The Well of Ice is the third Inishowen mystery by Andrea Carter. Originally released in 2017 in the UK, this reformat and re-release in the USA by Oceanview Publishing is 352 pages and available in hardcover format (other editions available in other formats).
I was impressed how much the isolated setting played in the entire flavor of the novel. The characters are well rendered, three dimensional, and believable. I liked the way main character Ben is compassionate, intelligent, and loyal to her friends. Although this is the third novel in the series, it worked well enough as a standalone for me to not have any trouble following the story or keeping the characters straight.
The language is relatively clean (there are some assorted "f-bombs", but they're used in context and don't overpower the story). There is implied consensual sexual content but it's -very- lightly written and there's no NSFW content. I did figure out "whodunit" before the end, but it was more a case of reverse-engineering the denouement (which was well written and exciting).
The spellings and slang are UK standard. There's a fair bit of Irish idiom and dialogue sprinkled throughout, but it shouldn't present any problems in context, especially for fans of UK/Scots/Irish crime fiction.
Beautifully written, well plotted, an enjoyable and diverting read. I read a *lot* of books for review in the course of a year, and I fully intend to read the first two books in this series asap.
Four stars. Recommended for fans of Irish crime fiction, legal mysteries, small-town mysteries (though I wouldn't call this one a cozy).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
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