G995 Book Review of ICE by Lauren Carr

Name of Book: Ice

Author: Lauren Carr

ISBN: 9781983743382

Publisher: Acorn Book Services

Type of book: Mystery, thriller, family, relationships, pets, dogs, Harper's Ferry West Virginia, "book club" talents, moving on, romance, present times, gambling, murder, cold case, dysfunctional families, incest, rape, dreams

Year it was published: 2018

Summary:

When Sandy Lipton and her unborn child disappeared, the court of public opinion found young Chris Matheson guilty. Decades later, the retired FBI agent returns home to discover that the cloud of suspicion cast over him and his family has never lifted.

With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on this cold case to uncover what had happened to Sandy and her baby and the clues are getting hot!

Characters:

There are quite a lot of characters, and luckily the author did provide a character sheet in beginning of the story to help readers out on who's who. Some memorable characters include both humans and animals, namely Chris who has suffered tragedy and becoming a widower. He loves classical music and is extremely passionate as well as sweet and loyal. He also has three daughters aged from teens to six years of age, and decides to join a "book" club run by his mother's friend. (If there are to be future books, I am hoping to see and get to know more of the Geezer Squad as well his daughters.) One animal character that really stole my heart is Sterling, the "goofy" German shepherd who has his own personality as well as some talents he keeps as secret. Secondary characters are also well developed, although I wish that there would have been more focus on the villain, at least more of his motivations.

Theme:

Family and friends are important

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from Chris's point of view, although from time to time other characters make an appearance and make their thoughts known. The story is also linear, with prologue beginning twenty four years ago, and then the story moves on to the present where the reader meets Chris and his quirky family. Along the way the author fills in the blanks, often inviting the reader to speculate, or else scratch their heads on how the characters came up to that conclusion instead of another. The story is not solely mystery/thriller, but its focused on family, community and importance of friendships. Out of the previous Lauren Carr novels I read, I think this one is the most visible and obvious when it comes to showing friendships and family relationships.

Author Information:
(From iRead Book Tours)


About the Author:

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

​Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

​Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Opinion:

After getting to know the Faraday and Thornton family members, the author decides to start a new series that besides the setting seem to have new people and new places as well as new crimes. Just like in her previous wonderful stories, I am happy to report that the story is not just a thriller with twisted plots and characters, but it also has heart and focus on family and friends and how they help the main character during the toughest time of his life. There is also some comedy and of course fascinating new dog characters, in particular Sterling who loves country music and is best described as goofy. While I'm uncertain on how the characters arrived at some of the conclusions that they had about the cold case, I really didn't expect to see it coming, although to be honest I did see one of the cases resolving itself the way it did. If you enjoy stories that are not only thrillers and mysteries but also have heart and relationships between the characters, then don't miss out on this book.

This is for iRead Book Tours

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

April 2 - Working Mommy Journal - review / giveaway
April 2 - Live To Read ~ Krystal - review / guest post / giveaway
April 2 - XoXo Book Blog - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
April 3 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway
April 3 - Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
April 4 - Paulette's Papers - book spotlight / giveaway
April 4 - Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author - book spotlight / giveaway
April 5 - The World As I See It - review / giveaway
April 5 - Writers and Authors - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
April 6 - Olio by Marilyn - review / author interview / giveaway
April 6 - Books And Tea - review / guest post
April 9 - Blooming with Books - review / giveaway
April 10 - 411 on Books, Authors, and Publishing News - bk spotlight / int / giveaway
April 10 - 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! - review / giveaway
April 11 - Books are love - review / author interview
April 12 - Library of Clean Reads - review / giveaway
April 12 - Nighttime Reading Center - review / giveaway
April 13 - My Reading Journeys - review / author interview / giveaway
April 17 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review
April 17 - Lovely Loveday - review
April 18 - StoreyBook Reviews - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
April 19 - FUONLYKNEW - review / giveaway
April 20 - Mystery Suspense Reviews - book spotlight
April 20 - fundinmental - review / author interview / giveaway
April 23 - Two Points of Interest - review
April 24 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review
April 25 - Sefina Hawke's Books - review
April 26 - The Book Drealms - review / giveaway
April 27 - Pause for Tales - review / guest post
April 27 - LadyJ’s Bookish Nook - review / giveaway
April 30 - Jessica Cassidy - review / author interview / giveaway
​
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)