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?
The Well of Ice by Andrea Carter was published by Constable / Little Brown in paperback on 12 April 2018. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
The Well of Ice is the third in the Inishowen Mystery series. I haven't read the first two but when I read about the Donegal setting, I just knew that I had to read this. My Mother is from County Donegal and I spent every summer there as a child. For me, Donegal is home and I do love to read books set in places that I love.
Despite the fact that I'd not read the previous two novels, I was soon totally gripped by this one. Andrea Carter's writing is excellent and her characters are superbly created. The author cleverly gives enough of the back story for new readers to be able to follow her plot easily.
Ben (Benedicta) O'Keefe is a solicitor in Glendara, she's recently started a relationship with local Policeman Tom Molloy. It's almost Christmas and Ben is working flat out, hoping for a quiet and peaceful seasonal break. Ben isn't going to get what she wishes for though. Whilst visiting family in Dublin she is shocked to bump into Luke Kirby. Kirby was serving a prison sentence for killing Ben's sister and she's amazed to see him walking the streets, she's even more amazed when he appears to be sorry for what he's done.
Things are no quieter at home in Glendara; when Ben returns, she finds the local pub has burnt to the ground and the barmaid is missing.
Andrea Carter really gives her readers such a treat, and The Well of Ice is gripping, clever and almost impossible to put down. The intricately detailed plot and the evocative descriptions of the area are quite wonderful and the tension increases as the story unfolds. There's no extreme violence and nothing graphic in this story, it's more than a cosy crime though and the author is clearly extremely talented.
Needless to say, I've now bought the other books in the Inishowen Mystery series and am very much looking forward to reading them. Ben O'Keefe is an excellent lead character and Glendara is a brilliantly created setting.
Andrea Carter grew up in Laois, studied law at Trinity College Dublin and worked as a solicitor on the Inishowen Peninsula, Co Donegal where she ran the most northerly solicitor's practice in the country.
In 2006 she moved to Dublin to practice as a barrister before turning to write crime novels.
Twitter @andysaibhcarter
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