* this.
  */
 static struct dm_snap_pending_exception *
-__find_pending_exception(struct dm_snapshot *s, struct bio *bio)
+__find_pending_exception(struct dm_snapshot *s,
+                        struct dm_snap_pending_exception *pe, chunk_t chunk)
 {
-       struct dm_snap_pending_exception *pe, *pe2;
-       chunk_t chunk = sector_to_chunk(s, bio->bi_sector);
-
-       /*
-        * Create a new pending exception, we don't want
-        * to hold the lock while we do this.
-        */
-       up_write(&s->lock);
-       pe = alloc_pending_exception(s);
-       down_write(&s->lock);
-
-       if (!s->valid) {
-               free_pending_exception(pe);
-               return NULL;
-       }
+       struct dm_snap_pending_exception *pe2;
 
        pe2 = __lookup_pending_exception(s, chunk);
        if (pe2) {
        if (bio_rw(bio) == WRITE) {
                pe = __lookup_pending_exception(s, chunk);
                if (!pe) {
-                       pe = __find_pending_exception(s, bio);
+                       up_write(&s->lock);
+                       pe = alloc_pending_exception(s);
+                       down_write(&s->lock);
+
+                       if (!s->valid) {
+                               free_pending_exception(pe);
+                               r = -EIO;
+                               goto out_unlock;
+                       }
+
+                       pe = __find_pending_exception(s, pe, chunk);
                        if (!pe) {
                                __invalidate_snapshot(s, -ENOMEM);
                                r = -EIO;
 
                pe = __lookup_pending_exception(snap, chunk);
                if (!pe) {
-                       pe = __find_pending_exception(snap, bio);
+                       up_write(&snap->lock);
+                       pe = alloc_pending_exception(snap);
+                       down_write(&snap->lock);
+
+                       if (!snap->valid) {
+                               free_pending_exception(pe);
+                               goto next_snapshot;
+                       }
+
+                       pe = __find_pending_exception(snap, pe, chunk);
                        if (!pe) {
                                __invalidate_snapshot(snap, -ENOMEM);
                                goto next_snapshot;