Death in the Snow

By Sarah Sabt

On a cold winter morning, Wood Creek Academy arrives at Hotel Isolee for what they expect to be a once-in-a-lifetime ski trip. However, it soon becomes evident that the hotel harbours secrets. The situation escalates when a murder occurs, and a severe snowstorm entraps the guests, leaving two young girls, Betty and Dorothy, to take on the role of amateur sleuths.
As they delve into the investigation, they find clues and notes that suggest a complex web of relationships and motives. However, their quest to solve the murder puts their friendship to the test. When the police, led by Inspector Gosling, finally arrive, Betty and Dorothy play a crucial role in unravelling the mystery. Yet, just as they think they understand what happened, doubts emerge. Was it really a murder, or something even more sinister?
The story takes a surprising turn, challenging everything the reader and the protagonists thought they knew. In a tale where appearances can be deceiving, the true suspect might just be the least expected.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035837557

Sarah Sabt

Sarah Majid Sabt is a twelve-year-old Bahraini/Emirati author. She is currently attending an international school in Bahrain and is in year eight. Sarah enjoys reading crime fiction books, spending time with friends and family, playing with her two cats and travelling to new destinations. She began writing this book during the pandemic and she enjoys writing as one of her hobbies. Sarah draws from the many cultures she is surrounded by, and is inspired by the books that she has read.

Book preview

About the Author

Sarah Majid Sabt is a twelve-year-old Bahraini/Emirati author. She is currently attending an international school in Bahrain and is in year eight. Sarah enjoys reading crime fiction books, spending time with friends and family, playing with her two cats and travelling to new destinations. She began writing this book during the pandemic and she enjoys writing as one of her hobbies. Sarah draws from the many cultures she is surrounded by, and is inspired by the books that she has read.

Dedication

For Noora and Ms Meg.

Copyright Information ©

Sarah Sabt 2024

The right of Sarah Sabt to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035837533 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035837540 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781035837557 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

I can’t think of a word in the whole English dictionary that would describe the amount of gratefulness and gratitude to my parents. I can’t even describe how thankful I am for having such great parents like you and how blessed I am to have you help me with this emotional rollercoaster. Secondly, a thank you to my favourite English teacher Ms Meg, for inspiring me to embark on this special journey of writing my first book and for helping me in my education since I was a very young girl. I would also like to thank all the authors that I got my inspiration from for Death in the Snow who are Robin Stevens, Agatha Christie, and Jennifer Lynn Barnes. All of your fantastic books left me fascinated and I knew that it was something I would want to do to other crime-fiction book lovers like me. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my best aunt, Nouf, for being a best friend to me and for teaching me countless life lessons.

Chapter 1

It was about 2 am and it was cold, foggy, and all the trees were sad and bare. We could see in the distance, the Hotel Isolee. We went on a bus from the airport to an edgy town and from there, to a forest with some very misleading signs. They said they’d lead to some wonderful places but of course, we were in Lerwick, Switzerland, for our ski trip and by the look of things, there wasn’t one wonderful place around. When we pulled up to the forest, there were stained, almost broken golf carts lined up, waiting to greet us.

You can go on one of these golf carts or take the hiking trail, announced Ms Brandreth. Our strict, horrible maths teacher who booked the hotel and entire trip even though it was about our geography lesson. She did that sometimes; she took over and ruined things.

Everyone rushed to the golf carts since they all hated walking. My best friend, Dorothy, and I, decided to take the hiking trail, even though I begged her to go on one of the golf carts; but she just couldn’t take how dirty and rusty they were. I could smell the damp carts, standing even far away from them, and wondered how wet our bottoms would get all the way up to the hotel.

Dorothy and I walked through the hazy forest as she held up her ‘authentic’ map which she found on the bus. Dorothy and I have been friends since Year 1. She’s my only friend since everyone thinks I’m not even worth going to this school. You see, my parents both work in a bargain mall in our town; I don’t mean they own one of the expensive shops or one of them is a chef at a Michelin Star restaurant; I mean that they work in the food court, taking orders.

Dorothy’s family lives in a huge mansion with a gym, four studies, two libraries, two rooms for Dorothy (one for hanging out and the other as her bedroom) and three pools with a slide!

Her father owns a bank. Her mother is a lawyer and her brother and sister are in the best university in England. The only time I see Dorothy is at school, since I’m so worried of what her family would think of me. I know so much about her house because she calls me every day and practically takes ten runs around her house (she’s very active). I’ve talked too much about our lives; I should probably tell you about us. Dorothy is smart, kind, not really funny, very fancy, well presented in everything she does, and a perfectionist. Although, she isn’t too popular in class since she talks a lot in lessons, she gets straight A’s and is always at the top of the class. She always cheers me up when I’m sad and bakes the most delicious brownies. I’m (as Dorothy says) kind, shy, funny, surprisingly creative, and smart even though I usually get B’s (sometimes C’s). We both wear best friend bracelets that we made in Year 4 during our art lesson.

Dorothy and I are twelve but I’m slightly shorter than her. I have short, brunette hair and brown eyes unlike Dorothy. She has the most voluminous blonde hair which is always in a half up, half down ponytail with hazel eyes, and a gorgeous natural blush. Before I continue, I should probably let you know that my name is Betty.

Halfway through our journey through the woods to the hotel, I realised we were the only ones who decided to take the hiking trail.

Betty…I…I think we’re lost, stuttered Dorothy.

What do you mean? You have your map, right? I replied, nervously.

Well, I kind of discovered that it’s…well…fake and the real ones are probably with Ms Brandreth.

Dorothy! What are we going to do now? We’re lost in the woods in Switzerland and you’re telling me your map, which is the reason we’re here, is fake!

Y…Yes but I’m sorry! I really am! Besides, you love PE, so just climb up a tree and find the hotel from up there.

No! Of course not! I suppose we’ll just have to find our way by well…exploring?

When it was around 4 am, we arrived at the Hotel Isolee. Dorothy and I stared at its soon-to-be crumbled walls, rust, and broken sign which read out ‘Htl Ise’ (all the other letters had fallen off).

Where have you been? Ms Brandreth shouted the moment we walked into the hotel (she was waiting for us). All of us have been waiting for you!

Linda, have the kids arrived? Mrs Walker, our headmistress started. You two! What took you so long? We’ve all been waiting for you!

Dorothy tried to explain but in the end, we were both in deep trouble. The whole class had waited for us (of course, because Ms Brandreth must’ve told them so) but they had already chosen their rooms and so, we got the worst one. Ms Brandreth was supervising on the girls’ floor and above us was the boys’ floor which, Mrs Walker supervised.

When Dorothy and I walked into our room (with an empty connecting one), it was terrible. No one had stayed there in probably years and there should’ve been a ‘caution’ sign on the door! To start off, our beds had stains, the bathroom was dirty and had hairballs in the toilet. We had no tissues which bothered Dorothy a lot, and lots more hideous things which if I explained all of them, would take me a week to write.

The next morning, I woke up exhausted since I had slept at 4:30 am and woke up at 7:30. Dorothy dressed up in her prim and perfect parka, while I wore my baggy old one which had belonged to my mother (she was a bit overweight).

We had an okay breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, ‘Le Magie’. We went into the luxury dining room which was the only ‘nice’ thing at the hotel. Everyone had a choice to have either pancakes with sausages, scrambled eggs and orange juice, or sunny side up eggs with fresh sausages and black coffee (regular or decaf). Dorothy and I both decided to have the pancakes but Dorothy being the sweet-loving person she talks to people as, persuaded the waiter to switch her orange juice with English Breakfast tea and to cook her eggs sunny side up (they’re the only eggs she eats). After breakfast which ended around 8:15 am, all of us there had to learn ‘The safety features of the Hotel Isolee’ which in my opinion wasn’t beneficial at all. We had to sit through it for a good two hours after Mrs Walker realised the time and sent us all to our rooms to get ready for our first ski trip. I got all my gear from the gift shop and of course, they were not the