Thank you NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the eARC.
It's bitterly cold and snowing in Glendara, Ireland and Ben (Benedicta) O'Keefe and her assistant are extremely busy, trying to finish up before Christmas.
On a business trip to Dublin she also plans to visit her parents, but before she gets there she has a terrible shock: Luke Kirby, her former lover who murdered her sister and is now out of jail, intercepts her and she has an ominous feeling that he will not leave her alone.
When she gets back home, Glendara's beloved and only pub, The Oak, has been burned down and the barmaid is missing. When on a walk with a friend's dog, Ben and her lover, Sergeant Tom Malloy, find Carole's body, strangled.
This is the third in a series my first foray into it. I enjoyed it a lot, I liked Ben, her cat Guinness and many of the other characters, plus the sense of place was atmospheric. It would probably have been better to have read the previous books, but there's enough background info to make it an easy standalone. Definitely recommended.

This is a very well-written traditional police and legal procedural. It is the third in the series, and I wish I'd had a chance to read the first two, but the characters are well-drawn and you are able to jump right into the story. Benedetta "Ben" O'Keffe is an appealing solicitor and a strong female character (my fave) and this book feels a little like chilly Scandinavian noir mixed with a traditional police/lawyer procedural. There's a little romance, a moderate amount of crime, and a LOT of good writing. I was really impressed with the level of research and writing on this one and the setting of the small chilly town really comes to life. I would definitely read the other books in this series!

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing, the author, and NetGalley for the advance copy!

This is the first book I have ever read by this author. I hope it is not the last. This was the third book in the series though I did not feel lost as to who was who. I really hope there will be more books in this series. I liked Ben and Molloy. Ben(Benedicta), seemed to fall in to helping Molloy solve this murder. She seemed to be close to all of the suspects. I loved the twists and turns. I received a copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

I received a free electronic ARC of this novel, third in the Inishowen Mysteries but completely stand-alone, from Netgalley, Andrea Carter, and Ocean View Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Well of Ice of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Andrea Carter writes a compelling story with personable people and an interesting mystery. I will want more of her stories. And she paints a lovely picture of the peninsula - I would add that to my bucket list.

The Well of Ice takes place on the Inishowen Peninsula, County Donegal, Ireland. Benedicta "Ben" O'Keefe is a county barrister, an amateur sleuth, and a credit to her community. Everyone comes to her with their troubles and their secrets, making her at times the only person in the communities of the Inishowen who know what is actually going on. Sometimes she is more in the know than her fella, Molloy, himself with the local garda. But it is with his help that she will be able to suss out the people behind the current woes of the community. We have Carole, barmaid at the Owl and sister of Eddy, gone missing just before Christmas. Carole has been know to disappear before, but now she and her husband George have two toddlers and it's nearly Christmas! It couldn't be a voluntary walk-about. And then the Owl burning Christmas Eve. Arson. And Susanne, daughter of the Owl Pub's owner, Tony, just gone, before St. Brigid's Day. Luke Kirby, Ben's former lover and the man who killed her sister ten years ago, has chosen to find his way to her village after he was released from prison, where he did nine years plus for manslaughter. Has Luke struck again, or is there someone else stalking local women?

Benedicta 'Ben' O'Keefe is pretty confident that you can't keep a secret in her small town. After all, she has secretly been seeing Sergeant Molloy, and yet, almost everyone she runs in to seems to already know. But when the local pub burns down and the barmaid goes missing, no one knows a thing, even when a body is found. At least not when they talk to Molloy, but Ben seems to have a knack for sniffing out secrets and lies.
It is no secret to those who know me, that I love a good mystery. This was my first book trip to Ireland, and the descriptions made me wish I could hop on a plane and visit. I was checking Google maps as I read, and as the author notes, Glendara is a town created in her mind, but Inishowen is quite real. This has become a real thing to me during these stay at home times. Making plans for all the places I've read about and will visit when the world goes back to some semblance of normal.
But, I digress...... I loved the character, Ben. A smart and sharp woman who survived a terrible family tragedy. She is loyal to her friends, and when circumstances forced her to reveal the identity of Luke Kirby, a man from her past, her friends have her back too. I am still not sure how I felt about Molloy, but as the story progressed, some things were revealed that made me think that I should give this character a chance. There are more than a few red herrings, and though I did guess the killer's identity, it would have been just as possible that I was wrong.
Intriguing characters, an idyllic location, and a good mystery to try and solve. I hope to see Ben again!

The Well of Ice is the third book in the Inishowen Mystery series featuring solicitor Benedicta 'Ben' O'Keeffe. I have read the previous novels in the series and was waiting the for this next installment. As a side note, the next installments have already been published overseas, lucky for them.

As usual Ben has alot going on, while on a trip to Dublin to visit her parents, she runs into Luke Kirby, the man who killed her sister, freshly released from jail. It is not a pleasant encounter.

Back home Ben is working hard to get things done so she can celebrate the holidays with her, as yet undefined significant other, Sargent Tom Molloy. The Oak, is the victim of an arson attack and Carole, the barmaid, is missing. Ben and Tom find Carole's body while walking on the beach. The story takes off from here. Andrea Carter is a wonderful writer. She does an excellent job of developing her characters and the relationships with each other. As with any good mystery there are secrets, that are told to Ben, but which she cannot communicate to Tom, much to his frustration, Ben is nosy and determined to get at the solution. Tnis is a great series, I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy exchange for an unbiased review.

The Well of Ice is the third and latest entry in Andrea Carter’s Inishowen series. In it, Carter returns to the same small town, Glendara; and the same cast of characters, including solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe and Sergeant Molloy; that have made the first two books so enjoyable. And although Glendara is fictional, it’s located on the very real far northern Inishowen peninsula of Ireland, and Carter’s descriptions of the peninsula, even in December with cold and wind and ice and snow, make Inishowen seem like part of the story itself.

I really enjoyed this book. The plot has a couple of main threads. One is built around the release from prison of the man who killed Ben’s sister, who now may be coming after her. The other is built around a mysterious pub fire and missing barmaid in Glendara. And eventually, of course, there’s a dead body. I don’t want to indulge in spoilers, so I’m not going to say whether these threads all dovetail nicely or get solved separately, but Carter brings almost everything to a satisfactory resolution. (See below for the one thing I think isn’t…)

My only minor complaint is around Ben’s relationship with Molloy, which is less assured and more stressful than I’d like it to be in a book I’m reading for fun. I do understand that I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to try to start a new relationship given Ben’s past history with a murdered sister and with that sister’s killer still around. Even without that kind of stress, relationships can have tough patches, especially when exes are around. And I also know it’s probably shallow of me to want things to go more smoothly on the romantic front, but that is how I feel. Still, this is not a major complaint for me, and I still very much liked the book.

And for one final note, I think my biggest smile while reading the book came when I read that Ben’s parents were going to plan a vacation trip for the Christmas holidays. I immediately started imagining trips to sunny warm southern climes, only to find out that they were going to Iceland (!?!?!) during December. So much for preconceptions!

Please keep in mind that I only give a very very few books, maybe 1 in 30 or 40 books that I read, a 5 star rating. (I try to fight star-flation a little bit…) So four stars is a really solid recommendation from me for a book. And I’m very much looking forward to the next title appearing the US – it is already out in the UK, so hopefully it won’t be too long!

I wish I would learn to read the first book in a series instead of always being permanently late to the party, and having to play catch up. There were a lot of characters in this book so I had to keep my wits about me.I love the feel of a small town though with all the interesting characters to be found. The story was good too, and it was a good book to read.

A cold—and terrifying—Christmas holiday on the Inishowen Peninsula

December on the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal—and solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O'Keeffe is working flat out before the Christmas holidays. While on a trip to Dublin to visit her parents, she runs into Luke Kirby—the man who killed her sister—freshly released from jail. On the surface he appears remorseful, conciliatory even, but his comment as she walks away makes her realize he is as evil as ever.

I loved this book. The author is new to me so I plan to look up the series and read them in order.
I will recommend them. Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview for the ARC.

4 star

The Well of Ice is the 3rd book of the Inishowen Mystery series. I found it as engrossing and satisfying as the first two books. The main character is Ben, a solicitor in a small Irish town. She is smart, likable and has a strong sense of seeking the truth, which makes her seem very much like a modern-day and very gown up Nancy Drew. Yes, the setting is in current times, meaning everyone has a cell phone, but there is still the quaint, small-town, slow-paced atmosphere of a seaside Irish community. Well, slower-paced for everyone except Ben, who seems to ping-pong from meeting to meeting (and clue to clue) at a dizzying speed.

The plot revolves around a fire that destroys a beloved pub in the wee hours of the morning, and the untimely disappearance of the pub’s employee who worked to closing hours before the fire broke out. There are several different story-lines which are woven expertly through the book. It was fun to make each new discovery as different characters reveal secrets of the past and present to Ben. She seems to be the only person who has most of the pieces, but still cannot put them all together until it is almost too late. The story progresses at a good pace while providing a wonderful sense of setting. This is a winter tale and the unforgiving cold, wet, icy, snowy and windy weather was often part of the reader’s experience.

Character development was good, although I did get confused at times regarding relationships due to trying to figure out the relative ages of some characters. Several new characters are introduced and the reader learns more about some of the town’s locals who are recurring in the series. In this 3rd book of the series, some of Ben’s long-standing personal challenges get resolved, but new changes in her life have surfaced. I look forward to reading more of the Inishowen Mystery series to see where the author takes this character. And of course, what the next mystery will be.

This is an unbiased review of an ARC received from NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

murder
arson
threatening behaviour

well who would want to live in a village with all this going on...but to be fair its only one person who it could be but its proving it....and the reasons why.... and that is the problem or is it something else entirely...

with plenty of red herrings and a multitude of suspects this one does tend to follow on the miss marple style of things...so its not to taxing though getting your head around the characters is another matter, but once you know who they are and what their jobs are it gets easier....

an enjoyable read on a sunday afternoon

This is Book 3 of the author's Inishowen mystery series, and the first for me. And I must say that overall, I enjoyed it thoroughly. If I have to get nitpicky, I'll say the number of characters was a bit overwhelming, but once I got into the swing of things I managed to keep the important ones straight.

The star of the show is Benedicta "Ben" O'Keeffe, a solicitor in Glendara, Inishowen, who's desperately trying to clear her calendar for the upcoming Christmas holidays. But instead of seeing bows, boxes and warm hugs from her family and friends, she runs smack dab into the man who murdered her sister Faye. He's just been released from jail, and instead of heading for other parts as she expected, he's right on her doorstep. Long ago, she and he were an item - until he dumped her for her sister and then, well, you know.

Ben has a relatively new main squeeze, a sergeant with the local police - although their relationship seemed to me to be tenuous at best (anyone who wants to keep a relationship "in the closet" says to me no relationship exists). But they're working at it, sort of, when things in the small community start to go horribly wrong. It starts when a popular pub burns to the ground - a possible arson - and the suspicious disappearance of the pub's barmaid. Then, when Ben and her lover, Tom Molloy, hike to Sliabh Sneacht to see the Well of Eyes, her foot slips in and she dubs it the "Well of Ice." Alas, that's not their only find; the other is the body of a dead female.

Needless to say, Ben has her suspicions that her sister's killer may be involved somehow. But is that simply what she wants to believe because she [understandably] hates him so much? What roles, if any, do the dead woman's husband or the pub owner play? As the plot progresses, it becomes clear that maybe Ben herself is in danger. If that's true, can her boyfriend protect her while he's trying to solve the murder?

Well, you'll just have to read it to find out - and it's worth the effort. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me a pre-release copy to read and review.

My only regret is that I left this book too long on my TBR pile. Fantastically created atmosphere of a small village, in the middle of winter, with a mysterious arsonist on the loose and a killer to boot. i hope there are more in this series!

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me a copy of this book for this honest review.

Although originally published in 2017, Oceanview Publishing is releasing this third book in Andrea Carter’s Inishowen Mystery series for the US in 2020. Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe works as a solicitor in the Inishowen area of County Donegal, although she’s originally from Dublin, where her parents still live. While visiting them just before Christmas, she sees the man who killed her sister. Apparently, he was recently released from prison after completing his sentence. Her testimony was key to his sentence, so she’s concerned he’s out for revenge. She becomes even more concerned when he later shows up in the Inishowen area.

Other mysterious events occur back home in Glendara where Ben works and lives. A woman goes missing soon after the pub where she worked is burned down. Ben also finds a dead body in the snow while walking the dog with her somewhat secret love interest, Sergeant Tom Molloy. Ben eventually thinks everything is related to her sister’s murderer, but others must somehow be involved.

The book spends a lot of time on the backstory of several characters which both adds and subtracts to the book. I enjoyed reading about the characters and seeing how or if the love interest between Ben and Tom would progress, but at times, it slowed the book. I wasn’t pulled into the story that much and as a result it took me a lot longer to finish than it typically would.

This book is characterized as a cozy which mostly means less graphic violence than some crime fiction books which I read more often. Cozy books come in all varieties, including some types I would never read (cat detectives, really?), but this is a realistic and sometimes dark book, with the violence mostly discovered (e.g., a dead body) and not experienced (the actual murder). I certainly enjoyed reading the crime solving of solicitor Ben O’Keefe, who sometimes does what she shouldn’t but that’s what amateurs do, (and even some professional private detectives), to make for a more interesting (and hopefully not cringe-worthy) story. Well done here.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. Although I’m sure I missed some references to earlier books, I never felt lost or confused. The book did seem to have many back stories about several of the characters that I’m sure would have added a little more color to the book, but the author presented these characters in a way that gave the reader the key information.

The Donegal setting was the main reason I decided to read this book. One of my great grandparents is from there and I’ve spent a few days in County Donegal both in 2016 and in 2019, including a night in the Inishowen Gateway hotel in the summer of 2019. Of course, many of the places in the book are fictional so I didn’t recognize as much local color as I may have. I’ll always enjoy reading about Ireland.

this was a really good mystery novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to more from the author.

Ok read. The settings are realistic and the plot line is well thought out. I found the characters somewhat uninvolving but I think that the shortcomings are attributable to me rather than the author.

This isn’t my typical read. I generally don’t do thrillers and never books set outside of the US. This was a good read. It kept my interest and intrigued throughout. I would recommend it

An interesting story set in a beautiful part of Ireland. An intriguing read with loads of characters and suspense.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

An excellent story, very well written and with a very interesting main character. The plot is good, but everything is a little too slow, and there are lots of characters to keep track of.

Benedicta "Ben" O'Keeffe is a solicitor in a small Irish village in County Donegal. The story is set right before Christmas, and everyone in the village is shocked when the local pub burns to the ground. Was it arson? If so, who was responsible? And then there is a murder, which is unnerving enough, but Ben has a nasty surprise when the man who killed her sister is released from prison and comes to town to taunt her. I really enjoyed this new series, and will definitely look for more books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a well written mystery with good suspense. The characters were well developed and the
storyline flowed smoothly. This is a book which I would recommend to others.

Thank you so much, Oceanview Publishing for my e-arc

A story set in a small town with complex characters and intriguing plot makes a very fascinating read. It kept me guessing from start to finish. If you’re into evocative and exhilarating story, this book is for you!

Holiday Season Fast Approaching....
Book three in the Inishowen Mystery series sees the holiday season fast approaching. An enjoyable, nicely plotted mystery with credible characters and a likeable protagonist in Ben. Atmosphere keeps pace throughout with a good sense of place. A worthy addition to the series.

This story takes place in the cold winter in Northern Ireland. It is wonderfully atmospheric. This is a good story and the characters are relatable. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

totally loved this one - it's part of a series about 'Ben' a lawyer - in this one conducting an illicit relationship with local cop - which everyone really does know about - and a well-depicted and conflicted barmaid - disappearances of crucial figures, and a mysterious arson attack - but the wonderful strong aspect are the characters - hints of previous escapades and events in Ben's life for example are going to make me find that first one where her sister dies - the killer by the way is out of prison in this one (it was deemed manslaughter I gather) - and that figures in too - really wonderful - I've read others of hers outside this series, but i'm glad to have come across this. excellent ... great read ...

I received this book through the Read Now program from NetGalley. If you are into stories originating in Ireland this book is for you.

The story begins with "Ben" a solicitor trying to finish all of the open issues that she has before Christmas. She has one which will have her going to Derry to close on a Real Estate purchase. While there she runs into a former boyfriend who had been in prison for killing her sister. In addition one of the employees of "the Oak" was on the same plane that she was.

Later, after she returned to her town, a fire burned the pub. One of the last people that were seen there was the same individual who had flown to Derry. While the Guard was investigating the fire and trying to locate the girl from the pub, Ben and Molly (a Sgt. in the Guard), were taking a walk on Christmas Day when they discovered a body on the beach. This was the missing girl.

Eventually they were able to determine who had set the fire and also who had killed the pub girl. If you want to find out how Ben's former boyfriend comes into the investigation and who else was involved, then you must read this story.

The Well of Ice is a very well written mystery. Great plot and character development. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

With Christmas approaching, solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe thinks life on the Inishowen Peninsula of Count Donegal is much better than the life she left many years ago. Her ‘secret’ relationship with the local policeman, Sergeant Molloy, is going well and business is good, leading up to a Christmas break. She lives in a town where everyone knows everything about each other, but where there are also dark secrets kept hidden in many of their lives.

When the popular, local pub burns to the ground overnight and one of the ‘bar maidens’ seems to have disappeared, Benedicta starts sleuthing around to see what she can discover. When people start telling her things that they don’t always tell the police, ‘Ben’ starts to solve the puzzle. An astonishing discovery on Christmas day puts a damper on the holiday and raises the importance of solving the case. When ‘Ben’s’ life is also put in danger, Molloy must try to protect his girl friend, as well as solve the ongoing mysteries.

Normally, I prefer having the police detective as the main character of a mystery, but this story is well written and the underlying web of mystery engages the reader to try and solve the case and discover who are the ‘bad guys’ and what they are up to as the plot enfolds.

A woman is found murdered in a small Irish town where secrets abound. A solicitor is worried that people will discover her relationship with a police detective but compared to the rest of the village her secret is small. There’s bigamy, spouses in prison and unrecognized bastard children to contend with. Add in the solicitor’s sister’s killer has been released from jail and is not adverse to taunting her. The story is so intricate the detective has to to explain what happened to the central character in the last several pages. And that to me is the major flaw in this book. It’s way overwritten, at least in my opinion. I know some readers will relish the way the author immersed them into village culture, but for me it just bogged me down.

The Well of Ice is the third in the Inishowen Mysteries series featuring lawyer Benedicta 'Ben' O’Keeffe, but it works as a stand-alone novel. Ben is trying to finish up a massive number of real estate sales before the Christmas holidays. In the midst of that stress, she learns that Luke Kirby, the man who killed her sister, has been released from prison after serving nine of the ten years he was sentenced to when his murder charges were downgraded to manslaughter.

In her home of Glendara, stress—beyond that of the typical holiday seasons—has burst out all around. The local pub, the Oak, has burned down. Carole, the bar mistress is missing. Then, Ben and Sgt. Tom Molloy, discover a body face down in the snow. In addition to these two big ticket items, a lot of smaller odd occurrences plague Ben: the poisoning of her cat Guinness, the loss of her wallet, and spying Luke Kirby on the streets of Dublin.

Over the course of the prior two novels, a romance has bloomed between Ben and Molloy, though they think they are keeping it under wraps. But she senses that Molloy is pulling away, and she’s beginning to regret trusting him with her heart.

Like most small towns, the exterior may be placid, but on the interior lurk secrets: covert relationships, bigamy and past indiscretions. All these camouflaged links may—or may not—tie into the murder and arson investigations.

Andrea Carter manages to create fully-articulated characters, especially the Agatha Christie-esque Ben, along with a particularly adept sense of location. I’ll have to backtrack and read the prior two novels.

It's the second book I read in this series which is becoming a favorite.
This a gripping and entertaining read that kept me hooked and guessing till the last pages.
The plot flows and I loved the dark atmosphere and the twists and turns in this series.
Ben and the other characters are all written and likable. The setting is as lovely as usual and made me wish to visit the area.
The mystery is solid, full of red herrings and turns, and the solution came as a surprise.
I can't wait to read the next installment, this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

First time reading one of the Inishowen mysteries by Andrea Carter, and definitely won't be the last. Even though this is book 6 in a series, I had no trouble getting to know the characters and the locale. Intriguing mystery with lots of intersecting threads!