The Well of Ice: An Inishowen Mystery

Carter’s pleasing third Inishowen mystery (after 2019’s Treacherous Strand) takes solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keeffe on business to Dublin, where she’s startled to run into her sister’s killer, Luke Kirby, recently released from prison. Back in the village of Glendora, Ben’s home on the Inishowen peninsula, the local pub burns down and its barmaid goes missing. People with information are more likely to confide in Ben, a sympathetic listener, than in garda sergeant Tom Molloy, her boyfriend. Ben gradually learns of secret familial relationships and hidden associations over tea, coffee, and warm whiskeys. The tension increases when Ben and Molloy discover a strangled body while on a mountain ramble, and then Kirby appears in Glendora. Carter doesn’t make it easy to decipher the twin mysteries of murder and arson, leaving the motive murky amid plenty of red herrings. However, her charming picture of the Irish countryside and Ben and Molloy’s credible relationship more than compensate. Those seeking a contemporary puzzler in the Agatha Christie tradition will have fun. Agent: Noa Rosen, Susanna Lea Assoc. (Nov.)