Pub Date Nov 05 2024

Publishers: Severn House

There is so much to unpack with this story and while I can’t cover everything in this review, I’m just going to share a bit of an overview of some of my thoughts while reading the story.

Book Description:

News of a missing Instagram celebrity brings Senior Investigator Shana Merchant to a frozen island community of just eight people. When the visit turns deadly, her hunt for a killer collides with a cold case she’ll never forget . . .

It’s February in the Thousand Islands and, cut off from civilization by endless ice, eight people are overwintering on tiny, remote Running Pine. Six year-rounders, used to the hard work, isolation and freezing temperatures . . . and two newcomers: social-media stars Cary and Sylvie, whose account documenting their year on the island is garnering thousands of followers, and thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury gifts.

The long-term islanders will tell you Running Pine can be perilous – especially for city slickers who’ll do anything to get the perfect shot. So, when Cary doesn’t return from ice fishing one morning, his neighbors fear the worst.

With the clock ticking to find the missing influencer, a police team are dispatched to take the dangerous journey to the island . . . but Sylvie, his frantic partner, will only talk to one person: newlywed Senior Investigator Shana Merchant.

Where is Cary – and what is it that Sylvie’s not sharing? With aspects of the case reminding Shana of an unsolved homicide from her past that haunts her still, she risks her own safety to help. But little does she know that a storm is coming – and if she doesn’t solve both crimes soon, she may become the island’s next victim . . .

My Thoughts:

Imagine investigating a deadly crime on a secluded island during the harsh winter where a small group of people overwintering are tight knit and deeply rooted in the Islands history. Imagine trying to break a wall of ice-no pun intended- in solving a murder under those conditions. No one can be trusted, no one is safe, everyone is keeping secrets and it is cold. Bone chilling cold. Yeah, that makes a great story-line.

Author Tessa Wegert does a brilliant job weaving all the senses of seclusion with an apocalyptic feel at times. Blended with psychological elements of the small Island’s community heightens the intensity of how vulnerable everyone is on the Island. This would also be the case for Shana Merchant and her team as they investigate the crime. You experience that with the characters throughout the book-particularly as the situation escalates.  

Merchant’s backstory is an interesting one to say the least and this investigation is another test of her mental capabilities in solving the crime. I say this without reading the other books in the series, that is how well Wegert pens a good backstory.

This crime thriller takes dangerous conditions to a whole different level!

Stephanie Hopkins

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.