Do not waste your time with this book it is so boring .

The story feels like it is missing a big part. There is one main character who I thought the story was about. It mentions Luke at first but then I was 60% in to this book and no more mention of Luke. How much more do you have to read before something happens.

The author was trying to hard to make it feel like the book was a Agatha Christie novel, but if I wanted a book like that I would read Miss Marple or Poirot.

I don't know how I managed to miss the second one in this series, but I having read & really enjoyed the first Inishowen Mystery I was delighted to get my hands on this one!

'Ben' O'Keeffe is struggling to make sure all the urgent work n is completed before Christmas. She is also looking forward to her first Christmas with Sargent Malloy- although they have not yet made their relationship public. She really doesn't have time to investigate complaints of early morning noise from the local pub! While going to Dublin she shares a seat with Carole, the rather unfriendly barmaid of the pub. She also meets Luke Kirby- the man who killed her sister and is even more concerned when he turns up in Glendara.

Christmas does not look like being so merry. The pub burns to the ground and and Carole disappears. Ben & Malloy discover her body on Christmas morning. Who murdered Carole and why?

This series is a great read. The setting is described very well and I loved the cast of characters. Ben comes across as a warm interesting person- I'm not awfully sure what she sees in Malloy- but that's her business! I thought it was a great read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review it.

Since the murder of her sister, Sarah O'Keefe has found it hard. Known as Ben (after her middle name) she now lives in Glendara on the remote Inishowen peninsula and runs the local solicitors firm. When she discovers that her sister's killer, Luke Kirby, has been released she is concerned and even more concerned when he turns up in Glendara. However this is not a merry christmas for the local residents as first a local pub burns down and then the body of the barmaid is discovered. Is this linked to Kiby or to other faces new to the area?

On the positive side, this book is a short and engaging read. I likes the setting in a remote area of Ireland and appreciated the fact that little play was made of 'Oirish-ness' which I would have found extremely annoying. On the negative side the story is made unnecessarily complex at times and it is easy to lose track of the characters and their relationships. As a simple crime procedural it fits the bill perfectly.

Benedicta O'Keeffe affectionately known as "Ben", works and lives in Glendara, Inishowen a peninsula in County Donegal. We quickly establish that she had a sister Faye murdered by an individual known as Luke Kirby. He has served a prison sentence for manslaughter and is now released. On a business trip to Dublin Ben encounters, on a chance meeting, Kirby and immediately feels intimidated and frightened. Back in Glendara the body of a local barmaid, Carole, is discovered by Ben and her boyfriend Molloy, a sergeant in the local Garda Siochana, on an early morning xmas walk. In a separate incident the local hostelry "The Oak" is destroyed in a fire and arson is suspected......

I do have a few problems with the telling of this story: The synopsis for the book on all the usual forums ie Amazon, goodreads etc states that Ben was chilled to the bone when she encountered Kirby in Dublin by something that he whispered as she walks away? what could this startling revelation be? Did he threaten to kill her? In fact all he said was..."Looking good, babe" Again the book abstract refers to all kinds of strange and sinister happenings in Glendara boldly declaring that someone is out for revenge with devastating consequences! Yes the pub is destroyed and a body is discovered and I was set for a wave of murder and serial killing in this quiet Irish backwater. However apart from these two brief incidents the majority of the book descends into Agatha Christie territory where all the residents are introduced and displayed as possible suspects. Remember Luke Kirby? if you thought this story was about him and some big revenge plot...forget it...he is not mentioned again until 70% of the story is told. As we analysed the lives and loves of the residents of Glendara I became totally confused as to who they were and what actually was happening? Of course Kirby was involved and as I trolled through endless encounters and descriptions, I became thoroughly dismayed and disillusioned with the direction the book was going (or indeed if it had a direction)....You will not be surprised as to the culprit but the secret (so the author would have me believe) is discovering his accomplish and their reasons. If you enjoy this type of lumbering storyline then The Well of Ice is perfect for you, to me the whole experience was akin to watching paint dry and apart from the beautiful west Donegal setting I found little of merit. I received a gratis copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group Uk for a review copy of The Well of Ice, the third novel in the Inishowen series to feature local lawyer Ben O'Keeffe.

With Christmas looming Ben is frantically busy but has to take time out of her schedule to go to Dublin on business. While there she bumps into Luke Kirby, her sister's killer, freshly released from prison. The encounter is very unsettling and upsetting but Ben puts it behind her because she is not long returned home when the local pub is burned down and the barmaid disappears. Once again it's all go in Glendara with Ben at the centre of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Well of Ice. It is a mixture of cosy and some nasty secrets. The novel is quite slow to start in a crime fiction sense with nothing really happening for the first few chapters but they are, nevertheless, atmospheric with Ms Carter painting a wonderful picture of small town Donegal. The scenery is amazing and well described but it is the relationships between the inhabitants, the petty rivalries and close bonds that shine through and Ben's first person narrative gives them an immediacy and intimacy a third person narrative could never manage.

Once the crime aspect of the novel gets going it never stops. The secrets which have been hidden for years come tumbling out (and there are plenty). It is well done with more revelations in every chapter, although sometimes Ben is a bit slow to see the obvious. She seems to be at the centre of everything, whether as a lawyer, or as someone people choose to confide in but too much information can be dangerous as her past and present collide.

I really like the mixture of puzzling crime and cosy setting. Much of this is down to the strong characterisation of Ben O'Keefe. She is naturally nosy so can't help asking questions but she is also warm and compassionate. She works hard and is strong professionally but can be uncertain in her new, not as secret as they would like relationship with Garda Sergeant Malloy who is a strange one I wouldn't give house room to. In other words she's very human.

The Well of Ice is another godd addition to what is becoming a very addictive series so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

This is the third in the brilliant Inishowen mystery series set in the village of Glendara in Donegal. It features the intrepid local solicitor, Ben O'Keeffe, and Sergeant Tom Molloy, between whom romance has blossomed, albeit a covert relationship. It is the festive season, Ben is working flat out to ensure that she finishes her workload on Christmas Eve. She is receiving complaints of noise emanating from The Oak in the early hours but her traumatic past is about to devastate her present, ensuring the festive season is one of danger, terror and murder. She is dashing to Dublin to close a house sale where she is horrorstruck by the sight of Luke Kirby, a man she used to be in a relationship with who went on to murder her sister, Faye, who has now been released from prison. Her instincts and fear that this will not be an isolated incident proves to be all too accurate. An arson attack on The Oak leaves the villagers devastated and Molloy tries to track down Carole, the barmaid, who has gone missing.

Amidst all the festive activities and catching up with friends such as the socially gregarious Phyllis, the bookshop owner and Maeve, the vet, there are a series of odd events that occur, such as the poisoning of Guinness, Ben's infuriating cat and the loss of her wallet. Plans to have Christmas dinner with Phyllis are destined to be marred when on Christmas morning Ben and Tom discover the dead body of Carole whilst out for a walk on the beach. There are many secrets, covert relationships, bigamy and past indiscretions amongst the locals and Ben is the recipient of many a confidence which makes Molloy feel a little resentful. Her relationship with Molloy has its ups and downs, raising her insecurities about where it is going. However, when it appears that danger edges ever closer to Ben, Tom is right there for her, willing to do anything to protect her.

Andrea Carter is a gifted writer who weaves an atmospheric tale of murder and mystery that is spellbinding. She gives us an extraordinarily strong sense of location with its seasonal weather of blustery bitter cold winds, freezing rain and snow on the Irish coast. Her ability to give us a wide diversity of complex and authentic characters bring the rural place of Glendara alive as if we are right there amongst them. It is the interactions and relationships between the characters that are a primary strength of this series as we observe their personal development and become privy to their history. Tom and Ben are a perfect foil for each other as they use their differing strengths to get to the bottom of mysteries. I wonder where the series will go next, given what happens to Tom at the end, but I excitedly look forward to the next in the series. This is the perfect book for lovers of traditional crime at this time of the year. Transport yourself to Glendara and Donegal for this festive season, you are bound to have the time of your life. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.