Snow: A Novel

Detective Inspector Strafford has been called to investigate a murder at Ballyglass House, the family seat of the Osborne family. It’s 1957 Ireland, with tensions still high between Catholics and Protestants, so when Father Tom, a Catholic priest, is found murdered at the home of a Protestant family, Strafford hits walls at every turn. The Catholic Church is trying to stop the news from spreading, the Osbornes keep pretending Father Tom just fell down the stairs, and even the winter weather is preventing Strafford from doing his job. As Strafford investigates, he comes to discover there were many people who wanted Father Tom dead. Strafford will need to determine who the murderer is and what should be done, because the more he discovers, the more he begins to realize that maybe justice has been done.

I am not sure how much a Catholic would enjoy reading this particular story, as while it is fiction, it covers quite a few historical and still relevant issues. It is well written, but I found it incredibly sad. The interlude section was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to read. This story definitely causes you to stop and think, considering what you would do if you were investigating this case. I would recommend this book, but warn of some difficult sections to read that could cause some harm to anyone who has gone through such things themselves.