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Summary: ice house
Review: It's her best book - so far. Where Agatha Christie ended, she just began. It's a gripping book which you'll read through the night. I'm looking forward for her next book
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Summary: the ice house
Review: Minette Walters as her best! I hope she'll never end writing books. In this bestseller she describes the complicated relationship of three women and the mysterious past one of them has... Did she kill her husband? Who is the skeleton they have found in the ice house? Read it and you won't regret it!
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Summary: A juicy mystery full of character and complexity.
Review: Poor McLoughlin's world was already turned upside down! Sergeant McLoughlin hates the world in general, and women in particular after his wife has run off with his best friend. Now he is assigned to investigate a woman characterized by the entire community, including his boss, as a husband-murdering lesbian, and her 2 female "friends". How can he be objective? Thrust nose-to-nose with 3 women that he figures for man-haters, it is painful and poignant to watch him, resisting all the way, fall in love with one of them, and in like with them all. And gradually, the truth emerges...
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Summary: Three Gay Ladies and a Dead Ex-Husband. Whodunit?
Review: Streech Grange is an estate occupied by three infamous women, infamous because they are alleged lesbians and because they are suspected murderesses. Ten years ago Diana and Anne moved into Streech Grange, right after Phoebe's abusive husband vanished. Many found it hard to accept that he simply walked away from his gorgeous home and beautiful wife. Besides, murder makes for juicer gossip. But did she kill him or not? Enquiring minds want to know and they think maybe they're going to get their answer, because now a body has been discovered in the ice house. Sure, it's still in a state of decay, and David vanished ten years ago, but the ice house is very cool, so it's possible. Enter Inspector Walsh who is champing at the bit at the thought of the body being Phoebe's husband, because he's the one who accused and cast suspicion on her all those years ago. He loathes the thought of those women and their lifestyle and he especially doesn't like Phoebe. However there is a good cop too. Inspector McLoughlin spends time with the gorgeous murder suspects and it seems both to arouse him and to compromise his integrity. He's challenged, intrigued and fascinated by the women and he has a difficult time trying to figure out how to react to them. I won't reveal any more but you'll be happy to know that the descriptions and dialogue are fantastic, each of the characters has something to offer and the many intricate subplots make this story impossible to predict and simply fascinating to read.
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Summary: A Clever Mystery
Review: The Ice House by Minette Walters tells the story of three women, Phoebe, Anne and Diana who live together in a mansion called Streech Grange. Their gardener Fred discovers a body in the ice house on the grounds. The police try to unravel the mystery and determine who the body is and who murdered him. There are numerous twist and turns and the reader becomes involved with the daily lives of the characters in the novel. This is a mystery which keeps you guessing until the end. I would recommend this to a traditional mystery fan.
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Summary: Shocking and Fascinating Crime Novel
Review: THE ICE HOUSE is a sharp and compelling crime novel, and, in my opinion, Minette Walters best. I first read this several years ago but have since re-read it many times and always enjoy the sharp writing and twisted plot. The characters are a joy to read about. They are all developed well and interesting, but by far the two that stand out the most are Anne Cattrell and Andy McLoughlin. She is a darkly humorous and sarcastic journalist and he is a morose and troubled police detective. The dialogue they share is electric, and tempered with wit and anger, but sometimes they can be surprising understanding towards each other. They are more alike than they realise! The plot is remarkable and surprising. There are plenty of twists and you are kept guessing as to 'who done it' all the way through - we are not even sure if the 'good guys', in this case the three women accused of murder, are really as innocent as we'd like to believe. The final scenes are tense and exciting and deliver all the first three quarters of the book promise. Overall The Ice House is a spectacularly thrilling story with exciting characters and a wonderful ending. I believe that The Ice House is essential reading for everyone who loves crime novels. JoAnne
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Summary: Shocking and Fascinating Crime Novel
Review: THE ICE HOUSE is a sharp and compelling crime novel, and, in my opinion, Minette Walters best. I first read this several years ago but have since re-read it many times and always enjoy the sharp writing and twisted plot. The characters are a joy to read about. They are all developed well and interesting, but by far the two that stand out the most are Anne Cattrell and Andy McLoughlin. She is a darkly humorous and sarcastic journalist and he is a morose and troubled police detective. The dialogue they share is electric, and tempered with wit and anger, but sometimes they can be surprising understanding towards each other. They are more alike than they realise! The plot is remarkable and surprising. There are plenty of twists and you are kept guessing as to 'who done it' all the way through - we are not even sure if the 'good guys', in this case the three women accused of murder, are really as innocent as we'd like to believe. The final scenes are tense and exciting and deliver all the first three quarters of the book promise. Overall The Ice House is a spectacularly thrilling story with exciting characters and a wonderful ending. I believe that The Ice House is essential reading for everyone who loves crime novels. JoAnne
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Summary: A Great Introduction to Minette Walters
Review: The Ice House was the first Walters book I read, and was the reason I went on to read the rest of her works so far. The unravelling of mysterious deaths and disappearances in the present and in the past, the development of the very real characters, the pace, the setting, the plot - were all done with a deft hand by Minette Walters. If you enjoy thoughtful murder mysteries with interesting characters that you can really form an opinion about, then you should read The Ice House. Then try The Dark Room, The Sculptress and The Echo.
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Summary: An exciting introduction to a great novelist.
Review: This book introduced me to Minette Walters, and since then I've bought every one of her books as soon as it has been released. The Ice House is a fine mystery, and the writing draws the reader into the time a place, making you feel involved all along the way. Descriptions of the ice house itself are thoroughly fascinating. The solution to the murder mystery was both surprising and a perfect fit! I found myself hoping that Ms. Walters would continue with stories about the main detective. I have not, however, been disappointed by the fact that every one of her novels since the Ice House has been entirely different and -- from that first one as well as from each other, and none have involved the same characters. She's a master of suspense, and she has developed some of the most interesting characters I have ever met.
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Summary: A gem of a murder mystery
Review: This is a gem of a novel, a well-crafted story of mystery filled with wonderful characters. Three women: Phoebe, Anne and Diane - a coven of lesbians, according to gossip- live in a manor house, secluded. Three murders: Phoebe's parents who died in a car crash many years ago; Phoebe's husband who disappeared 10 years ago, and whose body was never found; and a newly discovered body in the ice house on Phoebe's property. But were all of these, or any of these actually murders? And who is the man in the Ice House and how did he get there? This is a page-turner that has as much to do with discovering the complexities of the three women as who if anyone has been murdered and by whom. Add to that a couple of overzealous detectives - one chief inspector who is convinced of Phoebe's guilt and one detective sergeant who is driven by both the charms and the mysteries of the women, especially Anne. One of the best I've read this year.
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