The Well of Ice

by Andrea Carter

Overview

A cold—and terrifying—Christmas holiday on the Inishowen Peninsula

December on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal—and solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O'Keeffe is working flat out before the Christmas holidays. While 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 realize he is as evil as ever.

Back in Glendara, she finds 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. Another brutal attack in the small town and Ben plunges into full discovery mode.

Who could be behind this vicious attack on Glendara and its residents? And why disturb such a charming town at Christmas? As Ben delves in to find answers, she comes face to face with the reality that all this evil could be swirling around her as her past confronts her present—and future.

Perfect for fans of character driven mysteries with a powerful sense of place

While all of the novels in the Inishowen Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Death at Whitewater Church
Treacherous Strand
The Well of Ice
Murder at Greysbridge
The Body Falls (coming November 2022)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608093663
Publisher:	Oceanview Publishing
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Series:	An Inishowen Mystery , #3
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Andrea Carter holds an MFA in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. Her first book, Death at Whitewater Church, was one of the winners of the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair and she has been the recipient of two Arts Council of Ireland Literature Bursary Awards and a Dublin City Council Bursary. Treacherous Strand and The Well of Ice follow Death at Whitewater Church in the Inishowen Mystery Series—about to be adapted for a television crime series to be titled Donegal—The Inishowen Mysteries.

Editorial Reviews

09/14/2020

Carter’s pleasing third Inishowen mystery (after 2019’s Treacherous Strand) takes solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keeffe on business to Dublin, where she’s startled to run into her sister’s killer, Luke Kirby, recently released from prison. Back in the village of Glendora, Ben’s home on the Inishowen peninsula, the local pub burns down and its barmaid goes missing. People with information are more likely to confide in Ben, a sympathetic listener, than in garda sergeant Tom Molloy, her boyfriend. Ben gradually learns of secret familial relationships and hidden associations over tea, coffee, and warm whiskeys. The tension increases when Ben and Molloy discover a strangled body while on a mountain ramble, and then Kirby appears in Glendora. Carter doesn’t make it easy to decipher the twin mysteries of murder and arson, leaving the motive murky amid plenty of red herrings. However, her charming picture of the Irish countryside and Ben and Molloy’s credible relationship more than compensate. Those seeking a contemporary puzzler in the Agatha Christie tradition will have fun. Agent: Noa Rosen, Susanna Lea Assoc. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Inishowen Mystery Series

“An entourage of fascinating people and mysterious places lace this mystery with plenty of bark and bite. A captivating gem.” —Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“Haunting, atmospheric, and gripping. One of the finest Irish mystery debuts of recent years. Tana French has some serious competition.” —John Connolly, New York Times best-selling author

“[Treacherous Strand] . . . is hugely entertaining and satisfying, full of Irish legal tidbits and solidly drawn characters in a deliciously remote and picturesque locale. Ben is an intelligent and feisty woman you’d want in your corner. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Those seeking a contemporary puzzler in the Agatha Christie tradition will have fun.” —Publishers Weekly

“With Death at Whitewater Church, Andrea Carter announces herself as one of the most exciting new voices in Irish crime fiction. A wonderfully written debut, the rugged beauty of Donegal provides a stunningly realized backdrop to the twists and turns of Ben's investigations.” —Brian McGilloway, New York Times best-selling author

“A complex and suspenseful plot with unexpected twists, a brave but tormented heroine, and a shock ending.” —Booklist

“[The Well of Ice is] another riveting suspense thriller of a mystery from an accomplished master of the genre.” —Midwest Book Review

“Andrea Carter writes brilliantly about a lively, entirely credible community where even your friends are suspects and your neighbors may end up dead. Everyone has a secret, and the revelations come thick and fast. Riveting, intriguing, and worryingly real.” —Liz Nugent, award-winning author of Lying in Wait

“I adored this traditional crime novel; it’s modern-day Agatha Christie with Ben as Miss Marple.” —Irish Examiner

From the Publisher