Tuesday 31 December 2019

Alpha Home by Sue Brown – Release Day Review





J.T.’s Bar #3

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

Si Raines thought his plans were set for the future. He’d marry his fiancé, the bar-owner Howie Gray, continue with his covert ops career, and when he was ready to retire from that, find a new job and settle down to life together. But a text from Howie throws all the plans into a maelstrom of chaos and hurt, and Si swears he’ll never return to J.T’s Bar again.

Two years later, when an injury ends his covert ops job against his will, he finds himself back at the bar, only to discover Howie is still around, and in danger from a stalker. When Howie begs him for help, Si has to decide if he’s willing to get involved. Apart from doubting whether he can protect anyone with his injury, is he really prepared to be around Howie again? The attraction between them is still electric, and Howie seems willing to explain his behaviour. But can Si forgive him? Faced with the resurrection of old wounds and imminent danger to them both, can Si find it in his heart to rebuild his relationship with Howie and take a second chance on love?

Review

Alpha Home starts with a bang and breaks the readers’ as well as Si’s heart, before settling down to fix the mess created on the initial pages. It’s impossible not to have your heart break for Si. He may come across as and be proud of his image as a hard man, but no amount of tough attitude can protect him from the heartbreak he experiences when Howie, the man he thought he would marry, breaks up with him.

Two years apart have failed to repair Si’s shattered hard and when an injury puts an end to the only career he’s ever known and loved, he returns to J.T.’s Bar and the man who rejected him, hoping to salvage at least one part of his life.

I loved that, from the start, it is clear that Howie is no happier to apart from Si, even if he did create the distance between them. Howie is such a good man. All he ever wanted was to look after those he loves. When caring for his (homophobic) mother proves incompatible with loving Si, he made the decision that shattered both Si’s and his own heart. Now, with Si back and his mother no longer alive, Howie and Si have a chance again, provided they can overcome the bruised feelings between them and figure out who is trying to hurt Howie before the attacks end up killing him.

Alpha Home was a wonderful combination of tension and romance with a smidgen of angst thrown in for good measure although, thankfully, the separation part of the story wasn’t lingered on. The journey Howie and Si make back to each other is a thing of beauty. Wonderfully paced, it never feels rushed or drawn out while feelings of betrayal aren’t glossed over either. The image of these two big, powerful men, who are so perfect for each other is painted with such clarity it is now imprinted on my mind. The interactions between the various covert-ops team members is delightful, riveting, and heartwarming and the mystery as to who is out to get Howie keeps the tension high and the pages turning themselves. 😊

I somehow managed to miss reading the second book in this series, and while I have no doubt prior knowledge of that story would have clarified some minor plot points in this book, I can’t say I ever regretted rushing in to reading Alpha Home.

Long review short: Alpha Home is a wonderful combination of romance and suspense; a perfect choice if you’re looking for a quick and smooth read to lose yourself in.

Related Review: Alpha Barman


Monday 30 December 2019

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory




295 pages

Blurb

Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day. . .or are they?

Review

This is such a delightful and heartwarming romance. I think I read it from start to finish (more or less in one sitting) with a smile on my face.

Vivian is a wonderful romantic lead. Full of charm, with a great sense of humour, and an easy laugh she manages to charm everyone she meets and put them at ease. Malcolm is a bit stiffer, more set in his ways, and very recognizable as a ‘typical’ British male in that for the longest time he doesn’t ‘do’ feelings and, ignores whatever emotions he might be experiencing when it comes to Vivian.

Their coming together was smooth and natural, and the progression of their holiday fling was fluent and made perfect sense. In fact, even the aftermath, when they’re on different continents again with, as far as they can tell, no practical way to continue what they started, was logical. Yes, everything happened very fast but I really didn’t have an issue with that. I mean, why would two adults, both more or less at the midway point in their lives, waste time on silly games when they’re face to face with the opportunity to spend time with an attractive person who is obviously interested in them too?

The royal references and Vivian’s awe at everything she encounters were charming and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about two persons of colour falling for each other for a (much needed and very timely) change. It’s not that I actively avoid books about characters who don’t look just like me, it’s more that they are nowhere near as easy to find. Which makes me all the happier that this book found its way to the shelves of my library and I have no doubt I’ll recommend it to those borrowers who enjoy romantic reads.

In summary, I would call Royal Holiday a delightful and light-hearted romance with a bit of a fairy-tale feel to the story. Almost angst-free and filled with witty conversations, this book is bound to make you smile and leave you happy. Just one warning: Don’t read this book while hungry; the descriptions of the mouth-watering food Vivian gets to sample while in England made my stomach growl. 😊



Thursday 26 December 2019

Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks




Graphic Novel
Juvenile Fiction

Blurb

Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends.

Every autumn, all through high school, they’ve worked together at the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world. (Not many people know that the best pumpkin patch in the whole wide world is in Omaha, Nebraska, but it definitely is.) They say good-bye every Halloween, and they’re reunited every September 1.
But this Halloween is different? Josiah and Deja are finally seniors, and this is their last season at the pumpkin patch. Their last shift together. Their last good-bye.

Josiah’s ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. Deja isn’t ready to let him. She’s got a plan: What if instead of moping they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! And Josiah could finally talk to that cute girl he’s been mooning over for three years . . .

Review

“It’s about being the flipper not the pinball.”

Pumpkin Heads, or rather Deja’s life philosophy was exactly what I needed to pick me up today. I absolutely adored this story about friendship, loyalty, honesty, and embracing life.

This book literally has everything going for it. It’s a delightful, charming, funny, and uplifting story featuring diverse characters and filled with body-positivity. Which is not to say the book is either boring, preachy, or bland. In their quest to get Josiah to introduce himself to the girl he’s been admiring from a distance for three years, Deja and he learn about friendship while Deja shows Josiah that life needs to be lived rather than endured and that sometimes rules are meant to be broken. And while it may seem as if Deja has it all worked out and knows exactly where she’s at, it turns out that even she still has a lesson to learn about appreciating what you have rather than speculating about what might be.

Deja is, without a doubt, one of the best female characters I’ve read in recent times. She embraces life and shares her happiness and kindness with anybody willing to receive it. She’s also a fount of wisdom, as the quote I started this review with shows, just as this one does:

People all sort of look the same until I talk to them.
That’s when they start to get interesting. That’s when they start to…shimmer.

As I said, this story is very body positive. Deja isn’t your usual skinny (or white) heroine. Here we have a well-formed girl with brown skin who loves food and isn’t afraid to indulge. What’s more, the story makes it clear that not only is she very popular, the people she works with are also attracted to her. She’s the one with a string of past flings, not Josiah.

I have to admit that I have nothing with Halloween and that a lot of the food and activities mentioned in this story were new to me. And that didn’t matter at all. I laughed, smiled, and grinned my way through this book, delighted to spend time with Deja and Joshua as they cemented their friendship and discovered that sometimes what you think you’re looking for is something you already have.

I’m not much of a graphic novel reader either, because I usually prefer to paint my own pictures in my head rather than rely on somebody else’s interpretation of a character, but the artwork in Pumpkin Heads was inspired. Even my own, very vivid, imagination couldn’t have improved on the pictures of either the characters or the pumpkin patch.



If you’re looking for something to lift your mood and leave you smiling, I highly recommend Pumpkin Heads.

Tuesday 24 December 2019

Last Place in the Chalet by Sue Brown - Release Day Review





Blurb

Noel Garrett leaves for his Christmas vacation with an engagement ring in his pocket. But he boards the plane alone and with a broken heart when his boyfriend dumps him in the airport.

His seatmate, Angel Marinelli, takes care of him with gentle determination… whether Noel wants it or not, and Noel doesn't expect to see Angel again. But when an overbooking leaves Angel without a room and Noel is asked to host him, one night turns into the whole vacation and they settle into the chalet and mix with an eclectic group of guests, including the Wise Guys and a pregnant woman. As they ski and spend every moment together, Noel finds himself falling for Angel, and though his feelings are returned, Noel worries it’s just a rebound romance. It’ll mean taking a leap of faith, but Noel has to make a decision before he hurts Angel, and Christmas is fast approaching.

Review

Last Place in the Chalet is about as Christmassy as a story can possibly get. For starters, the tale is stuffed full of Christmas references. From the character’s names—Noel, Angel, Maria, Three Wise Men—, to the ‘no room in the inn’ confusion, the festive seasons sparkles from these pages.

This story starts with all the sads. Poor Noel, being dumped just before he was going to bring his partner on a skiing trip during which he wanted to propose. It’s hardly surprising Noel is devastated and short with others for the rest of the day, except that from the moment he boards his plane there’s Angel, who, although a stranger, manages to calm and comfort Noel with small acts of understanding and kindness. From that moment forward, coincidence, the weather, and their fellow-house guests conspire to push Angel and Noel together and, with the aid of a little seasonal magic, the two men fall hard and fast.

Yes, there’s definitely a strong insta-love theme to this story but given that it’s a Christmas tale I had no problems suspending disbelieve and just losing myself in the delightful descriptions of Angel and Noel’s coming together. Besides, Noel is well aware how fast his feelings are developing and initially very reluctant to trust the attraction.

Maybe this is more a fairytale than a romance in so far as everything that happens appears to be ordained, and meant to be. But what could be more magical and Christmassy than two men who are obviously made for each other coming together and finding each other while surrounded by seasonal magic.

Last place in the Chalet is the ultimate feel-good read and perfect for the holiday season. I challenge anyone to read it without a huge smile stretched across their face from start to finish.



Friday 20 December 2019

The Longest Night by Z. Allora - Release Day Review





Blurb

The holiday season is lonely for construction worker Benjamin Morgan, a big muscular guy who just wants to submit, obey, and serve. But the men he’s attracted to usually don’t have a dominant bone in their bodies. He’s done seeking his BDSM dreams with someone who isn’t interested in putting him in his rightful place—on his knees at their feet.

When a friend sets up a meeting with Foster Ridgeway at the BDSM club, Entwined, Benjamin has his doubts. Of course he is attracted to bookish Foster, who works for the same construction company, but how will someone so small and delicate-looking master Benjamin? But when Foster—the tiny temple of dominance wielding a crop—heads toward Benjamin, he might get what he’s always wanted, just in time for Solstice.

Review

There are delightful stories and then there is The Longest Night. This is possibly the sweetest, cutest, and sexiest story I’ve read this year. If there is any ‘angst’ in this story it’s dealt with in the first few pages before we enter scene after scene describing how two men, who were obviously meant to be together, open up to each other and reach heights they’d previously only dreamed about.

When the story starts Benjamin fears he’ll never find a Dom able to accept that Benjamin doesn’t have a dominant bone in his body, despite being built like a house. Then a friend arranges a meeting between him and Foster, who may look delicate but is as Dominant as it is possible to be, as well as the personification of Benjamin’s every dream.

Benjamin’s subsequent journey into submission, going deeper with each encounter, is glorious, not to mention very enticing. And Foster is just about the perfect combination of Dominant verging on cruel and deeply caring. I loved every moment of their times together and read the story with a smile on my face from start to finish.

If I do have a reservation is that I would have loved to see Benjamin through Foster’s eyes. Benjamin’s submission, explored from his own perspective is glorious but I have no doubt it would have been even more magical if Foster’s emotional reactions had been described too. Since this whole story is told from Benjamin’s point of view we don’t get that and, given that this is a shortish story that’s entirely understandable, but I do feel it would have given their journey an extra edge.

There is no angst or conflict in this story and that delighted me. The connection between these two men, once they ‘recognize’ each other for who they are, is swift and the bond between them all but automatic. Given that Benjamin and Foster are perfect for each other, any form of conflict would have been contrived and I’m very happy it wasn’t shoe-horned in just for the sake of it.

Overall a wonderful story if you’re in the mood for a pagan holiday story featuring two adorable men and delicious sexiness.

Thursday 19 December 2019

My Christmas Spirit by K.C. Wells




Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb

I knew I had problems when I woke up in the middle of the night to find Mike Stubbins sitting at the foot of my bed, stark naked, still as gorgeous as every one of my memories of him.
So what’s the problem, I hear you cry? Gorgeous, naked man in my bedroom?
Well, there’s the not-so-small, highly significant detail that he died six years ago.

Yup. You read that right. And now he’s everywhere. I can’t even brush my teeth in peace. And did I mention that he never stops talking?

I’ve missed him like crazy, every day of the six years he’s been gone. And with Christmas coming, the memories are even more acute. But this is getting beyond a joke. Ignoring a naked guy is a pretty tough task, especially when I’m the only one who sees him.
So when he bops a complete stranger on the head with his dick in the middle of the coffee shop, I have to laugh. Anyone would, right?

Except… there’s a look on the guy’s face that tells me he felt that. But… how could he?
And now he’s looking at me like he’s expecting me to explain what just happened.

Either he’ll call for the guys with the straitjacket… or this will be one of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had….

Review

Some stories are emotional and deeply touching. Other stories are light and uplifting. And then there are stories like My Christmas Spirit, which manage to be both at the same time.

Meet Andy who, on the surface is doing pretty well. He has a job and a routine and moves from day to day without much look forward to or worry about. He’s lost Mike, the love of his life, six years previously and has basically given up on joy, love, and Christmas ever since.

Six years is a long time to be stuck and apparently Mike agrees because one night in the run up to Christmas, his ghost appears in Andy’s bedroom, stark naked, determined to push Andy out of his funk, and not beyond using his ‘junk’ to get the job done. 😊

It is thanks to Mike that Andy breaks his normal routine and enters a coffeeshop where he meets Ollie (and where Mike pulls the stunt described in the blurb). Ollie is more or less in the same boat as Andy, having lost his partner three years earlier and thus, with some not always gentle prodding from Mike, Andy and Ollie start spending time together. It isn’t long before they discover that they have more in common than just their grief. Acknowledging the attraction between them takes a while longer and accepting it requires more time again but, as Christmas draws closer, their resistance fades as their feelings grow.

This adorable story is as touching as it is funny. Mike’s antics had me laughing out loud more than once while Andy and Ollie’s feelings tugged at the heartstrings, and the balance between those two was pretty much perfect. Watching Andy and Ollie as they slowly crawl out of their self-imposed isolation and embrace life, fun, and ultimately love again was delightful. While there certainly were one or two heartbreaking moments, Mike’s presence prevented the story from ever becoming angst-ridden or too sad.

My Christmas Spirit is a wonderful holiday story. The combination of deep emotions, humour, and ghostly goings-on will put you right in the mood for the upcoming holidays while Andy and Ollie’s coming together will leave you with a smile on your face. And that’s before I mention that just when you think the story has reached its conclusion, it holds one more, delightful surprise.

Wednesday 18 December 2019

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt




771 pages
Bookclub read

Blurb

It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch combines vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

Review

In retrospect I have to wonder why I picked this book for my book club. The fact that a movie based on this book was recently released had something to do with it. And I adored Donna Tartt’s Secret History when I read it something like thirty years ago. But I should probably have done a little research first and have looked at the reviews of this story on Goodreads before making my decision. Because, if I’m totally honest I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t have finished this book if it hadn’t been this month’s book club read.

Not that the story is all bad. The premise of the story is quite interesting actually. It’s very easy to imagine a teenage boy getting obsessed with a picture his mother adored, especially if his mother dies shortly after showing the image to him. What happens to Theo after his mother dies and finds himself without a support network and caring relatives, is heartbreaking and all too realistic. His subsequent friendship with Boris, who is a fascinating but questionable character from the moment he’s first introduced, makes perfect sense under the circumstances, as does his obsession with Pippa and Hobie.

The problem for me was that the story got lost in the wordiness of this tale. I can’t help feeling that this book could have been half the size it is without losing anything, while probably gaining a lot as far as intrigue and tension are concerned. I basically stopped caring when every single act, thought, and surrounding was described in so much detail that I managed to forget what the words were referring to. A good, and very determined editor, might have done wonders for this book, I feel. But, given that the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, that thought may say more about my lack of literary knowledge than Mrs. Tartt’s writing skills. 😊

The blurb suggests a story filled with ever increasing levels of suspense and one or two scenes in the story certainly took my breath away but, unfortunately, even those moments got dulled through too much description. Sometimes authors need to trust the reader to know and understand what’s happening without them having to spell out every single detail. Tartt apparently doesn’t trust her reader to do that, and as a result, wrote a book that should have been fascinating but ended up boring me.



Thursday 5 December 2019

Killer Words: An event and books by Anthony J. Quinn, Declan Burke and Andrea Carter




Less than an hour from now the event featured in this image will start, and I will be attending. In preparation, I read and reviewed one book by each of the featured authors.

The Blood Dimmed Tide by Anthony Quinn



Publisher: No Exit Press
255 pages
Historical Mystery

Blurb

London at the dawn of 1918 and Ireland's most famous literary figure, W.B. Yeats, is immersed in supernatural investigations at his Bloomsbury rooms.

Haunted by the restless spirit of an Irish girl whose body is mysteriously washed ashore in a coffin, Yeats undertakes a perilous journey back to Ireland with his apprentice ghost-catcher Charles Adams to piece together the killer's identity.

Surrounded by spies, occultists, and diehard female rebels, the two are led on a gripping journey along Ireland's wild Atlantic coast, through the ruins of its abandoned estates, and into its darkest, most haunted corners.

Falling under the spell of dark forces, Yeats and his ghost-catcher come dangerously close to crossing the invisible line that divides the living from the dead.

Review

It’s been a while since I read a mystery. As you may have noticed, I’ve been all about (MM) romance recently. But, crime was my preferred genre for a very long time and I have to admit it was good making a return, even if I’m not exactly sure what I think about this book.

I wanted to read a book by Anthony Quinn who is, for a few more weeks, the writer in residence in County Cavan where I live, and the blurb of The Blood Dimmed Tide intrigued me. A mystery featuring WB Yeats and Maud Gonne among a host of others, was too fascinating for me to ignore. Throw in ghosts, spies, occultists, smugglers, and Irish rebels too and you have my full attention.

But, as I said, now that I have finished the book, I’m not 100% sure what I think. Yes, the story was gripping and action as well as intrigue-filled, but almost too much so. This book was almost an embarrassment of riches—too much of a good thing. All the individual strands of this book would have made for a perfect story on their own. Ireland in the aftermath of the Easter Rising is a fascinating setting. WB Yeats and Maud Gonne are intriguing (historical) characters. The combination of spies, dubious law-enforcers, and smugglers makes a gripping read almost unavoidable. But, all of these thrown together didn’t quite work for me.

For starters there’s the fact that while the blurb suggests that this is an investigation into the death of a young woman led by WB Yeats, the truth is that the real main character in this book is Charles Adams, the younger man Yeats choses to unravel the mystery. Yeats, no matter how compelling, was little more than a strong secondary character. And the same is true for Maud. Not that Charles Adams was disappointing as a lead, far from it. He was an inspired combination of searching for facts while investigating what appears to be a supernatural mystery.

As for that mystery; I had it figured out pretty much from the start and my ongoing fascination with the story had less to do with the whodunnit and why then with the setting and the historical figures appearing in it. But I can’t help feeling that the unravelling of what had happened would have made more sense if there had been less other eye-catching events and characters.

Having said all of that, there is one thing in which this book succeeds very well and that is displaying the confused and threatening atmosphere shortly after the fateful events in Dublin over Easter. People have to pick sides and nobody is sure who can and can’t be trusted, a dilemma that’s perfectly symbolised by yet another side character, whom I won’t name for exactly that reason. All of which leads me to think that maybe I should give the author the benefit of the doubt and conclude that the at times frantic and confusion succession of events in the story was intentional and a reflection of the chaos ruling the setting of this tale.

Overall this was an easy read that held my attention and kept me turning the pages. In fact, despite my various reservations, I’m delighted to see this is supposed to be the first book in a three-part series and I will definitely look for those two sequels.

Absolute Zero Cool by Declan Burke




Publisher: Liberties Press
238 pages

Blurb

Absolute Zero Cool is a post-modern take on the crime thriller genre.

Adrift in the half-life limbo of an unpublished novel, hospital porter Billy needs to up the stakes. Euthanasia simply isn’t shocking anymore; would blowing up his hospital be enough to see Billy published, or be damned?

What follows is a gripping tale that subverts the crime genre’s grand tradition of liberal sadism, a novel that both excites and disturbs in equal measure.

Absolute Zero Cool is not only an example of Irish crime writing at its best; it is an innovative, self-reflexive piece that turns every convention of crime fiction on its head.

Declan Burke’s latest book is an imaginative story that explores the human mind’s ability to both create and destroy, with equally devastating effects.

Review

(From 2011)

Wow! I know I’ve said it before, but this is most definitely a book unlike any I’ve read in the past. I’m not even sure if I will be able to describe the plot in a way that makes sense to those who haven’t read the book, but I will try.

An author, on a retreat to finish a book he is working on finds himself confronted by Billy Karlsson, a character from a previous, unfinished novel. In that story Billy is a hospital porter who occasionally helps people who wish to die, but finds himself in trouble when his girlfriend finds out. For five years now Billy’s story has been on hold and as a result, so has Billy’s life.

Now Billy is taken things into his own hands. He has meetings with his creator, offers to write parts of the story himself and introduces a massive twist to the old plot. Just killing sick old people who wish to die isn’t enough anymore. A bigger statement is needed and therefore Billy plans to blow up the hospital where he works.

As the author and his character start to work together on reviving the old story the question is; can the creator stop his creation from inflicting death and destruction, or is he somehow complicit in the planned attack.

This is a truly original story. The lines between the stories told by the author and those narrated by his character become ever more blurred as the drama unfolds. Who is leading who? Who is the actual creator and who is the one following along? What is real, and what is fiction? All questions the reader is faced with, and for a very long time there don’t appear to be any clear cut answers.

All the blurbs about this book describe it as being “laugh-out-loud funny”, “full of the blackest humour” and “outrageously funny”. I however, didn’t get the humour in this book. I found the story to be original, disturbing, thought-provoking and inventive. I also think the book would make a wonderful subject for a book club discussion since there are so many angles to this story. I just don’t think my Dutch sense of humour was up to this Irish form of black comedy.

I was thoroughly impressed by the writing style though, the use of words and themes in this story and the way in which the author kept me hooked to a story I wasn’t entirely sure I liked.

All in all a very intriguing reading experience.

The Well of Ice by Andrea Carter



An Inishowen Mystery #3
Publisher: Little Brown
329 pages

Blurb

December in Glendara, Inishowen, and solicitor Benedicta 'Ben' O'Keeffe is working flat out before the holidays. But on a trip to Dublin to visit her parents, she runs into Luke Kirby - the man who killed her sister - freshly released from jail. On the surface he appears remorseful, conciliatory even, but his comment as she walks away makes her realise he is as foul as ever.

Back in Glendara, there is chaos. The Oak pub has burned down and Carole Kearney, the Oak's barmaid, has gone missing. And then, while walking the dog up Sliabh Sneacht, Ben and her partner, Sergeant Tom Molloy, make a gruesome discovery: a body lying face down in the snow.

Who is behind this vicious attack on Glendara and its residents? Ben tries to find answers, but is she the one in danger?

Review

In my last-minute quest to read books by all three of the authors taking part in the crime-writing event in Cootehill library, I plucked The Well of Ice off the fiction shelves simply because it was the only Andrea Carter title available at the time. How fortuitus that it turned out to be a book set during the lead up to and over Christmas, the dates almost coinciding with real-time.

The Well of Ice is the third Inishowen mystery and although a large part of the story pulls heavily on events that happened in Ben O’Keeffe’s past, I can honestly say this book can be read and thoroughly enjoyed without knowledge of the prior books.

First things first. Benedicta ‘Ben’ O’Keeffe is a solicitor in Glendara, Inishowen, a place she moved to after traumatic events which took place about a decade earlier. She is in a mostly secret and fairly new relationship with Tom Molloy, the local garda Seargeant, although she can’t help feeling something isn’t quite right there. When the local pub burns down, the barmaid disappears and subsequently a corpse turns up, Ben can’t help herself and starts investigating. By the time she realises how deeply she herself is involved in what’s happening to her small town, it may well be too late.

This turned out to be exactly the kind of mystery I enjoy; one set in a relatively small community where people think they know each other but turn out to have secrets nobody could have guessed at. There are a host of possible suspects, quite a few complicated and, if I’m honest at times confusing, connections between the various characters and an explosive (pun intended) conclusion. I had one day to read this book if I wanted to finish it before the library event, and having to keep on turning the pages to make my self-imposed deadline was no hardship—quite the opposite in fact.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, despite there being one or two WTF moments; things that probably made sense as far as pacing was concerned, but not from a logical point of view. I’m also not a huge fan of the ‘will they, won’t they’ dynamic between the two protagonists that appears to be all too common in mystery and thriller series. But, neither of those reservations put a significant dent in the captivating power of this story and it’s safe to say that I will be picking up the next book in this series when it releases/hits the library shelves.