Dead on Ice

A Lovers in Crime Mystery

De: Lauren Carr

Narrado por: Mike Alger

Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The case has a personal connection to her lover, Joshua Thornton, because the freezer was located in his cousin's basement. It doesn't take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué star's roots were buried in their rural Ohio Valley community, something that Cherry had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept her hometown off her road map, too - because when this starlet came running home from the mob, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.

©2012 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2016 Terri Lynn Zaleski

Cute mystery

The body of a young woman, who’s been missing for decades, is found in a freezer of her dead attorney’s house when it explodes. Cameron and Joshua investigate. There’s an ornery skunk cat, a human cougar, brawling biddies and a host of other characters that make this story unique. Highly recommend if you want mystery, romance and comedy.

Don't fret! There's a police cat on the job!

The body of adult entertainment star Cherry Pickens turns up in the basement of Joshua Thornton’s cousin. It’s on Cameron Gates’s beat, throwing the two into a joint investigation. West Virginia-Pennsylvania state lines blur as they dig into this mystery.

While I have already ‘met’ Cameron and Jonathan in a later mystery (Kill and Run, Book 1 of Thorny Rose Mysteries), it was great to go back to this tale and meet them afresh. The tale starts off with a body in an old non-functioning freezer in a basement along with a bomb that throws some chaos into the mix. Turns out Cherry Pickens once lived in the area and disappeared years ago after the murder of teen Angie Sullivan. Discovery of Cherry’s body brings up old mysteries, feuds, and questions. I loved the layered mysteries in this book, as is such the case with other Carr mysteries I have enjoyed.

I have to say something about Cameron’s cat Irving. He is both a delight and a distraction. While I love that Irving is such a big part of Cameron’s life, I don’t get her taking him on investigations. She’s a police detective and good at it but having a ride along cat seems a bit silly. Other than that, I love how Irving isn’t too sure about Jonathan being around so much. The skunk scenes were great.

Jonathan’s teen son, Donny, had a great role in this story. He got to play undercover info gatherer at one point and there’s an older woman who’s willing to teach him some interesting things. However, both Cameron and Jonathan don’t approve of this woman.

Speaking of older women, there are two senior citizen ladies who have a bit of a brawl. In this scene they are actually rolling around on the floor yelling, punching, pulling hair, etc. I did find this to be a bit overkill and what might have been comedic turned into silly nonsense. This one scene sticks with me so well because it is simply ridiculous and doesn’t really fit the tone of the rest of the book. With that said, it does illustrate to great effect the distaste these two ladies have for each other. Their long-time feud becomes the center of the story.

On the side, the romance between Cameron and Jonathan is on. It feels like it has been going on for some time, so I wonder if this book is interconnected to yet an earlier series. Either way, it’s nice to have a touch of romance in the tale that doesn’t eclipse the murder mystery.

I received a free copy of this book via iRead Book Tours.

The Narration: Mike Alger did a pretty good job with this story. His voices for Jonathan and Cameron were good and he does a really good old lady voice as well. I liked his teen voice for Donny too. I did feel that some of his female voices could use a touch more femininity but I can also hear that he is giving it his best.

Dead on Ice

I recently became a fan of Lauren Carr’s mysteries. So, I was really excited to have the opportunity to listen to the audio version of her Dead on Ice. This one begins her Lovers in Crime series. Readers are introduced to a Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton for Hancock County and a homicide detective for the Pennsylvania State Police department, Cameron Gates. They join together investigating the murder of Cherry Pickens. She was found dead in a freezer in a basement. How did her body get there? Joshua and Cameron are determined to find out what had happened to her. They, also, get involved into another possible murder. Are these two cases linked?
I really enjoyed Dead on Ice. Joshua and Cameron is a great duo. It was fun getting to know the main characters. The mystery and suspense were not predictable at all. I was quite surprised to find out on who done it. Just like in any other Lauren Carr story, this one has its share of laughs. There are some quirky people Joshua and Cameron interact with in the town while investigating.
I am giving Dead on Ice a very well deserved five plus stars. I can not wait to read the next installment from the Lovers in Crime series. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy a well written cozy mystery. Audio book lovers will want to listen to this one, as well. Mike Alger’s performance should not be missed. He does a fantastic job bringing this book to life.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

Great narrator

What made the experience of listening to Dead on Ice the most enjoyable?

I have read several books from this author. I would comment by saying that the books this author writes are right in the middle between cozy mystery and the hardcore murder mysteries. This is perfect for readers who want more but without the gore.

This is the first time that I have listened to a books from this author. I really enjoyed listening. The narrator, Mike Alger made the listening experience so much fun. He provided each character's voice with a distinct one. You could hear the difference between male and female.

Cameron and Joshua made a good pair. They bounced off each other well. Each one separately are fine but together they are stronger as if one person. Each of the characters in this story were such eccentric personalities. Thus this helped to keep the story entertaining. Although, this is just the first book in this series, I have to say this might be by favorite one.

great mystery

My Thoughts…

This is not my first Lauren Carr book and it won’t be my last. I’m so excited to get to start a new series with her. I can’t exactly point to the reason I enjoy her writing so much, but I genuinely do.

The characters are always well rounded and funny without being silly. In Dead on Ice, we meet Joshua Thornton and Cameron Gates who already in a relationship. In a way, it felt like we dropped into the middle of their story, which was a great change of pace. Most stories show a relationship developing within the mystery. Here, we start a mystery with an established couple and watch them try to solve it. And their relationship is so real, with life complications and honest conflicts.

I do want to mention that I wouldn’t mind a character chart. There are a lot of ancillary characters in this book, meaning a lot of suspects to keep track of. The relationships between each person and their motives became a little complicated, so you really have to pay attention while reading. *Update* Check out the comments for information from the author!!!

I also love the setting. You don’t get a lot of books written in small town West Virginia, so when a good one is written, I really enjoy reading it. Having grown up in the tri-state area of Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky, I completely understood the mentality and mindset described in Dead on Ice.

Most importantly, Lauren Carr continued her streak of lovable and hysterical animal characters. I don’t know why they aren’t included in the blurb for this book, because they provide so much of the comic relief and charm. I’m not even a cat person, but the cat had so many start moments.

What’s Missing

If a book falls short of a 5 star rating, I try to figure out why instead of leaving it to the whim of my feelings. Sometimes, I am successful with this, sometimes I’m not. The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars was because I figured out the mystery pretty quickly. Otherwise, it was a thoroughly entertaining read.

Conclusion

If you enjoy mystery or crime novels, you should be reading Lauren Carr. She’s a great writer, with good stories and even better characters.

*Special thanks to Lauren Carr, Acorn Book Services, and iRead Book Tours for a copy of dead on Ice in exchange for an honest review.