystery will keep fans of crime fiction hooked. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Wickedly clever! ""As good as it gets. --- Lisa Gardner, New York Times Bestselling author of Hide

A WICKED SNOW is a tightly-plotted, gripping police procedural made even more terrifying by Olsen's straightforward storytelling and eye for detail. Gregg Olsen's riveting debut is an outstanding addition to the suspense genre. ---Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786018291
• ISBN-13: 978-0786018291
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Thrillers > Psychological & Suspense

More About the Author

I live in rural Washington State (about a mile as the crow flies from Starvation Heights). I've wrapped up my fifth novel -- a serial killer thriller coming out in April 2011. It's called Closer Than Blood. I've been a guest on Dateline NBC, NPR, Good Morning America, The Early Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, Snapped, Deadly Women, William Shatner's Aftermath, and A&E's Biography.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!!!!!!, March 8, 2007

By 

reader from NC (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Wicked Snow (Paperback)

It reads like a true crime story, not surprising as Gregg Olsen normally writes true crime books. Very suspenseful, was unable to put it down until I finished it. Good ending too. I highly recommend this to all who like this genre.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read, March 1, 2007

By 

Rick R. Reed "Author of IM and Orientation" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Wicked Snow (Paperback)

True crime writer Gregg Olsen has stood out in that crowded field with meticulously researched and adeptly written accounts of crimes, criminals, and their victims. His strength in this genre, and what set him apart from his true crime peers, was his assured voice and his empathy for the people he was writing about. Good or bad, he made you care enough to loathe or love.
Now, Olsen shifts gears and sets his sights on writing suspense fiction, and if A WICKED SNOW is any indication, the shift is an unqualified success. Olsen's true crime background serves him well in getting the details right in his story of a haunted CSI (who was a childhood victim that narrowly escaped her serial-killing mother) and the challenges she faces in her work and in her life, as old nightmares seem to be being resurrected to torture her and to put her own life, and the lives of those she loves, in jeopardy.
A WICKED SNOW marks the debut of a gifted suspense writer, one with all the right tools for creating crime fiction that we care about: a strong voice, expert plotting, and the kind of attention to detail that puts you right into Olsen's world and doesn't release you until the very last page (and sometimes long after that--his writing haunts).

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wicked Success!, March 24, 2007

By 

C. Smith "JrZyChris" (County Jail, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Wicked Snow (Paperback)

Though this is Gregg's first fiction book, you'd never realize it if you were to pick it up and read it without knowing so.

Without giving away the entire plot, Hannah, devoted wife, mother & "county" (as she likes to say) investigator has been living her own personal hell since her traumatic childhood experience. Though she never has been able to live a 'normal' life, she's perhaps accomplished much more than she thought possible. Those who were there in her time of need as a child are there for her NOW, when her past comes back to reclaim her life. Also there at this time are those who are intent on making sure her nightmare never ends.

I rarely read fiction now, since discovering the true crime genre, but hope that Gregg continues with a novel every so often. It's a nice break, especially when written by someone who has the knowledge and experience to make it read like a true crime book. High 5 Gregg!