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The Well of Ice: An Inishowen Mystery

Review

The Well of Ice: An Inishowen Mystery

A younger incarnation of Agatha Christie’s Jane Marple, barrister Benedicta “Ben” O’Keeffe swims against the current and encounters a shoal of red herrings in her quest to solve murder and mayhem mysteries. Miss Marple solved difficult crimes because of shrewd intellect, a striking similarity to Ben.

“The Oak pub had burned down…an open wound in the town’s face,” barmaid Carole gone missing days before Christmas. “Funny time to leave, though, don’t you think? In the middle of the night after a shift at the pub? A pub that then goes on fire.” During his investigation, Glendara’s top cop Tom Molloy mulls that “there’s a bloody great hole where Carole Harkin’s statement should be.”

"Andrea Carter weaves a picturesque tapestry of Ireland’s Inishowen Peninsula in her somewhat cozy mysteries, excepting that a few characters encounter great harm."

Ben and beau Molloy find “it difficult to communicate at the moment.” On Christmas Day, they trek nature trails near Sliabh Sneacht (Snow Mountain). After Molloy explains what Tobar na Súl means, Ben says, “The Well of Eyes. Sounds like a horror film.” Fate beguiles Ben; she steps into frigid mud slush and opines, “The Well of Ice would be more like it.” Fate further intervenes as they find a body, obviously strangled.

Townsfolk find Ben to be a more amiable listener than Sergeant Molloy, and she collects clues, like Miss Marple snipping flower buds in an English garden. But Molloy is tight-lipped, even when pressing them to hers. Ben feeds far more investigative info to Molloy than he to her.

While acting on behalf of a client in Dublin, Ben encounters Luke Kirby, who had killed her sister and is now paroled. Smiling, he mouths words drowned by a passing vehicle. Ben “had been burned before by trusting the wrong man.” Luke, however, has turned over a new leaf. He says so himself.

Stan MacLochlainn is “a bloody good hairdresser” and rents a loft above The Oak --- until the fire roasts his roost. Róisín McCann is a local who had moved to Australia, where she met Eddie Kearney (Carole’s brother) from Glendara. They’ve now returned. Various characters mingle with series familiars: village vet Maeve, bookstore owner Phyllis and publican Tony Craig. Given the red herrings, there’s something fishy in County Donegal.

Andrea Carter weaves a picturesque tapestry of Ireland’s Inishowen Peninsula in her somewhat cozy mysteries, excepting that a few characters encounter great harm. A phrase written for the series debut begs revisiting: What starts as a metaphoric soothing tea, served in exquisite porcelain, ends with the kick of a brandy-laced double espresso.

Following TREACHEROUS STRAND and DEATH AT WHITEWATER CHURCH, this is Carter’s third crime novel released in the States, set in fictional Glendara, Ireland. The Irish attorney-turned-author’s atmospheric mysteries are being adapted as a television series filmed in Inishowen, County Donegal. Carter said, “The good news is that things are now moving again, and I may have more of a role in the TV series than originally anticipated.” She shares life in Dublin with husband Geoff Power, a documentary maker.


 

» Click here to read Bookreporter.com’s exclusive interview with Andrea Carter.

The Irish surname of Bookreporter.com’s Dean Murphy is Ó Murchadha, meaning sea warrior. “Murphy” is the Republic of Ireland’s most common surname and ranks 58th in the States. An image of the Murphy crest appears below. Éirinn go Brách! (Ireland Forever!)

Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy on November 13, 2020

The Well of Ice: An Inishowen Mystery
by Andrea Carter

  • Publication Date: November 10, 2020
  • Genres: Fiction, Mystery
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
  • ISBN-10: 1608093662
  • ISBN-13: 9781608093663