I loved this one! Jhonni Laurent was a great charcter to follow. Was she out of her depth by picking up a murder case when she's never worked a murder before in her law-enforcement career? Yes. But was she able to put the skills she did have to use? Also yes.

This was the kind of mystery where the whole time you have not much of an idea of who the bad guy is, but when it's revealed, you're able to look back and go "OH, I see it now". All the foreshadowing was there, but so subtle that it wasn't obvious.

I loved how diplomatically Laurent dealt with the community she works for, how she gets to know the people in town on a personal level, taking an active interest in their lives.

I didn't like, though, how much of a focus was placed on a very personal conflict in her life, and how it was poised to be a huge deal in the community, but then was very quietly almost shoved aside at the end. I would have liked to see how Laurent would deal with that conflict being made public, as was threatened throughout the story.

My other gripe was how she was always referred to as "Laurent", never by her first name "Jhonni". It would have been nice to have a mix, especially as the book was mostly written from her own perspective (limited third person) - and who refers to themselves by their last name? Not many people that I know of.

But overall, a great start to a promising new detective series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance digital copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley & Oceanview Publishing for providing me with this free ARC in return for my honest review.

Talk about a page-turner. Mary Ann Miller in her debut really knocks it out of the park in what appears to be the first in a series about Jhonni Laurent, sheriff in a quad-county area of Northern Indiana. I could not put this book down. Jhonni is the sheriff of a farming region and a day after a blizzard the kids at a local park discover a hand sticking out of a pile of snow and ice - pushed their by the snowplows - and which turns out to be the body of a local teenage girl. Who and why would someone murder this high school senior. Miller uses this to bring light to generational family feuds, along with a shady newspaper reporter who is in cahoots with one of Jhonni Laurent's deputies who will do anything possible to derail her career and have her lose the upcoming election. Along the way a local banker is found dead in his ice fishing tent and so is there one killer or two? The suspense drives story which I read in under two days. The dialog is both crisp and utterly believable and the plot takes us to the manyu different people, and issues surrounding farm communities. Even Sheriff Laurent has a hidden secret that could bring down her campaign. One mighty fine debut from author Mary Ann Miller, Kudos!!!!

Bones Under the Ice is the first book in the Jhonni Laurent series. The story takes place in Fields Crossing, Indiana. Jhonni Laurent is the first female sheriff and running for reelection after four years in office. The previous election was a close one against Mike Greene. They have had a contentious working relationship and is running against her again. The reporter and owner of the Crossing newspaper Ralph Howard is good friends with Mike and both hate Jhonni. They are trying to find dirt on her before the election in order to help Mike win.

Jhonni has been called to Webster Park where two boys found a hand in a snow pile from the blizzard they just had. Jhonni calls Caleb Martin, Public Works Director, her deputies, Mike Greene and Dak Aikens, the coroner and Henry Linville, funeral director to come to the site. When they are able to dig her out of the snow pile, Caleb recognizes her and tells Jhonni that she is his brother Dylan's girlfriend. Jhonni drives to inform the parents and they share that Stephanie had been missing since Wednesday the day of the blizzard. Another body will be found also frozen in an ice shanty. Jhonni will have her hands full trying to solve both of these murders before the reelection.

There are several stories within this story. First Stephanie's murder, second the reelection, third the family feud between two families, and getting to know Jhonni. There are many moving parts to this story which kept me totally engrossed. This was a really good start for the beginning of a new series. The characters are well written making them very interesting and very likeable. There is a slight cliff hanger involving Mike Green and Ralph Howard the reporter/owner of the newspaper. But it doesn't take away from the ending at all.

#BonesUnderIce#
By: Mary Ann Miller

Bones Under Ice is a female police procedural set in a small town in Indiana. The town is a hotbed of rivalries, feuds, and corrupt town officials. Sheriff Laurent wins the election by a narrow margin and makes enemies. She is liked by some of the eccentric townfolks. A teenage girl is discovered dead beneath the snow in a park during a blizzard. After the body thaws the Medical Examiner rules the death a homicide. The bitter winter weather becomes almost a character in the story as it affects most scenes. A side story of windmill farms distracts from the mystery. The author takes us down a few blind alleys before bringing the story to a satisfactory conclusion.

Her debut crime novel and first of a new series, Bones Under the Ice by Mary Ann Miller introduces Jhonni Laurent. Elected the first female sheriff in Field's Crossing, Indiana, this Sheriff’s first murder case is the discovery of a female high school senior’s body. Facing a nasty re-election campaign, another body is found, reigniting an old feud between two local families. With her reputation and credibility on the line, Jhonni must unearth the murderer and unite the small farming community. A quaint crime tale with likable characters and a three stars read rating. With thanks to Oceanview Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

This first-in-a-series thriller introduces Sheriff Jhonni Laurent who works in Field's Crossing, Indiana. After 15 years in the department and four years as sheriff, she is now faced with her first murder investigation.

Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Gattison was found buried under piles of snow left by a blizzard. At first, the assumption is that she got lost during the blizzard and died of hypothermia. However, two dents on her head soon lead to the conclusion that someone hit her and left her to die.

Stephanie was an ambitious high school senior who worked two part-time jobs. She worked for the city scanning documents and for the local hardware store. She has a boyfriend named Dylan Martin and had recently had an argument at work with Theo Tillman. Both are potential suspects since she saw both of them the afternoon of the storm at the local water tower.

The Martins and Tillmans had a long-standing feud. Both families farmed but the Martins were frugal and successful while the Tillmans were lazy and deeply in debt. Laurent is afraid that her investigation will acerbate tensions between the two families.

Tensions are already high enough in town. Laurent is up for reelection in just a few weeks and her defeated opponent works as one of her deputies and is running again with the strong support of the local newspaper which is more known for vendettas than serious news. Laurent is also dealing with a letter she's recently received from the daughter she gave up for adoption thirty years earlier.

Then the local banker is found dead in a suspicious accident and Laurent has another murder to solve.

I enjoyed this story. I liked Laurent as she deals with all the stresses in her life. I thought the plot was well done and the characters very realistic. I recommend it for all mystery fans.

This story is small town America all over the place. You have a small Sheriff’s Department, a smaller town
management and people who know too much about each other.
For the Sheriff, Jhonni Laurent, figuring out why two unrelated people are murdered weeks before she is
up for re-election becomes dangerous, not just for her but people around her.
The story moves along well, with a lot of character background, expected as this is first of a series. I look
forward to the next installment, and I’m certain the Sheriff will be re-elected just in time for book 2!
My thanks to the Publisher and Goodreads for this downloaded title in exchange for my honest review.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Mar 21st

I found Bones Under the Ice to be an entertaining read. Jhonni is the sheriff in a small Indiana farming community. She is up for reelection and her deputy sheriff is her competetion. A young girl is found dead buried in the snow, and what follows is the race to find the killer. More people are murdered and we wonder if there is any connection. Jhonni has a fight on her hands as she has enemies that don't want her to win reelection. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing, I am leaving my review voluntarily and the opinion expressed are my own.

This is a typical police procedural. There is nothing fantastic, nothing that stands out to make this book amazing. It is a very slow burn type of book. I kept waiting for some kind of action, and I was disappointed when it didn’t happen. There were parts of this book that didn’t need to be there because it didn’t really go to the main story line, but it was clearly being used to set up for future books in the series. It was unfortunate that I could never connect with any of the characters. I really wanted to like this book, but it just wasn’t for me. That is not to say the author isn’t talented. I saw a lot of reviews that were 4 ad 5 stars. The book just wasn’t for me, and that’s okay. I still would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a police procedural.

bones under the ice by mary ann miller — netgalley arc review

bones under the ice is the first book in a new mystery series centered around small town sheriff jhonni laurent. the gist is, rural indiana suffers a blizzard, local kids find a dead body frozen under ice, and now the sheriff has a murder or two to solve, two rival families in her list of suspects, an upcoming election against a dirty senior deputy, an equally dirty, misogynistic local newspaper reporter bent on ruining her chances of re-election, a request to meet the daughter she gave up for adoption 30 years ago, and a really bad cold.

what i liked
• the atmospheric setting: the weather acted like a character of its own and did not only serve as a backdrop for the crimes
• small town politics with a fleshed out set of characters (the mc is a 52-year-old single woman who plays the cello and is the first female sheriff in a farming community!!!!)
• the tight-knit community and the ever-present nosy characters that know the history of everyone and everything in town gave this book a cozy mystery feel instead of a proper mystery thriller
• bones under the ice is such a cool title and laurent a fancy name

what i didn't like
• laurent was likable enough but i got the impression she was not particularly good at her job. (granted, she had never before encountered any crimes of that magnitude in her entire career...)
• also connected to above point: it was almost like she would ask questions solely for the sake of narrative exposition (probably why this felt like a 'cozy' to me...)

i got an uncorrected arc and naturally could not stop noticing technical matters like sentence structure, awkward repetition and word choice, which hopefully would be corrected prior to release on march 21

thanks to netgalley and oceanview publishing!

Now, this was a very enjoyable read, a good mystery. I do have a thing for books set in ice and snow and I do have a thing for small or smaller-town mysteries. The protagonist, sheriff Jhonni Laurent, is something I immediately liked. There were several antagonists in the story, including the killer. And yes, they were easy not to like...

The writing was good. The story was good. The characters were interesting - and I would absolutely read the next part of the series. Very enjoyable read!

Field's Crossing Indiana is where Sheriff Jhonni Laurent works. A farming community and now home to a murder. This is Jhonni's first murder to solve. Plus, it is an election year, and she has a deputy just chomping at the bit to have her job. She barely beat him out in the next election. But there are other things going on in town she has to deal with besides a murder, namely a family feud. A well plotted story, I enjoyed it very much. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

Loved this book. Sherrif Laurent is fighting colleague’s and our townspeople with the find of a teenager’s body in the snow. Who killed the girl, accidentally or on purpose? It’s a tough one when her deputy is against her, townspeople are against each other, then another body turns up.
The local newspaper is printing wrong against the Sherrif so she will not win the re-election.
Is she fighting a loosing battle and can she find the killer or killers.
Great story. Well written and I will definitely read more from this new author to me.

This does not read like a first mystery. The plot is complex, the mystery full of red herrings and the clues there but well hidden. The characters at all levels are extremely well developed and believable, and their actions flow organically from the situation and their personalities rather than to merely fit the plot. Can you tell I really liked it?
Jhonni Laurent is a small county sheriff in farm country running for re-election against -one of her deputies when a frozen hand is found poking out of a snow drift where the kids like to sled. This becomes Laurent's first murder at a time when she not only has the re-election to contend with, but the 30 year anniversary of giving a baby up for adoption who now wants to meet, a local so-called-newspaper journalist who wants her head on a platter, and a the local "Hatfield and McCoy" feud about to erupt over accusations related to the murder. There's a lot happening in this story, and it's all happening in a small town, so it's one big pot being steadily stirred and brought to a boil. With so many interesting characters and animosities, this should make for a fascinating series. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book and will look for more in this series. It was fast paced with gritty good characters and a twist I didn’t see coming.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I enjoyed this book, and will be on the lookout for this author. I did want to know what happened when she met her daughter! Interesting mystery and how she arrived at the conclusions. Highly recommend.

Bones Under the Ice is book one in the Jhonni Laurent series by Mary Ann Miller. During a blizzard in the small rural township of Field's Crossing, Indiana, Sheriff Jhonni Laurent found her first murder case since becoming the first female Sheriff, a young high school student, under a pile of ice and snow. To complicate Sheriff Jhonni Laurent's life during the murder investigation, the opponent she ousted from the Sheriff's position started a bitter battle to be reelected. Sheriff Jhonni Laurent had to find the murderer and maintain her reputation. Bones Under the Ice readers will continue to follow Sheriff Jhonni Laurent's investigation to find out what happens.

Bones Under the Ice is the first book I read by Mary Ann Miller, and I engaged with the plot and characters from the start. I did not expect the ending of Bones Under the Ice, and it did come as a welcoming surprise. I love Mary Ann Miller's portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Bones Under the Ice is well-written and researched by Mary Ann Miller. I like Mary Ann's description of Bones Under the Ice settings, which allowed me to feel part of the book's plot.

Bones Under the Ice readers will understand the problems and issues that female law enforcement officers face in small rural communities in the United States. Also, the Readers of Bones Under the Ice will understand the consequences of embezzling and electoral fraud.

I recommend this book.

Sheriff Jhonni Laurent has been on the job for four years, and she is up for re-election. As the department’s first female sheriff, she has done a good job keeping crime at bay and the community safe during her tenure. However, being in a rural area like Field’s Crossing, Indiana brings mainly run-of-the-mill crimes like drugs and disturbing the peace. That is until a couple of kids find a body buried under a mound of snow at the city park. Now Sheriff Laurent faces pressure right before the big election and hopes to be able to solve the murder quickly. To make matters worse, a century-old family feud between suspects flares up threatening to overtake the investigation, and Jhonni’s own daughter, who she gave up for adoption thirty years earlier, now wants to make contact. Laurent has to tease out all of the threads of the crime to find the killer without tearing apart her community and losing her job, while coming to terms with a decision she made long ago.

Mary Ann Miller’s novel Bones Under the Ice makes a strong debut in the suspense genre. Miller deftly weaves several theme topics together to make a rich tapestry of lies, deceit, betrayal, and redemption—on more than one level. Family is complicated, and Bones Under the Ice explores several facets of the complexity of family.

Miller creates a strong character in Jhonni Laurent—a single woman who is at the middle stage of her life, no husband, no immediate family. Jhonni’s world as sheriff of a small rural community is a man’s world, and there are some who believe she doesn’t belong. Laurent lags a bit in the depth department as far as characters go; however, this is the first novel in the series, so perhaps more development in Jhonni’s character is forthcoming. Although some depth is revealed as Laurent struggles with whether or not to meet the daughter she gave up for adoption thirty years prior, that struggle is kept in the background more hidden than not. It’s a pity; bringing that out more at the expense of some of the more technical descriptions of the murder investigation could give the novel a little more heft.

Ms. Miller’s writing is clear, precise, and moves at a good pace. It’s fast enough not to lose detail, and the detail doesn’t bog down the pacing while still painting a picture. The story arc was interesting, the character’s relationships with one another, and the clean writing make this a book that is difficult to put down. From time to time, however, the myriad cast of characters can become confusing, but those spots do not overwhelm the writing or the reader. Overall, the writing is clean, and reminiscent of Sue Grafton’s.

Bones Under the Ice contains a crime that is well-plotted and revealed in a logical manner. There is enough explanation about certain aspects of the crime, the perpetrator’s motive and actions for the reader not only to have a clear understanding of events, but also to be able to solve the crime.

Having read Book One of the series, this reader is ready for Book Two!

murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, thriller, suspense, cigars, cellist, middle-aged, politics, friendship, adoption, rural, Indiana, new-series, reporter, due-diligence, snow-season, first-in-series, election-tensions, feuding-families, jealousies, secrets, lies, personal-issues, blizzards, procedural, greed, embezzling*****

The sheriff has a bad cold and her first murder case.
She also has some very personal problems, an election for her position looming, and a very biased rumormongering local reporter dogging her every move and questioning her law enforcement ability. The characters are very clearly drawn and engaging, the plot is strong and complex, there are a couple of serious plot twists, and the red herrings sneak up on one. It's a good read that can only get better with time, but I think that it is a winner!
I requested and received an apparently unedited EARC from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you.

Bones Under the Ice
by Mary Ann Miller
Earc:NetGalley
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date:21st March 2023
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
we are straight into the story and straight away get to know the characters. Laurent won the election of the Sheriff of the town however her poem Mike was a very bitter about her win. When a bad snow storm hits when two boys are at the park they find the body of a teenager frozen in the snow.

A gripping police trial featuring Johnny Laurent (a.k.a. Laurent), the first female sheriff of the farming community of Fields Crossing, Indiana. The story begins with Laurent facing her first murder investigation after the body of her high school senior is discovered under a pile of snow and ice. The investigation coincides with Laurent facing her re-election against the snobbish and resentful MP ​​she defeated four years earlier. Her problems add to secrets from her past, centuries of family feuds, a second-degree murder, alleged voter fraud, and a ruthless newspaper reporter. There's a notable cast of supporting characters, including a former sheriff/mentor to help out, a shrewd retired farmer courting at a local restaurant, and a potential love interest.

Few books feature a 50-year-old protagonist (let alone a 50-year-old cello-playing, cigar-smoking protagonist), and it's exhilarating. Kudos to the author for creating a mature and relatable character, and I look forward to future books in this series.

NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC (Advance Read Copy) of her Thanks to author Mary Ann Miller, and Oceanview Publishing. and hostile citizens. As if that wasn't enough, she has to face her fifties with grace.

Miller paints a very realistic portrait of a woman satisfied with her job and facing the pressures of her overwhelming job. I also like the way she showed that small-town people aren't as naive or stupid as many big-city people think.Of course, this is colored by small-town life.

There was a very complicated plot showing the good and bad of human nature. I thought Miller did a great job with her characterization.



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