In Ice by Dave Sivers – BLOG TOUR REVIEW

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

In Ice: A terrifying, twisty, serial killer thriller.
Every action has a consequence…
 
‘As dark, gritty and chilling as it gets.  Keep the lights on!’ – Liz Mistry
  
An anonymous call leads DI Nathan Quarrel and his team to a secluded house in a
Hertfordshire village and a horrific discovery: three chest freezers containing the
naked bodies of five women. 
 
As the painstaking business of identifying the apparently unconnected victims gets
underway, it becomes frighteningly clear that a sadistic serial killer has been at work,
probably over a long period of time.  
 
With no strong suspects, and no leads, unmasking the killer takes on a new urgency.
Because the discoveries at what the media is calling a 'house of horrors' may not
stop the killer, or even slow them down. Indeed, they may already have targeted
their next victim.

In Ice is a clammy and atmospheric read. It was immaculately crafted, brutal, and unflinching.

What does it mean to be cold? I don’t mean walking outside with a flurry of snow kissing your skin, I mean truly frozen. Sub-zero temperatures, your skin feeling on fire from the unadulterated cold seeping into your bloodstream, into your bones. Just for one minute imagine all that and then your oxygen gradually runs out. This is what the five women who’ve been found dead in three freezers must’ve experienced. If they didn’t panic, every breath might last longer, but who wouldn’t panic in that situation?

Cases like this can make or break an officer but Nathan Quarrel and his team are determined to get to the truth and do justice to the women that have been discarded and left to freeze. Nathan and his team are competent, and flawed like you and me but they all display a strong moral code that guides them to the truth. Nathan is used to dealing with broken characters, he sees one every day when he looks in the mirror. He has his own demons that he himself must face up to. I really enjoyed the humanity behind the police officer. So easy it is to forget that these are people just trying to do their job.

An anonymous tip-off leads them to the abandoned house of Lynne Redding. Her neighbours purport that she left the country around eighteen months ago to live abroad. It seemed strange that someone with debilitating agoraphobia could leave the country considering she never left the house. She worked from home and all her business affairs were attended to by email. The team discovers five bodies in total and they begin to wonder if Lynne was victim one and if the killer was using her home as a killer’s den. Unfortunately, they won’t know more until the bodies have had a chance to thaw out and a post-mortem is carried out. They are left with a lot of buts and maybes.

With potential suspects being interviewed – Postie Pete, her accountant, Adam Downes, and her psychologist, they try to pull back the layers. What kind of men are they? Do they have a trigger point in their past that would lead to them killing women? Do they have a type or is it completely random? If so, it’s going to be hard to catch them. The author explores the sense that no one is safe. This book really made you feel things – the injustice, and the constant feeling of needing to be on guard on a night out, especially as a woman. He made a current and important topic interweave through the storyline with subtlety and grace.

Dave Sivers grew up in West London and has been writing all his life. His books include the
popular crime series featuring the Aylesbury Vale detectives, DI Lizzie Archer and DS Dan
Baines.
The Scars Beneath the Soul and Dead in Deep Water were both top three bestsellers in the
Amazon Kindle Serial Killers chart. In Ice is the second in the DI Nathan Quarrel series.
His other works include the Lowmar Dashiel crime fantasy novels.
Dave also writes plays and other material for the amateur stage and is a founder of the
annual BeaconLit festival of books and writing. He lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife,
Chris.
To keep up with Dave’s news and upcoming releases, subscribe to his newsletter at
Dave Sivers