::READERS REVIEWS::

can hold her own with Harlan Coben! - Minette Walters is awfully good in the mystery genre. I think she can hold her own with Harlan Coben. Like Coben, her mysteries resemble nesting dolls where taking apart one doll uncovers yet another. The premise of this mystery is whether the corpse discovered in the unused ice house adjacent to the biggest home in town is the owner's long lost husband. He's been gone for 10 years. She now lives there with two other women, all rumored to be lesbians together. Did they murder him together? The chief of police puts one of his younger detectives on the case, although he handled it himself when the husband first disappeared. Then there's a whole younger generation of children from the big house, now all university age. Add to this volatile mix that the whole town hates the three women, long labeling them as "witches, dykes and murderesses." A bit of romance comes into play as the policeman gets interested in one of the three women.

great british mystery - Well written psychological mystery with twists and turns and good characters. This mystery stands the test of time.

the Ice House - If you like the english mystery genre you will love the Ice House. I read this book several years ago and wanted to get a hard back copy for my library. Re-reading the book again reminded me why I became a fan of Minette Walters. Ms Walters always has enough psychological twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end, and with a smiedgen of romance, great characters you can care about and enough tension to keep you turning the pages, it is a great read.

I loved this one! - Finally, I'm beginning to read Minette Walters. It's a delight that I've been denying myself since I've been busy with a bunch of other books and series. I've seen some of these dramatized on television, and thought they were great, if a bit creepy! The dramatizations were good, but this book was great! It's been awhile since I've read a book that kept me spellbound throughout the whole thing. I love Ms. Walters' characterizations. Her depiction of the three women of Streech Grange is remarkable. These women are so real, and so are the secrets that they are hiding. We also get a wonderful example of two cops that are as different as can be. Inspector Walsh is a man possessed with a hidden agenda of his own, and Sergeant McLoughlin is a real enigma at the beginning, but turns out to be a tower of strength and rectitude. A new take on "Good Cop, Bad Cop" for sure. I simply can't wait to read the next book after enjoying this one so much.

"The hardest thing in the world to cope with is someone else's guilt." - Walters mixes in a number of social issues in a mystery begun ten years earlier at Streech Grange, where three women reside, ostracized by the community. Ten years ago, Phoebe Maybury's husband disappeared; soon enough the rumors began. Since Phoebe inherited the property after the unexpected death of her parents in an auto accident, the village busybodies actively spread the word that the red-haired young woman had murdered her husband as well as her parents, in spite of the fact that Streech Grange is in Phoebe's son's name. At the time of their father's disappearance, Jon and his sister Jane were only eleven and seven years old. Bearing the brunt of an intrusive police investigation, Phoebe weathered the trauma, raising her children with the help of two trusted childhood friends, Diana Goode and Anne Cattrell. True to form, the gossips continue their harassment, calling the women witches and perverts, effectively turning the village against them. The women have no choice but to keep to themselves at the Grange.

Now an unidentified body has been found in the ice house at the Grange and Chief Inspector Walsh is determined this time to solve the mystery of the Maybury disappearance, hoping the decayed and mutilated corpse will finally put an end to the case. Charging Detective Sergeant McLoughlin with interviewing the women, old wounds are reopened, McLoughlin strangely affronted by the united front the three friends offer, especially the sarcastic repartee of Anne Cattrell, who handily pushes him to the edge of reason. Soon enough, Walsh sets his sights on breaking down Phoebe's defenses, although McLoughlin doggedly pursues the slow investigative work that ultimately yields results. Drawn deeply into the painful world the women have endured over the past decade, McLoughlin often finds himself torn between his sympathies and duties.

Walters brilliantly casts her drama of humanity gone terribly wrong against the logical progression of an unsolved mystery. While the facts lead, one after another, to the shocking truth, it is the characters' behavior that is most telling, survival in a hostile environment, a mother's instinctive protection of her children, a village rife with jealousy and poisonous rumor and a crowd hysteria fueled by rage, fear and the impulse to take action. Absolutely nothing is what it first appears, all illusions eventually disabused by circumstances; it is the assumptions that are so damaging, bringing violence and destruction upon the vulnerable. What is essentially a mystery becomes a lesson in tolerance and understanding: "The triumph of the human condition is to face one small defeat after another and to survive them relatively intact." Luan Gaines/2007.

Three Gay Ladies and a Dead Ex-Husband. Whodunit? - 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 Phoebes 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 theyre going to get their answer, because now a body has been discovered in the ice house. Sure, its still in a state of decay, and David vanished ten years ago, but the ice house is very cool, so its possible.

Enter Inspector Walsh who is champing at the bit at the thought of the body being Phoebes husband, because hes 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 doesnt 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. Hes challenged, intrigued and fascinated by the women and he has a difficult time trying to figure out how to react to them.

I wont reveal any more but youll 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.